Skip to main content

Shoot: Styling a Cookbook

Lesson 25 from: Tabletop Photography Fundamentals

Andrew Scrivani

Shoot: Styling a Cookbook

Lesson 25 from: Tabletop Photography Fundamentals

Andrew Scrivani

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

25. Shoot: Styling a Cookbook

Lesson Info

Shoot: Styling a Cookbook

Wardrobe malfunctions aside, we're we're ready to go for day three and everyone is hung in there really well, and I think that it's really, if you don't know how difficult it is to sit there and watch for three days, especially when you're used to doing and you like to learn by doing then it's you will understand how it's going to be really a relief for everyone to get about of their chairs today at some point and get out here and work with us and get some guidance from both john and I as to how we're going to shoot some shoots and products in ah, you know, sort of a art directed format, so we're going to be talking about some styling, so I mean, I'm dressed like a stylist today, so I'm going to act like a stylist today, so we're going teo first segment we are going to, I have an assignment from a book client that's going to be our first assignment today we have a book client, and they have three specific set ups that they want us to achieve, and one of them is a silhouette herbal that...

they can use in a tab for maybe amazon or another book selling site one is a fully styled kind of our artistic picture that they could use on their website with a detail shot also on artistic kind of approach, and then from there, if we have time left in our segment, then we can kind of be a little bit more creative ourselves, and we have some other things other kind of book set ups that we can work on. That might be something we can show the client as a as an option. So I think that that's going to be our first art directed segment today, and we're going to use him strobe lighting, and we're going to start with this like table we kind of we kind of touched on in a little bit, but we haven't really shot much on it yet, so we're going to start with the light table and do our silhouette herbal book picture and I have our book over here that we're gonna get started with it is cafe flora cookbook, and we're gonna work with this and we have quite a few of them, so we can kind of make a make a nice photo shoot for this's our client today. So, it's, very typical when you are working with with a client that you would need to art direct multiple pictures. Particularly if it's going to be used in multiple formats so remember what we talked about were goingto we're going to need to get our horizontal image as well as our vertical image because we're going to be looking for print and and web applications also tablet and web applications which of course are different these days on then are styled elements we've already kind of started tow I've already started to kind of map out in my mind how that's going to work so without any further ado we were going to bring up catherine and paolo and danielle and they're going to come up and help us and I'm going to give them their first kind of part of the assignment so basically with john where is john? I lost john don't john go john there you know he's over there grabbing equipment of course he's okay, so come on up turn around quickly say hello to the camera hello everyone here we are okay all right, so here's what we're charged with okay, you've already understood that. So the first thing we want to do is we want to get a number of kind of set up that our silhouette herbal maybe a single book maybe multiple books but definitely we need scylla, edible images and that's our first part of your silhouette what do you mean like a cutout? Yeah, so basically against white way have edges that weaken take and remove now it doesn't necessarily have to be silhouette a ble to the edge of the book it could be just the white white around the framing but we need a clean image that could be dropped into multiple backgrounds so that's our first set up so I want you right now start to set up the shot we're here to direct we had more books here and this is this is this this would be the simplest of the three shots but it's also one that is most common particularly with books we're gonna have our most common shot so before we I would recommend before we actually even start to set up lighting I would decide on how we're going to display the book that would be my first that would be my first suggestion so and talk and communicate with each other as you're doing that because it's always good to collaborate I mean something like that set me and that is that maybe like he's twisted is this what there is is you are just or is it just like the amazon way have latitude here but I think we should always think about the safe shot first and then go with something that's a little bit more complicated and just go with it so okay so we go with the safe shot first you going to use the stand which is not viewable which is actually perfect yeah and haven't had wanted completely straight trying together think that stand I think that stand will work I think the stand will work this is like it's okay to have it let's say it's kind of that and if you push it over the lip a little bit it might go a little bit better so all right, so why don't we get started on a set up for this? And while we're while we're working I want you to make a suggestion as to what you might think we want to set are lighting up as faras power source you know how much I mean how much power we're going to use behind as opposed to in front whether or not you want to defuse the