Studio Products Progress Update

Alcohol
So I re shot my alcohol shot using Gossips Pink Moscato. I really liked the outcome of this shoot it was very fun especially after the first time I shot this alcohol didn't work out very well so I have the result of the re shoot I decided to do below.

So for this shoot I used 1 large soft box to the left hand side and a white reflector on the other side with a pink gel on the background, while an assistant poured wine into the glass.

Product of my choice - Sunscreen

For this shoot I used a bright light on the background ( blue cardboard ) and a large high soft box on the left hand side. I was trying to make the photo look like the sun was shining down on the product.

Home Appliance - Blender 

For this shoot I used a soft box on the left hand side and reflector on the right really close to imitate the light being shone on the left hand side. This shot proved a bit difficult since there was a fair bit of glass. I originally wanted just a white background and table, but that made the glass hard to see. I then tried using black behind the glass but I didn't like how it showed all the imperfections in the glass. I settled on grey as it was in between and makes the glass stand out.

Inspiration - Portraits

Just a few images I liked and gave me some inspiration for my studio portraits this semester.

Mixed Lighting....

Environmental lighting

I would say the first image was my main inspiration for my environmental lighting.

 Used with this one to create the environment out of light...

Deep Etched Portrait

Product Research

Inspiration

Just looking at some inspiration for product photography.

 These products have been lit from the left hand side with a large soft box and possibly a reflector on the right.

This photo I liked the idea of. The photographer has constructed a fake watch and photographed it on fire and then dropped the real watch into the photo using photoshop. 

Studio Prac

Workshop

Test Shots, workshop prac - alcohol.

This was the intro to alcohol photography workshop. We had to photograph 3 different bottles and my top 3 are in the photographs below.

Glass isn't a particularly easy thing to shoot, but once you get the hang of it it isn't all too bad. 

The most complicated thing to play with were the reflections in the glass of things around like walls, cameras, tables etc.

I ended up building a very very high podium for the first image which worked well in not having as many reflections so I decided to use it in the other two shots as well.

ISO 100, F11, 1/250

ISO 100, F11, 1/250

ISO 100, F11, 1/250

Studio Research

Task 5 - Beer and Wine Photography

Which of the photos are better?

2, 3 and 6

Why?

The lighting is much better in each of the chosen photographs. Also they look like they are the actual advertisements for the beer companies which means a photographer was paid to produce excellent images for the company to use to market their products. 

The other photo's look like someone has sat the beer on the table grabbed what ever camera they could find threw some lights on it and snapped a few pictures. There seams to be no evidence of post production not even minor stuff.

Examples of Beer and Wine Photography I have found:

Electronic Devices

Examples

Many of these products below I think have been photoshopped. The one recurring lighting set up is having a corner of the selected product with a faded white triangle either this could have been photoshop or the studio walls being in the way and the photographers having to use the reflections to their best ability.

I think they have all been simply done but they work so well.

Studio Research

Task 4 - Tethering

Tethering is connecting your camera to a computer via usb to display real time action. When you take a photo with the camera while it is tethered the photo will be saved to the cameras memory card and also to a place you have chosen on your computer. You can view these photo's live using software such as Adobe's Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Phocus and many more. Tethering software is good for correcting exposure, focusing and showing previews of the work being done to coworkers or perhaps the client.

Adobe Lightroom

Incorporates tethering functionality in its comprehensive RAW processing and photo management software.  The tethering feature is compatible with select Canon, Nikon and Leica digital cameras.  Here a list of supported compatible cameras.  A few of the many features include importing photos as they are taken and loading them to a selected catalog.  Lightroom offers access to many of the camera’s settings directly from computer as well as instant viewing, zooming, rating and tagging of shots.  The ultimate benefit is checking focus, lighting and composition in great detail.  Available for Windows or Mac.

Apple Aperture

Introduced tethering functionality with its 3rd software version, allowing one to shoot directly to their Mac.  Aperture is a comprehensive photo management software, which includes image storage and management, detailed metadata, customized presets as well remote backup.  Available for Mac.

Phocus

Is an free software package designed for Hasselblad cameras.  Phocus software provides all the power, performance and advanced tools that photographers desire in an easy-to-use and attractive working environment, making even the largest files simple to handle.  Besides the more common tethering features, Phocus offers scene calibration, moire removal and camera configuration to name a few.  There is also Phocus Mobile which integrates an iPad or iPhone into the workflow and Phocus Quick for one touch image preview.

Information from current knowledge and software descriptions from http://www.tethertools.com/plugging-in/software/