# t-shirt photography



## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Sorry, of topic a bit:

Rodney, did you put that Threadless shirt on the floor for the pic?

I've been having the hardest time getting good pics of my stuff. I've got some pics with people wearing the shirts, but I also wanted some of just the shirts themselves. 

Even when putting them on the floor, they don't seem to turn out the way I would want them. I've got a decent 7megapixel digital, but can't seem to get good pics!

Any tips? (maybe you could move this to it's own thread if I'm too far off topic)


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*



> (maybe you could move this to it's own thread if I'm too far off topic)


It's a great topic....worthy of it's own autonomous thread 

Did I just type autonomous? I'm not even sure what that means.

Anyway, in the photo I posted, the two shirts are actually sitting on my dining room table. I used a wide angle lens and stood on a chair 

I also have a light tent that I bought on ebay that I use for photographing just the shirts themselves. That gives the items a white background and makes them easy to photograph. I read in another thread that you can make your own light tent (or just use a white sheet).

When I want photos of people wearing the shirts, I usually either bug a friend who isn't camera shy, or outsource to Bill over at www.t-shirtmodels.com


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*

I used my brother and my cousin this past weekend to get some practice pics.
They didn't turn out well at all!

The first pic is of my brother. It came out okay. But the close-up of the shirt (it's laying on the floor) didn't come out well. You need to discribe this light tent a bit more. I think I need something like that.

The last pics are of my cousin in front of my house. I need a tripod, really BAD! (or learn to be still!)

I'm willing to listen to all that have tips! 

Let's hear it!


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## Dave G (Aug 7, 2006)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*

Yeah, a tripod is needed. A couple weeks ago when I took photos of someone modeling my shirts I just did it outside in the bright sunlight with my camera and tripod.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*

Greg, what kind of camera do you have?

If you've got a decent zoom, try backing up a bit from your subjects. I think the curving effect on the shirt in the 2nd pic is from having the camera too close.

If you don't have a good zoom or if the camera shakes too much when you are in zoom, then just take a picture from further away using your highest quality setting and edit out the background. Taking the picture from directly above will look much better, so try to do that if you can (a tripod helps with this).

A light tent, or even just a bright light that has been diffused somehow (so it doesn't throw shadows) would be really good. Just don't use incandescent light bulbs, the yellow tint is hard to get rid of. Personally I try to use natural sunlight whenever I can, even indoors.

Here's a good article about a DIY lighting setup:

shuttertalk.com/articles/diylighting

And here's one specifically for apparel:

sigma-2.com/camerajim/cjgclothing.htm

Here's one that shows some editing tricks for the end product:

theswitchboards.com/articles_professionalphotos.html

Tripods - Oh man, I researched tripods to death last year. Here's some of the things I found out:

1. Any tripod is better than no tripod. Even with a cheap tripod, you will still reduce the camera shake enough to make it worthwhile.

2. There is no such thing as a good tripod for both photo and video.

3. A tripod with legs that are not connected to each other is better for photography. Connected leg tripods are for video.

4. Tripod legs are often sold independently from their heads (the part the camera attaches to) in all the better brands. So you can buy a set of legs and head separately, or if you want to do both photo and video, you can just buy two different heads instead of two whole tripods.

5. A locking "ball" head is better for photography than a fluid or pan head. Fluid heads are for video.

6. Better to buy an old used tripod in a good brand from eBay than a crappy new one from a department store. Some good brands are Gitzo and Bogen-Manfrotto, and Arca-Swiss for heads.

7. Weight - there is no use in spending $$$ on a carbon fiber tripod (super lightweight) unless you are going to be lugging it on your back when you go climbing mountains. The heavier the tripod, the more stable it is.

8. Get a tripod head that has a quick release - I learned this one the hard way. If you don't have one, you have to unscrew the camera and it takes forever.

9. If you have a heavy camera, make sure your tripod can handle it. Even if the legs can support the weight, if the camera is too heavy the head will start to drop after a while. Also learned that one the hard way. 

10. Find one that is relatively easy to set up/take down. The best thing to do would be to go to your local camera store and try out all the different tripods with your camera to find out what model you like.

Here's a good article that has some tips on what kind of in-store testing you should do before you buy a tripod:

digitalcamera.com.au/tutorials/tripod/index.shtml


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*

Thanks Jasonda.

I've got a Polaroid A700, I think it is. 7 mp, 4x optical zoom.

