Prepare your clothing
Your products should look their absolute best in your images. It’s an unfortunate fact that clothing can become wrinkled, creased, and begin to look worn from storage and transport. Clothing samples face a particularly rough time, as they often cover a lot of miles and may not have been perfectly constructed to begin with.
Preparing garments to be photographed is a crucial starting point for photographing your products, yet many photographers skip this step and rely on Photoshop or free photo editing software to fix wrinkles, stains, and other visible defects. Don’t do that. Photoshop isn’t magic: it takes time and expertise to master advanced editing techniques, and excessive editing risks compromising image quality.
Try to capture your garment in a state as close to perfect as possible and use Photoshop only to add final touches and color correction.
Thoroughly examine your product from top to bottom, inside and out. Are there any tags, stickers, or other types of identifying materials that need to be removed? Do so. Has the product become wrinkled or creased during storage? Iron or steam it. Repair damages and remove distractions; for example, use lint rollers or tape to remove dust and strings.
Set up your photo studio
With a few items, you can turn nearly any room with space into a photography studio. You can get by with a camera, tripod, white wall, C-stand, duct tape, and natural light. If you have a little more to spend and want control over when and where you shoot, it’s worth investing in a few more pieces of equipment.
Make sure to clear all clutter from your area. You’ll want a clean space to stay organized and do the best work.
Backdrop
Always use a white or light grey backdrop to prevent distractions and ensure you capture colors as accurately as possible. Seamless rolls of white paper are ideally suited, cheap, and readily available at any photography supply store. If you have one, get a backdrop lighting kit for under $100.
Sweep the roll to the floor so that it is curved, preventing creases and distracting shadows, and fasten it with tape.
Using a stand will give you more flexibility in where you position your background, allowing you room to manoeuvre around the studio. If you’re on a bootstrapped budget, you can tape the seamless roll to the ceiling or a wall.
Position your product on a model or mannequin in the middle of the backdrop and directly in front of where your camera will be.
