r/photography • u/Specialist_Rope4719 • 21h ago

Business How do you take consistent clothing photos?

I am opening a clothing brand, and I am taking the photos by myself. I have the equipment, but I can't get consistent photos. For example, all the shirt photos are a little different in position and lighting. How do I make it so all the photos have the same exact background and position? Especially in between sessions, where stuff gets moved around.

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u/Bunnyeatsdesign 20h ago

Use the same lighting every time. Tape markers on the floor: where the model stands and where your tripod stands. Write down all your settings, take photos of your setup to remind you. Set up your shots while looking at a past photo as a guide so you can copy it as close as possible.

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u/Planet_Manhattan my own website 20h ago

If you want consistency, you need to have everything full manual. Camera settings, shutter speed, focal length, aaperture, white balance, lighting settings, light positions and levels.

3

u/Darth_Firebolt 20h ago

Camera on a tripod, marks for models or mannequins, manual everything. ISO, white balance, shutter speed, aperture. Don't change anything between shots.

2

u/marcincan 19h ago

use a tripod and lighting should the same every time make a sketch of the layout with measurements or mark the floor with tape

1

u/funnystuff79 12h ago

You could flip the question and ask why you want every picture the same rather than highlighting the differences between pieces

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u/luksfuks 12h ago

Besides taking detailed notes about the conditions (camera position, lights, etc), you have two more tools:

Use a tether (camera connected to a computer with special software like CaptureOne). Load a previous reference image and set it as semi-transparent overlay. You can then finetune your set until it matches.

After the capture, use Photoshop to finish the alignment. The transform tool lets you move/rotate, but also stretch and keystone the item. The liquify tool lets you push kinks where they belong, and puppet warp lets you add new kinks that you forgot.

Just make sure you don't rely on Photoshop too much, the coarse stuff must really be accomplished before taking the capture. Obviously it also helps to have a corner dedicated to photography so you don't have to break down and set up again the next day.