lighting anyway so it's going to be like taking that shiny way need some wings and we need to shoot across it yeah okay, so you're also I see what you're thinking you want to try to shoot it on this light table similar to the way we did the argument okay, well, we have to we were going to shoot this strobe so like which you don't so we're going but here's your way have to stroke heads here on a light table we have to decide where we're gonna put the set the first key light this's our background light and then we have to fill so I don't know that the crisscross method because we're using different lighting so you might want to set up something similar to that but I think that ultimately as long as you have clean light all the way around whether it's direct from from the strobe or it is reflected from a soft card uh phil card you have to remember that it's also important that you have this light here behind right right so I think where you need to position where you need one position your key light here is your front probably your first this is on this is an immovable object right now so where you want to put your key light so we only have two not three but you only have two lights okay I'm going to get another book spending up catching you think about the lighting I'm going to get another book so maybe it's the reflection right so that's tricky I mean we have to see what the lights doing because I was looking at it the same way that we looked at the glass because it's such a shining I think that's material so them we insist on stroll see that's where you came in at a sharp angle and we bounced off and back yet a game that might work so as giants here so is john setting this one up where would you like to put yourself box you want to put it from from the front with a friend when I know because I got it so shiny okay a little bit it is I don't want it I want you to set up the lighting the first time you take your first shot because you're not really gonna know what you want to do beyond that until you get your first shot taken so why don't something from a bakery in the front so we're using way using a big kind of three by three soft box on a wrong color head and that's going to be our right on this you don't even take that into consideration taken right out of you. These are much stronger than what's happening in here because if you took a meter reading which maybe where's our meter we have it around here see the modeling way take the meter out yet john does this have modeling it's fine yes, we'll have model like okay, that would really help you contest the ambient light in the room so that you're making sure that you set your strobe settings at high enough power so it keeps getting past back down away here so your ambient light in the room your ambient light in the room is really low. Yeah, ok, but when you take john hold on one second let's do one more test on that give it give it a pop oh sorry whether you're doing the indian no I did the ambient leading so ugh it's waiting so this is there's no way that that lighting is going in taking your well what you're doing here so that's that's a good way to test either wrong I'll keep this over here just in case we came very straight yeah, I think it needs to come okay, so let's familiarize yourself with the equipment again right so what? Remember now we're using these air these are strobe heads and when we're using strobe heads what's the most important factoring managing your light I mean on your camera settings when you can't when you're setting your camera right right so you don't have to worry about shelter speed that's that's what I was going to be okay, so how are we gonna take this picture? Because I don't see a camera anywhere in this but I still want to meet the light for this way we need the can we turn on the modeling? Yeah, it is. Yeah. Can we bring that light further because having it right from the side like that it's just not also let's put on the let's put on the lens that has a lens shaped because if we're going to use a strobe that close to lens, we probably want to use this so I'll put that on well, not that one okay while they're getting set up maybe jim there's already a few questions sergeant yeah, I have one here from s baker. Okay, which says what type of studio light is best for ensuring perfectly consistent color between shots I shoot with a d y I set up even with a custom white balance settings, the color shifts from one image to another. What that means is that you're not overpowering the ambient light in the room because you're if it if it is inconsistent from shot to shot, the lighting should be consistent and if it is, and that means that whatever ambient light is in the room is affecting your image, so either you need to do it in a darker room or you need to have more powerful lights, those those are the only two things that could happen in those situations. You shouldn't be getting an inconsistent color temperature with set up lights unless there's another light source interfering. Okay, so maybe if you're in a room and as daylight changes, your color temperature is changing right? And you're not realising it because you're shooting with your lights, but it is going to affect it. Try it at night with no interference, and you probably won't have that problem. What's what's generally in your studio, the ambient light situation my when I start to shoot and usually at this time of year it's around between nine and ten a m, I'm at about one hundred s o one hundred twenty fifth of a second at four point oh and it's pretty consistent right there until the sun starts to peak up through the