I'll be out to get the tripod this weekend. I should have gotten 1 when I got the camera!

Hopefully, I can get pretty good at this. I need pics for my site!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> You need to discribe this light tent a bit more. I think I need something like that.


Here's a thread that describes the light tent and some product photography tips:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=7318&highlight=tent

Here's another good one:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=3763&highlight=tent


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## RisingBlue7 (Oct 8, 2006)

*Re: Threadless to use their own blanks*

Hey Greg,

Cool designs. Is this an urban sportswear line? 




Comin'OutSwingin said:


> I used my brother and my cousin this past weekend to get some practice pics.
> They didn't turn out well at all!
> 
> The first pic is of my brother. It came out okay. But the close-up of the shirt (it's laying on the floor) didn't come out well. You need to discribe this light tent a bit more. I think I need something like that.
> ...


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Yes, it's urban, *and* positive (Conquer Clothing)!

The photos you see are from the "definitions collection". One is Perseverance (the blue shirt and the red shirt), the other is Overcome (white shirt).

People really like them.

We've got about 100 words that we've written in your face definitions of (what we think they *really* mean), and are working on getting them printed up with appealing layouts and colors.

We have other types of shirts as well. More "branding" type things.

Now if I can just figure out how to take some decent pics with this stupid digital camera, I can get the site up and sell online as well!


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## RisingBlue7 (Oct 8, 2006)

Oh I see, the reason I ask is because my friend runs Magic Media, Inc. (Magic Johnson's media company). When you are ready, I can perhaps make an introduction. He's very urban himself. I'll PM you the info on my friend and Magic's new media company. There's an article and press release on it. 




Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Yes, it's urban, *and* positive (Conquer Clothing)!
> 
> The photos you see are from the "definitions collection". One is Perseverance (the blue shirt and the red shirt), the other is Overcome (white shirt).
> 
> ...


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Unless you're taking pictures indoor or under dark conditions, a tripod is unnecessary. When taking pictures, remember "frame composition" is VERY important. Each object within your frame has to serve a "purpose", whether it is hidden or direct. 

I'm not too familiar with your camera, but it seems like the aperture or shutter speed was set incorrectly, hence it seems like it was out of focus because of the lack of light reflecting back into the camera. Most of the point-and-shoot cameras have F2.0 max, but the Olympus C4000 and above has it at F1.8 (which is VERY good for indoor shooting). If you have the time, go through read through the manual and try to play with the manual settings. 

As far as the light tent, remember to buy halogen lights with it. Without proper lighting, the tent is ineffective.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

RisingBlue7 said:


> Oh I see, the reason I ask is because my friend runs Magic Media, Inc. (Magic Johnson's media company). When you are ready, I can perhaps make an introduction. He's very urban himself. I'll PM you the info on my friend and Magic's new media company. There's an article and press release on it.


Wow! 

Thanks, they would be great!



Vtec44 said:


> I'm not too familiar with your camera, but it seems like the aperture or shutter speed was set incorrectly, hence it seems like it was out of focus because of the lack of light reflecting back into the camera. Most of the point-and-shoot cameras have F2.0 max, but the Olympus C4000 and above has it at F1.8 (which is VERY good for indoor shooting). If you have the time, go through read through the manual and try to play with the manual settings.


I just took it out of the box, with all of the settings on auto, and started taking pics!

I need to play around with it some, learn what the heck I'm doing, and maybe I can take some good pics.


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## Buechee (Dec 22, 2005)

Try a mannequin. If you don't mind having a form in the shirt. Not the fullbody, but one of these...


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## Buechee (Dec 22, 2005)

Also work on your lights. Lighting is a very big part of picture taking.

You have a good camera. Or it will suit your need well. Just try to get better lighting and lite it up as much as you can with out adding clear to the transfers/screen print.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

The key is lighting (no pun intended), but you also need to be extremely careful about what kind of backdrop you're using if you want your photo to work. The context will say as much as (if not more than) the subject.


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## 2Dye4 (Jan 9, 2006)

Tie Dye T's....Photography!

Jo


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Nice photo Jo!


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## lexiandlala (Oct 19, 2009)

if anyone ever needs youth models both my son and daughter have done lots of modeling.
I take all my own shots, I have studio lighting or I can do outside.
and I can share all kinds of tips about my setup.
or if you want to see samples you can e-mail me.
I have a Nikon D70s with one main light and 2 backlights for high-key.. all white. or I can do black background.

alex


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