Kenko Extension Tubes - First Product Photography Attempt

[WhiteLight]

Hi All,

This is my first attempt at Product Photography.
Looking forward to opinions & critique

EXIF:
D7000 & 35mm 1.8g
1/18 secs at f/14
Exposure Bias -1 EV
ISO 100
2 side lights & SB700 triggered off camera

 

[Bill16]

I think it looks great!

 

[Krs_2007]

Everything looks good except the background looks blue, is that what you were going for.

 

[WhiteLight]

Everything looks good except the background looks blue, is that what you were going for.

The paper i used as the background was old
and it had some blue tinging on it.. tried correcting in PP, but obviously it's visible

 

[mikew_RIP]

Its how we see things, thats why so many product photographers make a living,i like the blue it creates a group for me,pulling the items together.

mike

 

[Browncoat]

I said in another thread, and I'll repeat it again here: product photography is difficult. Kudos for even attempting to do this, because in my opinion, it's quite challenging. Photographing "stuff" in such a pleasing way that it prompts others to want to buy it...yeah, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye!

You already know about the blueish tint, so I won't even go into that. Gotta work with what you have. Nice job with dust control. I still see a few specks, so just remember that product photography has to be spotless.

Lastly is product placement, which is where I think you missed the mark. I have in my head how I would've done this shoot, and after doing an image search, I found this:



Your arrangement is certainly okay, but I think it could've been better. The items are spaced a bit too far apart. Something like this looks more visually appealing, while still maintaining the random look:

 

[WhiteLight]

Thanks Browncoat - i hear you.
I thought of a few positions to get the shot, obviously the ones you've posted look great.

At the same time, i am not very happy about the sharpness of the shot as well..
Something is off, not sure what..

Plus, am not sure if there should be shadows or not
There is a little bit of a shadow here..

Hope to get it better

 

[Browncoat]

Yeah, there's something a bit off, I agree. I don't think it's sharpness though...maybe a little bit. Personally, I think it's that blue tint throwing everything off-kilter just a little bit. I couldn't quite put my finger on it either.

One thing that helps is a reflection. You can Photoshop it of course, but I use a piece of plexiglass. It's not as reflective as a mirror, but still has a nice cast to it.

 

[WhiteLight]

I have been thinking of getting one of those but haven't gotten around to doing any research.
There seems to be unlimited number of brands with prices varying from cheap to super expensive.
Not really sure if the cheaper would do fine or i would need the 'branded' ones.

you have the proper plexiglass shooting table or a sheet of glass?
Would just a sheet do?

 

[Browncoat]

I had a 2x2 section cut from my mom's company, they use it in some of their products. It comes in 4x8 sheets, and they're very expensive.

There are places you can get plexiglass online and have it cut to size. I've even seen some on eBay. The main thing is to make sure it has that adhesive protection paper on it, or it's going to get scratched during shipping. Spend a few extra bucks and get the thicker, higher quality stuff. You don't want a flimsy piece. Mine is around 1/4" thick I believe.

2x2 is a nice manageable size, but part of me wishes I had gotten a 3x3 piece for larger items. I may get another section in the near future.

 

[WhiteLight]

Thanks again Anthony..
Will take a look around..

 

[Browncoat]

Here's one of my first attempts. I was using a white cloth backdrop underneath the plexiglass, which mottled the shadow. Pro tip: use a piece of white foamboard or something without texture:

 

[Krs_2007]

Now thats a good tip Browncoat. I like how that looks.