Well, actually, THIS one…
I’m participating in a world-wide photographic project hosted by David Hobby at Strobist. In a nutshell, this is all about lighting your picture using small flashes to get big results. The primary aim in all of this is to teach people like me how to imagine a particular shot, then try and achieve it, so that the next time the scenario arises, the previous experience can kick in and save the day.
Well, that’s the plan. I mean, there’s no sense in faffing around trying to get an imagined result when there’s a deadline. Rather do that on your own time, but in a ‘projectised’ manner.The project this time around was to do a product shoot, with the product being something that resonates with the region you’re in. I live in Cape Town. Wine… Slamdunk… So put a wine bottle down, maybe a glass, and badabing! Result! But wait! Not so fast… This isn’t as simple as it seems. Well, it wasn’t for me. No experience=no result. Lots of crummy shots = experience=new vision= better shots=more shots=result. A total of about 4 hours went into the image you see above. The upshot of it all, lots of work brings experience, meaning next time it should be a doddle. Right? 😉
Details-wise, the wine in the glass is NOT the lovely nectar that’s in the bottle, but rather a plonk obtained in dubious circumstances, and treated even worse. It’s safe to say, it’s not for drinking, but rather for laying down and avoiding!
Two speedlights were used. One in a shoot-through umbrella, the other directly onto the white background behind the bottle and glass. True to form, the shot was skew (yes, even in a studio, and yes, on a tripod) and required straightening and a bit of cropping. Otherwise, it’s as-is. No sharpening, no enhancement in anyway. That’s the beauty of this… get it right, and it’s RIGHT!
- Aperture: ƒ/9.5 Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II Focal length: 155mm ISO: 320 Shutter speed: 1/125s