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I would like to shoot professionally but am having an issue with my Nikon D3300. I shoot product photography, mainly sunglasses.

My questions is what function, mode, and option should I choose on this camera to be able to shoot professional photos such as the one below. I am interested in sharp images to capture the text on the foreground and the background on the temples of the sunglasses.

The green focus box will only either capture the background or the foreground separately on two different images. I would like both on one image.

enter image description here

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Although this question is almost certainly a duplicate of other questions ehre, it's not really a duplicate fo the one suggested above. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Apr 26, 2019 at 0:46

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The other answers provided thus far are correct, but I'll add that if you can't achieve the depth of field(in focus portion of the image) that you need at the apertures that your lens allows, another option is to focus stack/dof stack images. See: Why would a photographer do focus stacking?

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Using a smaller aperture like f/11 or f/16 should get you enough depth of field to get both temples in focus. Put your camera in "A" mode (aperture priority) to select the desired aperture. You will need lots of light or a tripod because small apertures mean longer shutter speeds.

You will need about 6 inches depth of field to get both temples in focus.

You can use a depth of field calculator to see what actual settings work for your camera and lens.

55mm at f/16 at 36 inches will give you 6.6 inches depth of field.

DOF Calculator

enter image description here

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    \$\begingroup\$ At least f/16, maybe f/22, and also specifically focus more at the middle point (nose point of the glasses), to allow depth of field both in front and behind the focus point. If possible, also back up a little with the camera to a farther distance, if you would still be able to crop out enough to be usable size. \$\endgroup\$
    – WayneF
    Feb 18, 2016 at 3:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ keep in mind that smaller apertures (bigger f stops) will require much more light \$\endgroup\$
    – cmason
    Feb 18, 2016 at 13:33
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    \$\begingroup\$ @WayneF by f/22 diffraction may be an issue depending on the lens, f/11 -- f/16 (and I would start with the latter) can give better results. \$\endgroup\$
    – Chris H
    Feb 18, 2016 at 14:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can of worms. Some people do imagine that to be true, but not true in the tough cases. The OP should try it and decide for himself (should not be scared off by naysayers). I think the pixel size thing is a myth, no one can show it is true ,and of course, more resolution (smaller pixels) is always more resolution. And obviously even f/40 can be superior to f/11 in those special cases we really need the DOF. In the tough cases, diffraction always hurts less than DOF helps. You should try it. \$\endgroup\$
    – WayneF
    Feb 18, 2016 at 19:56
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a good manual recipe - google depth of field for aps-c sensor - like http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html - choose nikon d3200 - has the same size sensor, use a tripod, choose an aperture and focus distance then I suggest i.e. F8, in this case have object distance at least 120cm or 4ft at focal length of 55mm - or choose lower focal length and you can get closer - then choose any focus point within the depth of field that covers whole glasses or both texts. Try different focal lengths, apertures and object distances to frame it - if needed crop in lightroom or photoshop

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In addition to Mike Sowsun's answer which I recommend, you need to be sure of where you focus. The "green box" in your question suggests an automatic mode, which can be problematic in product photography. I would use a central point focus, and aim for something about 1/3 of the way from the closest important point to the furthest (when I say important, the ear ends of the arms can go out of focus a little with no detriment, it's a matter of style). You can either lock the focus and pan the camera, or crop later to get the framing you want (unless you're putting it ona poster, you'll have resolution to spare so you can afford to crop, which also allows you to back away a little and increase your DOF.

Lots of light is a generally good idea because you don't want deep shadows, I would use a tripod (or even a rolled up coat on a desk) as well to steady the camera.

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I advise you to check information about photographing objects by stacking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_stacking

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Could you please try and include the most relevant information from the link in the answer - we strongly prefer self-contained answers on Stack Exchange. \$\endgroup\$
    – Philip Kendall ♦
    Feb 18, 2016 at 12:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ To take professional photos need to be a professional or turn to professionals. With only the camera is not enough to produce professional images. We need knowledge. What optics do you have? To take a photo of the subject used lenses with focal length 100mm (preferably a macro). Use extreme aperture values is not recommended. Typically used range from f / 8 to f / 11. Stacking method is often used to obtain a sharp image over the entire picture area. This is a series of shots with a change in the focal point. Next, the received frames are combined into a single frame using different software. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eugene
    Feb 18, 2016 at 12:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Eugene you should be able to edit that comment into your answer \$\endgroup\$
    – Chris H
    Feb 18, 2016 at 14:28

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