How was this shot?

[Quovadis]

Why doe the bag here look pretty good, but the metal is too bright in front buckle?
How can i reduce the brightness of that metal (without photoshop I mean).
I also noticed the bag looks very elongate..compared to the actual bag...is this an example of distortion?

 

[Quovadis]

BTW
My cats are sleeping in the white tent, I trashed it.
I have a new set up, maybe too much light. Those studio pro soft boxes are holding 7 x 100 watt bulbs.

 

[Quovadis]

I'm setting up a boom stand for the very first time. Does one really put sand in the bags? Is it not messy?

 

[Braineack]

Mine are filled with rocks I bought at Lowes.

The buckel is so reflective because your captures a direct reflection of light.



Look how significantly different shooting at 24mm made it look:

I was inches away from it. Look how square it made it look, but look at the image i took above of the setup. im standing maybe 20-25' away, it's more trapezoid shaped if anything.


Still very sharp, I need to put my 70-200 through the ringer and maybe send it in for adjusting

 

[astroNikon]

You have a nice purse collection Braineack !!

 

[Quovadis]

Yes it does look different @24mm....ummm

Funny you should mention Lowes, just got back with a bag full of Pea gravel 5 cubic feet....half of the bloody bag is filled with sand. I'm washing the gravel in the kitchen using a strainer. Do not buy this pea gravel from Lowes, it has an orange tint they add to the gravel. Now all my hands are orange, and My wife is really pissed because there's bits of gravel everywhere. To make matters worse the gravel is all wet now I have washed it. So can't put it in the bags !!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I should have used those LEAD lights i bought to counter balance my boom stand!!

 

[Quovadis]

Is this correct? The light is right above?
What is the advantage?
here is the set up, as well as the first picture taken using the boom stand. Now it seems the bottom of the bag is dark? Is the position of the top light correct?

 

[tirediron]

First and foremost, you need to shape the bags properly. Use nylon stockings, shredded newspaper, tissue-paper, and similar materials will make good filling so that the bag has an appealing "filled" (but NOT over-stuffed) look and a pleasing shape rather than the slightly sagging, pathetic appearance it has now.

Don't cut off the tops of the straps! If you want them in a suspended or 'carrying' position then use fishing line or similar to shape them in a more oval shape and then remove the line in post.

As far as the lighting goes, continuous light is going to make this more difficult than it needs to be, but it's do-able. Lighting always starts with the key light. In this case, I would place the key about 15-20 degrees off-axis and angled at about 45 degrees. I would use a reflector opposite to fill in the shadows, but depending on how that works, I would bring in a second light 2/3 - 1 stop below key about about 45 degrees off the opposite axis and probably almost parallel to the side of the bag.

 

[Quovadis]

First and foremost, you need to shape the bags properly. Use nylon stockings, shredded newspaper, tissue-paper, and similar materials will make good filling so that the bag has an appealing "filled" (but NOT over-stuffed) look and a pleasing shape rather than the slightly sagging, pathetic appearance it has now.

Don't cut off the tops of the straps! If you want them in a suspended or 'carrying' position then use fishing line or similar to shape them in a more oval shape and then remove the line in post.

As far as the lighting goes, continuous light is going to make this more difficult than it needs to be, but it's do-able. Lighting always starts with the key light. In this case, I would place the key about 15-20 degrees off-axis and angled at about 45 degrees. I would use a reflector opposite to fill in the shadows, but depending on how that works, I would bring in a second light 2/3 - 1 stop below key about about 45 degrees off the opposite axis and probably almost parallel to the side of the bag.

Sounds like a plan
Thank you

 

[Braineack]

Yes it does look different @24mm....ummm

Funny you should mention Lowes, just got back with a bag full of Pea gravel 5 cubic feet....half of the bloody bag is filled with sand. I'm washing the gravel in the kitchen using a strainer. Do not buy this pea gravel from Lowes, it has an orange tint they add to the gravel. Now all my hands are orange, and My wife is really pissed because there's bits of gravel everywhere. To make matters worse the gravel is all wet now I have washed it. So can't put it in the bags !!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I should have used those LEAD lights i bought to counter balance my boom stand!!

lol, i used larger gray drainage rocks, and put them in ziplock bags before putting them in the "sandbags" so i wouldn't risk pissing off the wifey.


to piggyback on what Tirediron said, when I was doing product photography for a retail website, we used reusable inflatable pouches to help fill in bags. They had straws so once you put it in the bag you could add/remove air as desired and really helped with less-sturdy bags. Having brand new product helps too.

 

[Braineack]

You have a nice purse collection Braineack !!

Thanks buddy, I was hoping you'd notice.

 

[Designer]

Is this correct? The light is right above?
What is the advantage?
here is the set up, as well as the first picture taken using the boom stand. Now it seems the bottom of the bag is dark? Is the position of the top light correct?

O.K., now this is where the artist (you) needs to make an executive decision. What is the image you want to convey to the shopper? How would that best be presented? What "look" are you trying to create?

You can copy or emulate somebody else's lighting scheme, or you can develop your own, but the ultimate decision about where to position your lights is yours to make. Try some different lighting plans that you have seen, (consult magazines, catalogs, etc.) and keep trying until you find a scheme that you like.

 

[Designer]

You have a nice purse collection Braineack !!

Thanks buddy, I was hoping you'd notice.

I can't wait until we have a thread about photographing shoes!

 

[Braineack]

don't worry, i got that covered too:


Heel by The Braineack, on Flickr



I agree with you above statement. The only reason I setup the lighting like I did was because @Quovadis asked how the MK bag was shot. I'm pretty sure it was done in a similar manner. It's not how I'd shoot most (if any) bags, it was a dramatic lighting pattern for a specific purpose -- not to sell bags.

 

[astroNikon]

You have a nice purse collection Braineack !!

Thanks buddy, I was hoping you'd notice.

I can't wait until we have a thread about photographing shoes!

he has matching heels to his purses.