Home Studio Setup Guide

This guide shows you how to set up a small photography studio at home. The instructions will help you take high-quality images that can be used to list your watch on Chrono24.
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Equipment

You will need the following:
  • 7 sheets of white A4 (or US letter-sized) card (4 for the walls, 2 for the background and 1 for the reflector)
  • 4 bookends
  • Watch stand
  • White gaffer tape
  • Scissors
  • Roll of tracing paper (or A3/US ledger-sized sheet)
  • White gloves
For the best results, build your setup in front of a window, so you can photograph your watch in natural light.

Building Your Home Studio

1. Start by taping one bookend to a sheet of card.
2. Repeat this step three times to create a box shape.
3. To make the reflector, take a sheet of card and fold it in half.
4. Using a pair of sharp scissors, cut off the folded edge of the card. 
5. To finish making the reflector, you will need to cut a hole in the center of the card. To do this neatly, we recommend tracing round a coin and cutting out this circle.
6. Check that the hole does not obscure your camera lens. 
7. To prevent unwanted reflections, create a box with the sheets of card. Place two sheets on the bottom as a background, and then place the watch in the center of the box. 
8. Lay the watch as flat as possible and make sure the bracelet/strap looks neat. 

This is how the setup should be used. 

Here is an example of an image shot on a camera phone using this setup. You are now ready to take the main photo for your listing. 

Further Images

Cut a square of tracing paper larger than the box you created. You can then lay the tracing paper on top of the box to help diffuse the light.
 Use tape to fix the tracing paper if it doesn't stay in place.
This is how the setup should be used.
We recommend you take one photo of the watch from the front, one from each side, and one from the back.

Additional Images

Alongside the basic images of the watch, we recommend taking some photos of the watch being worn. This will help potential buyers imagine the watch in action. Therefore, you should try to photograph your watch from different angles and in different environments.
You should also upload pictures of any papers, seals, etc.

Photography Tips

The images in this guide show an iPhone being used to take the photos. If your device is different to the one shown, follow the same steps, but you might need to adjust the size of the reflector so that it covers up your device and the size of the hole in the reflector to accommodate your lens.

Wear a glove to hold the reflector while taking the photos; this will stop your hands reflecting in the dial or case.

When using an iPhone, avoid the wide angle lenses because this may result in the watch looking distorted.

If you use the normal lens on your phone but find the watch looks too small, use the zoom function or crop the images before you upload them. 

If the image on your iPhone looks dark, hold your finger in the middle of the screen to activate the exposure lock. When the exposure lock is on, you can drag the slider up and down to increase or decrease the exposure of the image. If you have any problems adjusting the exposure on your phone, please refer to the manufacturer's user guide.