Trying a Catalog Shot

kdthomas · Mar 4, 2015

OK, I'm trying to start building a real product portfolio here. I need real criticism. You're a marketing guy and I walk in with this in the port. Tell me why you're going to throw me out on my a$$, but also please tell me what to do different.

I know about the tags ... I guess I need to worry about lighting and focus, arrangement, etc. 50,000-ft view first.

The setups:

The final:

mmaria · Mar 5, 2015

light is too harsh.. be careful with reflective surfaces

qleak · Mar 5, 2015

Your tag is showing. Fake flowers?

pgriz · Mar 5, 2015

You're going to have to work on your reflections. Positioning the lights about 45 degrees to the right and left is fine for the non-reflecting parts, but it shows up awkwardly in the reflections from the vase. I think you need to lower the two umbrellas so that they are vertical strip lights - that will give the reflections a more even look. If you don't have it yet, get the book http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780240812250, which deals with these kinds of things very, very well.

tirediron · Mar 5, 2015

If you don't already have the lighting bible, GET IT! I would: Lose the background light, reflections from that are half the problem; move your lights in closer. A LOT closer (and reduce output accordingly); as mentioned, change their relative position, avoiding the 45/45; consider adding additional diffusion material to the SBs; get a roll of seamless white and have a continuous curved background, with the background a LOT further away; consider putting a piece of clear acrylic under the vase to enhance reflections; chuck the fake flowers and get real, and get flowers whose size, height, colour and bulk were appropriate to the vase. As-is, you have a bunch of blooms showing from the top of a relatively wide container. It looks to me like you've shoved some flowers in a Thermos bottle.

Braineack · Mar 5, 2015

look at the reflections in the vase when you're behind the camera.

you can see the two odd shaped reflections from the position of the umbrellas on the top, then the reflection from the surface. I would definitely bring the lights down level to the vase so the reflections are long even strips down the entire side of the vase.

not exactly the same, but here's a similar shot I just did last weekend:

Plastic in a Vase by The Braineack, on Flickr

fake flowers in all

Notice how the strong reflections following the edge of the vase completely? I also think you need a much wider surface to prevent the dark edges of the ground refelction from showing up.

I'd probably start by trying something exactly like this: TableTop lighting setup for pink McCoy vase blue lit background

This is very similar to how I lit my image above. I was going to type and draw it all out and just happened on that.

kdthomas · Mar 5, 2015

Yeah this was a swing and a miss ... Subject abandoned, I'll try something else

Derrel · Mar 5, 2015

One of the biggest things that put me off on the original product shot was the light stands being shown in the highlights created by the umbrellas. Second was that the reflection control just doe not work in this shot,either at the top or the bottom of the vase. I think large, continuous strip-shape highlights from a tall softbox would have looked better on this object, which has a pretty reflective glaze on it. Lacking a tall enough softbox, I'd build a frame with diffusing material tacked onto the front of it. I think at times, umbrellas are just not the best light modifier for some objects, and this is one of those kind of objects.

kdthomas · Mar 5, 2015

Yeah I got ridiculed pretty hard on the SS forums, it was like being the skinny teenager from Muncie, IN on The Gong Show trying to armpit-fart Mozart's 4th Symphony ... FAIL. Pretty much my Showgirls or Ishtar ... what a bomb.

qleak · Mar 5, 2015

kdthomas said:
Yeah I got ridiculed pretty hard on the SS forums, it was like being the skinny teenager from Muncie, IN on The Gong Show trying to armpit-fart Mozart's 4th Symphony ... FAIL. Pretty much my Showgirls or Ishtar ... what a bomb.

I'd shoot it again try to fix the details as much as possible. You've been given plenty of suggestions! Why just give up and blame the subject?

We've all eaten crow, don't sweat it.