Unless you're using off-camera flashes (with diffusers), you can basically forget holding the camera by hand. Some kind of tripod is going to be essential, possibly with the timer delay set as well if it's a more flimsy one.

For our shop images we have a little diffuser box that cost £10 from Maplins, with 2-3 anglepoise lamps shone at the sides - even then we tend to be going as low as 1/10th of a second shutter speed (200ISO @ f8).

Generally you want a strongish diffused light source coming from the right, with a second on the left to stop the shadows getting too dark.

Ian

Thanks Ian, maybe I am aiming at too low an aperture

This was taken on a tripod using a remote exposure with a 50mm fixed lens (Canon F1.8 50mm to be exact), .4s at F22 and then imported into photoshop and a blue filter put over it to try and fix some of the yellowishness from the lamp. A diffuser box sounds like a good plan

That's not a bad start, actually.

Stick the camera on Tungsten white balance to match the light and you shouldn't need to change the colour much afterwards. rather than a second lamp, you might get away with a piece of white card or preferably expanded polystyrene held roughly opposite the lamp, this will put some light into those dark shadows.

Ian

I shall give it a go...thanks

Kind of off topic a bit but where did you get your photoshop from? Did you buy the full version?

Ian definately has the better solutions there. When taking 'gallery' type shots all I tend to use is a fairly basic digital camera, with the models normally photographed while sitting in a A4 Paper Box which has one side and the lid removed and is lined with a couple of sheets of plain A3 paper, where I can I shoot in the backyard using natural light, where not I just use a Halogen lamp.

Err I errr found it...yes that's it I found it....in the gutter. I thought I couldn't leave it there so I took it home to nurture it and raise it as my own

Getting better I think

Natural light certainly helps