window and at that point I have to go I have to go a little bit faster with the shutter speed and it will go asshole I is maybe five hundred when it's really bright so that's the range and I usually stay in that four point oh eight point range an aperture depending on the angle of the shot and also I will push his heart is four hundred esso and once I have to go above four hundred s o in my studio I call it a day okay got it perfect thank you so so where are we our way just in a test shots tio what I wish you were okay so what's your first what's your first impression here well let's look at the camera okay let's get a better better gauge on this with the camera so looking here okay? What do you what is your first what's your first impression here so we're gonna be a crumbly stand out. Of course. Of course we can crop any of the photographs that were you know and you can obviously level it off you know you can remove the bar at the bottom if you want let me make a suggestion why don't we try to get this as flat to the surface as possible maybe it means not using that stand and maybe it means being a little bit more creative about how we're going to prop the book up so why don't we try to make that little little adjustment? Plus I feel like you are you are slightly over exposed. Yeah, okay, so that was already determined so so we're rigging up something to wear that will stand by itself. Okay, I like that better right off the bat you also notice here on where your book is positioned even yes, we can crop it still it's it's not flat it's not yeah it's kind of off to the side yeah, I would give yourself a cz much room as possible which is what you just did in the center and center it and square it off so it's the camera which is in the wrong places it now ok, we're still not alone there we go that's a little better. Okay, you can use the thing I have to if you want I'm gonna show you how your level yeah it's like a fool but I did two others, okay, when you're green it's, right when your green yeah, ok, so where are we now? Okay, so what do we like, what we don't like so far just over too much to a shadow on your right we're losing that top left corner but we seeing that in the camera that way can't judge our exposure by that lets judging by this so we can look zoom in a little bit feel the camera needs to come down more level I would agree I think that it's in definition on the left side black card or something that side okay? Or you could just try to give it a little bit more aperture, right? And that will take down way already had a quarter of a quarter power in the er on the soft box. We're full power full power were were a quarter power on the background. Okay, so maybe leo have straight half power on the yeah, so scared, john, you don't just knock this down to half power, so that should help with that side, giving you a little more detail even if you don't change your aperture it's, that still doesn't work. Then you might want to change your africa. How low do you want to go when it comes straight? You want teo okay on line at the top actually is giving it some definition, but it is the back of the booth find that distracting I mean, if you're shooting this against white and it's still a little bit, just like a little bit off okay, but we can square posted have yes. And when you're against white you have that option as long as it's not looking like an athletic aberrational where it's kind of twisted is always if it's just crooked this way you can square it off as long as it's not this way that's where it gets kind of weird okay, take a look tell me what you think. Take a test shot somebody anybody okay if we liked that better now remember we turn that strolled down tto half power maybe you need to make an adjustment. We need something from the front now I like the edges, but what what do you mean by bythe front? What do you have some sort of white car just to bring over? Maybe it's just in comparison with the last one. What I'm seeing is a highlight along the left side. Yeah, okay, so yeah, yeah, right here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like absolutely not trying. Yeah. That's inside of you. I need to try to figure how to knock that out. What my suggestion would be is to bring that back towards john because I think that's a big soft box yeah, we're a really small piece so you might be bleeding around the front of it and you might want to just kind of sweep across the side of it okay, so why don't you give that we got that adjustment and give it a shot you took care of it so it was much too okay well that's that's well that's that's on the screen in here you might be a little bit dark but that's okay because what we talked about what under exposure it gives you a lot more flexibility in first production, right? So this shadow coming off the side is it negligible enough the shadow off here off to the right yeah there's just minutes just slightly here we could get well, I think we got to also remember now this is going to be a silhouetted in yeah that's right? So I think as long as what you feel that the book itself has all of the detail and all of the all of the proper information looks well colored, well lit then you don't have to worry about the outside as much. Yeah, john that those bars really come through on that light table on the table in a black stocking try putting these away here. Yeah, okay for sure. Ok, andrea, for a couple questions. Yeah, absolutely. Could you define for claire what you mean by a silhouette? It makes her think of black cut outs okay? And I'm going to add onto that do you ever knock out your photography and