Learn How to Photograph Your Product

I take issue with this approach.

There is nothing wrong with learning photography for a hobby or even a profession, but to successfully photograph products takes a lot of time and money to do it right. Do not expect to get that from one simple book.

It takes time to learn the art of photography, it takes time to set up the scene, and time to take and then correctly process the photos and develop a workflow.

Then there is the money for equipment and software, which is not cheap. I know, I have a lot of money tied up in my equipment and I am just a hobbyist.

Now here is my rub. All the effort and money is fine, but if you are really trying to become a successful business or entrepreneur, all of that time and money takes away from all the regular duties that are your expertise that earn your profit. It would be more effective to focus on the things that are your core competencies.

This is why there are professional photographers. You may think that their rates are expensive, but if you have to take your own time doing their job (and doing it much less efficiently because you are not a professional photographer) you can't do the things that you do best - running your business.

It is almost like trying to photograph your own wedding...

Can't. The product is a camera. Our only one.

Ah, you just need a mirror.

Got smoke. Will that work?

Even better!

Any attempt to improve the quality of photography is welcome.

In this digital photography age there really is no excuse for poor imagery. Like, you can see the result almost instantly and can take as many photos as you need to in different ways until you get one that looks right.

My biggest gripe with photos for reports or other technical communication is the total disregard for the photo's purpose. It's as if the author believes a finger across a blurry image is good enough to show the detail....or a photo of a tree with a caption that says "you can just make out the crack in the window of the house next door" or some other stupidity.

I agree with Anonymous Hero's take on the need for professional photographers.