Test shot - Some direction would be helpful.

Ballistics · Sep 2, 2011

I do equipment and gear reviews for my BJJ blog. I plan on doing modeled shots and then close ups of the equipment to show weave patterns, quality highlights/issues, and direct comparisons of similar equipment. Here are some questions I have:

- With the lenses in my signature, which would you suggest for each task?

Edit: In the dead space in the image below, I plan on doing a closeup of the weave and showing some sort of zoom indiciation like this http://sixrevisions.com/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials/create-a-zoomed-in-effect-in-photoshop/

- Is black a safe background color for all clothing/equipment that isn't also black? I like the contrast.

new by Compressed Memories, on Flickr

Ballistics · Sep 3, 2011

bazooka · Sep 3, 2011

I'd recommend the 1.8 for all of your shots... it will be the sharpest lens if you stop it down a bit.

As far as shooting it on black... I don't know much about shooting clothing specifically, but the shot you posted doesn't give me any idea of what she is wearing. I know it's blue and it has some letters on it. You really need some fill light so we can see the texture and pattern and size of the rest of the outfit. Putting a backdrop light behind her would help separate her hair and the clothing from the black as well.

As it is, this shot is more about her face than the clothing. Get further back so we can see the rest of it.

480sparky · Sep 3, 2011

If the image posted is indicative of the work you're doing, I'd say any of the three lenses will suffice.

Black backgrounds may not work well with bright white.

Ballistics · Sep 3, 2011

bazooka said:
I'd recommend the 1.8 for all of your shots... it will be the sharpest lens if you stop it down a bit.

As far as shooting it on black... I don't know much about shooting clothing specifically, but the shot you posted doesn't give me any idea of what she is wearing. I know it's blue and it has some letters on it. You really need some fill light so we can see the texture and pattern and size of the rest of the outfit. Putting a backdrop light behind her would help separate her hair and the clothing from the black as well.

As it is, this shot is more about her face than the clothing. Get further back so we can see the rest of it.

I know... this was just a test shot. I will have multiple shots. That shot isn't about the product, it's about the light, backdrop, etc. My wife is the subject in this case. I wasn't concentrating on anything but technical aspects until I have my full setup.

Ballistics · Sep 3, 2011

480sparky said:
If the image posted is indicative of the work you're doing, I'd say any of the three lenses will suffice.

Black backgrounds may not work well with bright white.

Would you suggest perhaps a dark grey background for white and black?