that asha shadows and post okay uh let me ask him answer the first one first in newspaper magazine work when you talk about a silhouette herbal image or silhouette you're talking about removing removing the image from its background so you so that you have the opportunity to drop it into another background or leave it there on its own or have it floating a cz an object the reason we say that that whole cut out thing it's exactly right but that's what's left behind when you pull out the image, right? Right. So it's it's just the inverse of what you might think but it's the same principle a silhouette is where they do the outline and they put it up against black so that's the outline is there or, you know a shadow is a silhouette same difference second question is do I add shadows? I would not like artificially add shadows, but I might enhance shadows and in postproduction straddles that already there may either pull them back or add them in a cz on like as if you were on a slider little darker a little bit lighter but I wouldn't artificially add shadow after the fact. Brilliant thank you sure where are we out let's see, we're just trying to get rid of this a little highlight on the backs spine of the book okay, which we're just trying to win your wager I kind of like what we're getting now think it looks nice okay all right. So as the art director on this job I'm satisfied that we have achieved this shot we have this shot now I want you to do something a little bit more creative in this illegible format so multiple books something where the book is open or used or whatever but now I want you to do something creative in a silly stylist do something creative way a little bit where should we start now we got that yeah, well, now you're happy with your exposure right? You probably aren't gonna have to do as much tweaking to your exposure and you're set up as you did with the first shot just gonna do that so I just try that yeah, I just wanted to see the spine of the cool okay with that soft boxes let's see if we are going to be really does kind of front well, I love what is your angle of incidents and your angle of reflection on that, right? Yeah. So that card is definitely in the wrong position. Yeah, because it's not gonna put any light back on the front of the things that's absolutely take it and I'd push it right all the way up to the lens where you go just like that and that'll definitely help let's see what you got help if you don't look like that okay, well, now that he's now the spine is blind now. Yeah, well, the spine is going to be a little bit blown out so I would just make a subtle adjustment with, um with your appetite can't a person here? Why don't you let me hold those? You know, the cafe flore way on eleven. Thank you. How do I get to the quick menu? The quick menu? Yeah. To do what? Just a change. Yeah, I do everything from here on the line. Oh, I see you use that thing. Yeah. Oh, I never used I love it. I'll show you in a second, my battery's going down when I'm right, you'd screen if you don't know what she's talking about, there are these kind of quick controls that are visible on the back of the camera and you can kind of do all kinds of different adjustments, but when you're running the screen drains batteries faster. So what's your opportunity that's thirteen. Okay, let's say I mean it's okay, it's okay, you know what? As in our eyes dark, dark there, I'm gonna tell you to move on because I don't like it. So ok, hee, I'll be I'll be a little bit more, uh, that's moody than my normal self because I'm art directing today, so I'm not good thing you're wearing that slick bowtie is the art director well, I mean I'm only gonna wear it to the first second and it's actually been talking to me and telling me I miss jim already so should we go back to what it had one straight on that's then suing getsem this's what? Yeah ee have also brought the light a little over more over the top so maybe burn out those yep the sides there okay and how do you put this on life like I was through here like this no no you know what you want I see what you want. I was just here is it it's different on my mark two that's that one on my mother if that's what you want that's the thing I want normally but I was someone I also then switch over to life for you to see oh, well it's going to be hard to shoot in live you when you're using only a modeling like I thought not good okay then we complete photographers so fussy you need pregnant it's really unbelievably that's really hard working with photographer sometimes because they're so pussy perfection absolute solution you can you can relax I think this is a completely pull it toward you okay? We're budgeted for three shots today we've already so I'm putting you on the clock here let's let's get this shot done that mean heavier on your assistant if it's ah it's a necessity totally see part part of the process is like the fire underneath s so that they understand that when the press that the pressure is you need to let me dance a little faster, I didn't mean to take it should trigger finger e why are you backing up so much? Because I'm finished with it. Zoom lens oh, that's way dropped when we dropped him waken goto vertical goto that might help. It was really good because you do not dismissive hand motions toward your assistant skill to learn as of photographers that when you're completely frustrated because you don't know what you're doing, you just go. We'll take care of this for me way I suspect that if we light up the front, we're gonna blow up the sides so we might need to dark enough. I didn't, but you didn't have the