My 100 product photo challenge is off and running! I came to the studio today armed and ready with inspiration and specific skills I wanted to practice.
Here is product photo number 2/100:
For this image, I wanted to practice a few things:
- Photographing a dark surface
- Showcasing texture
- Capturing a sharp image
- Balancing shadows and highlights
Photographing a Dark Surface
Dark surfaces can be tricky because it’s easy to spot imperfections on them. For example, in my practice photo, I had some stray powder pebbles that I needed to edit. They were scattered on the left side of the powder pile, but you can’t see them anymore, can you?
Ah, the power of Lightroom…
I wanted the right side of the image to be lit up with my light source, and the dark side to be in shadow. If I were to do it again, I’d probably lower my light a bit to cast more lateral harsh shadows.
Showcasing Texture
Texture is one thing that is pretty easy to capture when photographing Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™! All of the powder craters and mountains have tons of spots for light to shine and hide.
Here’s an example of a shot I took for MMS MilkPaint™’s blog:
Texture for days, right?
This is also a good example of what I was trying to continue practicing in my dark image – sharpness.
Creating a Sharp Product Image
Sharpness in a product photo is a combination of focus, good light and a medium to narrow aperture.
Compare these two images:
The first was taken early on in my furniture refinishing career. I didn’t really understand how to use a DSLR camera, which was to be expected – I never had one before! The second image was taken almost 7 years later!
This is pretty much the point of a challenge like 100 Product Photos. It is a visual timeline of your progress from one day to the next!
Balancing Shadows and Highlights
When it comes to the lighting in a product photo, I lean towards light and bright.
With number 2 of 100, I wanted to challenge myself to work with the highlights and shadows of a darker image.
To be honest with you, I kind of chickened out when it came to really deep and dark shadows! I’ll have to practice more of those as time goes by.
Just In Case You Missed Product Photo 1
For those of you who are just tuning in on this whole 100 Product Photo thing, I started yesterday with this image:
I’ll see you back here for the next round!
If you’d like to try the new Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint products, you can shop for product here using my affiliate link, and take 10% off using my coupon code 10OFFJB. Make sure you sort the paint colors by name so you see all of those that are available!
