As a commercial photgraher, I would be interested in knowing what kind of leather goods you are making before advising you on equipment choices.

Successful product photography for online or catalog sales is dependent on good rendition of your leather products. As a leather craftsperson you know that there are many different surfaces to deal with in different kinds of hydes, tanning processes, colors and finishes. Details is stitching, embossing, various fitting and findings are all important. As you know there are difference in say cowhide, boarded morocco, cordovan and manyothere kinds of leathers. The size is an importat factor as well- a wallet as opposed to a a briefcase requires different setups. Leather clothing is another issue.

So...You don't need a top-of-the line professional camera body but a decent DSLR that can accommodate sharp lenses, perhaps a macro lens for small products may be a good investment. A zoom lens may be helpful in that you can select a slightly longer than normal focal length to preserve perspective. One of the Canon rebel models or the equivalent in another make may be advisable.

Out-of-doors-lighting needs to be controlled to render texture and form. You need to illustrate the shape of the products in a dimensional way. Diffusion panels or gobos may be required to augment and alter natural lighting. Certain reflections can be problematic.

For costancy in your images and easy workflow I might recommend a fixed indoor lighting setup, a seamless background, with a flash or LED light source. You may be able to suggest certain environments with simple props and background materials.

You are a creative individual so you need to apply your talent to you photography. You don't need to becom an enthusiast or a serious hobbyist but there is a degree of technicalities and artistry that should be applied, especially if you want to represent you products favorably.

If you could tell me what you are going to photograph as to size, finish etc., I can provide you with some guidance. If you want to shoot a few rough images with your phone camera, post those as well- that can be helpful.

I hope the knowledge I need from you isn't offputting. I'm not actually interested in photography as a hobby. My love is making leather goods. I live and breathe patterns and combinations to make beautiful things from leather. What I hope you will help me with is determining what camera equipment to buy to photograph my leather goods. My budget is in the $400 to $500 range. I will be listing my creations for sale, so need an easily accessible way to move photos to the computer. Photos will be taken both outdoors in natural light and indoors with possibly added light. I don't want a plain white background, but realize what I'm marketing isn't the background, so composition suggestions would also be appreciated. I need to be able to photograph close-up shots showing a roughly 6x6 inch area, as well as pictures of a grouping of about 3x3 feet. The camera would also be used to take 'real life' pictures on vacations etc. I've looked at camera listings, but am hopelessly ignorant of what to buy. Thank you in advance for your help.