white card, did you? I didn't, but once we blow this this, I think so where would you want to put that card? What plan? One shot their plan one shot ahead, maybe do a test with some smaller cards and see if that's where you're gonna be questions while we're watching them set up, you know, go for it after careful with cords, visit the shaman knew from dubai what's the preferred aperture for such a setting when using the macro lens when the subject is not a macro subjects like in the shoot of this book with a macro lens as opposed to a regular lens and aperture I don't think your aperture would change based on whether you're using a macro or not a macro lens I think it has to do with what kind of depth of field you want and if you're shooting objects with a macro lens that are not macro subjects, I mean you can use a macro lens from a little bit of a distance it's just that it's going to be able to focus closer so I don't necessarily think that you would change that dramatically. I mean the fall off is a little bit more dramatic with with a macro lens, but I mean it's it's kind of ah used the right tool for the right job kind of question make if you're not shooting macro things you know, shoot with a regular lens and interest for blame your assistant one of them with so you shoot all different products? Yes can you give advice actually asked two questions one for the budding product photographer what's the best way that you advise for them to go out and find work and how are people coming to you now at this point where they kind of product so they bring well I think that because I'm related to food photography I end up shooting a lot of food products so the cheese grater thing and all of the cheese related products because I worked with that cheese campaign that was all kind of ancillary and then I did some stuff for an italian magazine and they had a lot of things that were evolving around the pasta machine or other appliances like that so my particular product worked ends up is being an extension of the fact that I'm involved with food what I would suggest for people who are just starting is the idea that smaller jobs smaller companies offer your services sometimes services for trade and things like that services for exposure all of those things are good I don't think you're going to start off put together a portfolio at home and go out and present yourself to a major mountain marketing advertiser but if you kind of gradually build your portfolio through local businesses and local maybe blog's or maybe things like etc and you khun build a portfolio that shows what you can do and how flexible you khun b cool awesome thank you sure okay, where are we way shooting your fingers oh yeah all right well I don't want finger pictures I want cookbook pictures all right? I'm not having it out kerry I'm not happy that I don't hate that classic archer I am not that's what the hell you it's us? I'm going to file your trust I'm nothing until you tell me to stop. Okay? That's fun well, you know what you're supposed to tell me when to stop, okay, what I'm doing? I'm told me when you have the shot I'm going first. Okay, one more tell me if I'm in your frame. Okay? You're not really leaving me enough room here to still wet my picture so I would need a little bit more room on the left okay, if you could give me a little bit more skill probably zoom. Yeah, I can even think and I need a little bit more space don't be I'm not worried about look seeing the front edge of the frame or anything like that that's all fixable but I do want I do need a little bit more room tell me when you're ready much better and I like it so I think we're going to keep that shot so we have a keeper. So now we have both the silhouette herbal book image for one book and we have something a little bit more creative silhouette herbal okay, so away with the light table okay, didn't you didn't want that one horizontal and we're not going to need this backlit, but we will need it in another now we're gonna have to read like the picture. So I'm going to tell you what my art direction set up will be on this, and I'll tell you how I want how I want it set up. We'll we'll use these books again, so I want I want a wood background would surface on the table, and I want those antique book ins and I want this to look more like a style shot of books, kind of in a presentation now any of the objects that we have here also fair game. But my my starting point is I want a would surface in a wood background that I want to use those antique book it's, which are the feet of an old pub. So that's, where I want you to start now you gotta have remember, if anything falls over, I will start screaming at you even that soon. You want to change that so and then, while we're watching this so I want to get set up first lighting, second camera position third, right? So that's the order in which we want things to happen make sure you have you set up and it's secure and it's not going to fall down, you change the woods and okay, wait and then we're going to set up our lighting set up for camp. So how we doing on questions great. So wait do you have one from charlie? Question has to do with how how do you particularly price your work? Is it per shot? Is it per set up? Is it for like a whole day I'll get to as many as I can how do you usually price that out? I usually work there is no standardized pricing for photography I know that's the question that comes up all the time yeah, it depends on the market you're in it depends on the usage. It depends on how much your time is worth in the market. So depending on how in demand you are that will determine how high your day rate is and your day rate and your usage of two different things you could charge for your time and you charge for your art and those are two different things and depending on the usage whether it's going to be used by a local business or it's going to be used by multi national advertising company that all depends on the pricing. So how we're going to dio any kind of here's ah what's cavani said and put it up on the bulletin board and then quote that to a client that's not gonna happen but I did have a segment in my last of course about business way did ninety minutes actually we didnt hour and a half on business no more three hours on business so great, didn't we? Yeah three hours on business in the last creative life since school so there's all those answers or they're so oh look at that I like that did you want a wood background? No okay that's where you want to go that's the decision you're gonna make me wonder what queen you do have to live with it like the green covered bored I like that I like this coming talk me through this well it's styling no no styling ok so that's where you know we have way have more of those have a cafe flora books are you looking used the catholic flora but there's more out there more okay do we need more? Do they want more? I would like to have an odd number. Yeah or one open yeah. How do you want anything? Kitchen but that's not really great. This thing is cheese that's funny I need criticism is any fire up there I'd be doing this. I don't know the silhouette I would have done just set it down flat on a white background and shot it from above oh you just oh, I know what you look like a copy stand I got you okay just for the simple cut out that gets rid of any perspective issues or meet teo but we're trying to teach them how to use strobe lighting well, you can still use way wanted to make sure we used the light table again that's you're using metal and you're going to the fact that it's a cook book might be a really, really advantage for paolo well, there's not much cooking stuff here. Well there's enough there though I don't have any vegetables, vegetables there's a vegetarian meat vegetables because it's a vegetarian book I don't know I don't think we have any I don't think we have any vegetables lying around oh, but it's a good thought kind had we uh but I like where we're going I'm interested in how you're going to light it. I'm teo so all right, so you have you set up you have now I really think before you actually perfect you're smiling now that you kind of have a general sense of your styling, you probably need to start to set up your life actually turned me background yes, exactly when you're gonna have to set that up on two stands that we're on the edge of the table one of the other you mind if it's no, I like this? I don't mind if the picture is terrible, I'll let you know when you grabbed that much it looks like a piece of wood yeah it's a sainted drilling and that's actually been painted that way which is great right and that's one of those great things about learning a little bit about propping is that that could be it looks like it could be metal it could be so somebody talented painted that it looks like it was laying in somebody's barn for a couple of decades but it was in my hand I actually have one of my assistants who is a he's like kind of a set designer for me so we'll look at pictures in magazines and say I like that surface can you make that for me? And then he'll paint it it's pretty cool hey look like st ray other race that doesn't that isn't good so what are we going for with lighting what's your what's your thought process like what's the point I like to make it look like it personally I'd like to make it look like there's a window over here coming so I want a lot of shadow coming on this one a shot you want shadowy like that sitting on a window in the window sill and the lights coming across okay, so maybe so maybe you only want one life. Yeah yeah I think we did so maybe that slight maybe maybe that's a good starting point that we have the second light available and then which worked with one to start and see if you're getting the result you want do you want because if we come at it from say okay pretend you're don't you've got a light starts coming right about here right so sun light's coming in this way and then if we can darken a bit and just shape the lighter out simply right moody here but they got some sparkly things here so you see these do you want this hair because it's in the back I'm not sure yet because it will be black eyes that camera in a position where you're not going to see the break between the edge of the surface and the background we are seeing the break so that you can correct happen for like take a first swain just because I could see that here with my eyes and I can see it the camera's going to see it so then would you help the surface back? Can you move the surface craft back can you go back? Sorry thank you there we go great that's gonna work better I should like tilted like that. All right, we're getting ready for a test shot here. Yeah, I think so. Okay let's see what we get take a test shot light looks like see if you even close and silence okay, why tell me now why do you want to switch that to horizontal shot power or do you want to go vertical? I wanted vertical much closer and I think because that thing that's bothering me is how much dark of it one of the bookends is in the oven so we can go we can like can I make a suggestion because yeah I would like not tohave the background so bright so I think readjusting the lighting to not highlight the background would be my first suggestion yeah because they think that repositioning that light in a way that's goingto let that background kind of fall away spot spot like we do with it what you want to do we'll just move it backwards so the light is more directional backwards like back this way that's going to flatten out the image I want to breathe it in okay? So I'm gonna jump in and say destruction straighten it out, huh? And move it back out this way so that if the light is now streaking this way and that means you need to redirect your light back to your subject that way your background is not going to be blown out and you're going to still get detailed but you're going to need to manage the other side of your image either with cards or your second life what would you prefer this one here? Because it's like do you want and I want to do I want this to be trial and error I want you to find it but I would say my first suggestion would be to get that lighting off the background I really liked fighting on this thing when apertura are you at right now? Fourteen. Fourteen okay that's another thing that you're not going to get any mood on that unless you change your aperture which means you might want to do what? To your lighting what happens if we do that? Anyone audience way okay, so way at john quarter power on order power I'm gonna actually put two heads and believe one off so we can go down even okay good haven't changed have you? So what john is doing when he's plugging in the second head to the power pack what that's going to do is it's going to drain power from first light even if we don't turn the second light on because we able it's called bleeding so he's bleeding reading that light yeah we're just going through the first corner. Yeah, I thought this isn't going to affect our image what were bleeding that that light by sending power to this one even if you're not using that so because we're definitely want to get a little more open aperture for this the only way to do that is to control the light because there's no other way to do it we're at one hundred were already at one hundred s o and I are sort of shutter speed isn't gonna help us here with a stroke so managing the strobe here yeah that's a good idea wade go lower than one hundred cannon goes lower than one hundred no it doesn't go to eighty or fifty or whatever yes okay well you're in and you're in the non cord mode so I would say you would just press your button here and then you can make your adjustment you wanna pop that yet ready yeah oh it didn't trigger it right okay so with that you can actually set your camera four and a half a twentieth of a second and that is going to so we took a lot that we took of that down a lot of power and down really dramatically shutter speeds not important right so far for twenty we may pick up some so goto hundreds of us you know we could go faster and bring it up but we could be at four and a half that's you know that's where it's reading let's see where we're at with it take it take it without first okay try that we went to one hundred one hundred of a second instead of twenty so we're not picking up any of the ambient light in the room okay I like that the background is darker now this new image should pop up in a second there okay uh background could still be from my case could still be a little bit darker but I like everything else that's happening and we were displaying our our book ends, and we're kind of getting the feel of the bottle in the background is kind of misplaced. So let's, kind of redirect and give a little bit more spacing, too, that I also feel like we're a little crowded and weaken. I could stand to have a little bit more room. I like the idea of dropping that backdrop back a little further, but it will have to go down to cover the back of the bottom of the table, which is what john is doing.

Class Materials

bonus material

Tabletop Photography Lighting Plots.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Pat O'Reilly
 

One of the the best courses from Andrew. He is my hero in all of his photography work. He is a natural. I love how he engages with the students online and in the live studio audience too. He knows his stuff. He is a great teacher with a great way of teaching - very real and authentic. With all of that experience -he has been great in imparting that knowledge to us and I’m forever grateful for that. Thank you very much Andrew and team.

a Creativelive Student
 

I was pleased to see real life situations and set ups, their work arounds and the little fiddly things all commercial/product photographers go through to produce a viable shot. Unlike some of the other reviews, the "oops, it didn't work, let's try this instead" was totally real world and believable. So many times on other teaching venues, the shot is already set up and perfected before the instruction begins. It was extremely helpful to watch the processes that were involved in producing the correct captures. I was impressed with the humor and teaching style as well, especially for the time constraints in a classroom setting. The student set-ups and critiques were valuable and spot on without being negative in any way. All-in-all this was one of the best classes I've viewed at Creative Live. I just wish I could have had three more days and to have been there in person for the one-on-one instruction.

Ernst
 

Thank you Andrew. Great class. Learned a lot. Great instructor. Only wish there were more segments using flash rather than the very expensive gear. But, the principles are the same.

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES