There are plenty of ways to photograph drinks, glasses, and bottles. Dustin Dolby from Workphlo has guided us through many of them in his great video tutorials. But this time, he shares something that looks like a lot of fun and adds motion and dynamics to your beverage photos. Using cheap and simple dolly, you can […]
How to shoot translucent product photos on a white background with just a couple of speedlights
#tutorials #dustindolby #productphotography #whiteseamless #workphlo
Shooting transparent and translucent objects on a white background can often be very tricky. You want to be able to show off the product itself without it being overpowered by the background behind it. It can be difficult to light in a way that makes it stand out, but it is definitely possible – as […]
How to Shoot Clean Glassware with Speedlights on a Black Background
In this tutorial, we share our lighting setup for a piece of glass stemware using minimal gear. To mimic this shot, you will need a black background, stripboxes, and speedlights.
We start by using two strip boxes (8-inch by 36-inch) to modify our speedlights. Stripboxes help shape the light into a tall vertical face, which will help us precisely illuminate the parts of the glass we want to be defined.
The most important aspect of catalog photography is accurately conveying the product to the viewer. By placing the stripboxes symmetrically behind the glassware, facing inward, we can create stark highlights down the stem, revealing the shape and flattering the glassware.
To get a more 3D look, we can use a single stripbox to illuminate the glass edge, allowing us to prioritize the second light on the front of the wine glass bowl. By placing a highlight on the bowl, we can give the viewers a sense of three-dimensional space, and better convey the material finish of the glass. By adding a gradient (with the addition of a cheap nylon diffuser panel) we flatter the glassware even further, complimented by the reverse reflection symmetrically opposite it.
In post-production, we have a few options at our disposal when dealing with a symmetrical piece of glassware. For example, if there is a particular area that is unflattering due to the asymmetrical lighting approach, we can flip the lighting from the alternative side using a feathered mask in Photoshop. Additionally, we can introduce lighting from additional exposures like base or rim lights which we may not want to have firing during main exposures, to avoid accidental reflections in the glass.
By taking a bit of time to move striplights around a room, light placement to flatter certain areas of the glassware becomes intuitive. Whether you’re lighting glassware for a white or black background the most important aspects are accurately conveying the edges of the glassware, while managing to flatter it within a flat canvas.
_About the author: Dustin Dolby from workphlo, is a Canadian product photographer and educator on YouTube. You can find more tutorial’s on Dustin’s workphlo YouTube Channel or Skillshare, and purchase their custom light stand attachments on the workphlo online shop. _
#educational #tips #tutorials #blackbackground #dustindolby #education #glassware #howto #lighting #setup #simple #speedlights #stripbox #tutorial
How to Photograph and Composite an Advertising ‘Cosmetic Drip’
In this 15 minute video, we break down a step-by-step approach to capturing the images needed to composite an attractive cosmetic drip.
We start by capturing the cosmetic portion of the image by extending the lipstick out of the tube as far as possible. With a cheap nylon diffuser and a speedlight, we can create a large highlight on the left portion of our cosmetic.
Not only does this flatter the lipstick but it will also provide us with a nice light source for the drip. A thin edge light created with an additional stripbox and speedlight combo will carve out our cosmetic (and drip) on the stark black background.
To capture the motion of the lipstick "melting" into a drip, we used a wooden stick and red acrylic paint. It is important to match the color of the acrylic paint with the cosmetic, for an easier time in post-production. Carefully using a two-second remote mode, we applied acrylic paint heavily on the wooden stick to begin capturing the frozen motion.
It took a few times for an attractive drip to time out perfectly, but once we capture an ample amount of options we have everything needed to complete the composite. It may be necessary at times to use an additional reflector to bounce light into the scene, since we are mainly using a light source from one direction.
To combine the upper cosmetic with the lower drip image, we used a variety of techniques in Adobe Photoshop. We begin by simply masking the products and crudely attaching them together to get a basic visual to work with. By using a tool known as the Warp Mesh Tool, we can individually twist the layers around to connect seamlessly and complete the illusion of the cosmetic melting.
It might take a few tweaks to leave the image in a way that is visually seamless, but once the illusion is created it brings together all the beauty from the lighting and leaves a stunning visual on a stark black set.
_About the author: Dustin Dolby from workphlo, is a Canadian product photographer and educator on YouTube. You can find more tutorial’s on Dustin’s workphlo YouTube Channel or Skillshare, and purchase their custom light stand attachments on the workphlo online shop. _
#educational #tutorials #walkthroughs #advertising #advertisingphotography #cosmeticdrip #cosmetics #drip #dustindolby #lipstick #makeup #postproduction
How to Light Catalog Quality Product Shots with a Single Speedlight
In this nine-minute video from Workphlo, photographer Dustin Dolby explains how to light catalog quality reflective product photos using just a single Speedlight.
To start, Dolby suggests shooting the products separately to avoid them reflecting onto each other, making it easier to get an ultra-clean look for each piece. Dolby also suggests using an app called AutoRetouch to help make automatic clipping paths upon importing the images into Photoshop, saving a lot of time on post-production.
Dolby then shows his setup of a long strip of diffusion paper that extends from the lens to the product where he has placed a single Speedlight in a strip box. The light source is on a slight angle behind the product allowing quick and minor adjustments for the shot to get things just right. He says that reflective products will often get a "dark padding" on the product that will vary based on the Speedlights' positioning.
Ideally, if the light source is positioned properly, the spread will fall on just about half of the product. Then it is just a matter of correctly placing a bounce card (reflector) on the opposite side of the product to fill in the shadows and recycle the light from the strip box. The depth of the bounce card placement will affect the padding position, so be sure to make adjustments accordingly to achieve a flattering and consistent light pattern to be used across all similar products.
Once a clean setup is achieved, he recommends photographers start rotating the products through the setup, making sure the light and padding fall in similar locations for consistency. Then, all that is left is to import the files into Photoshop to begin the retouching.
Dolby explains that using AutoRetouch can help speed things up by automatically creating clipping paths and removing backgrounds for product work, making bulk editing easier. In May, AutoRetouch added a feature that allows editors to bulk edit any product photo with artificial intelligence.
Once inside Adobe Photoshop, Dolby adds a reflection by duplicating the products, flipping them vertically, positioning the "reflection" directly below the originals, reducing the opacity significantly, and finally applying a linear gradient so that there is a smooth fall-off providing a nice, catalog e-commerce looking image. Finally, he shows how to fix any inconsistent shadows on the reflective parts of the product by copy and pasting stretched portions of the product over the existing setup and masking them in accordingly to achieve a very consistent look across the whole image. Beyond that, the amount of retouching and photoshop fixes is simply up to the user (or client).
For more from Dustin Dolby, subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Image credits: Photos by Dustin Dolby and used with permission.
#educational #tutorials #app #autoretouch #bouncecard #dustindolby #highquality #howto #lighting #photoshop #product #productphotography #reflective #retouching #tips #workphlo #youtube
How To Photograph Beer and Successfully Retouch in Photoshop
In this 18-minute video, photographer Dustin Dolby explains many of the tricks beverage photographers use and shows how anyone can achieve professional-level beer photos with just a few speedlights and some entry-level camera gear.
Dolby says that every little detail matters when it comes to creating the perfect shot for advertising beverages.While beer photography tutorials come in all shapes and sizes, he says the big secret is most of the concepts come down to simply shaping light and using a little bit of Photoshop to fix the various imperfections that just happen throughout the course of the shoot. In the video above, Dolby walks through every step (including the mistakes) of his usual workflow for creating incredible beer and beverage photos.
Starting with just his beer bottle and a single strip box, the first, and most important step is to ensure the bottle is aligned properly for the shot. From there Dolby says that photographers need to start modifying the lighting to ensure a broad and -- what he describes as -- "milky" look with a nice highlight on the side.
Dobly adds an additional strip box (his second light source) for his backlight and will cycle through multiple power levels to find the brightness that is just right for the planned image. Next, to ensure the labels are exposed properly, Dobly recommends using a third light bounced off the ceiling for a subtle fill.
Once all of this is done, he recommends then adding some flags (he uses black foam-core) to control any light spill and avoid any unwanted flares in the final shot. At this point, he can finally add the beer.
The trick here is to pour just half the glass first to let things settle and ensure the image is still framed properly. Dolby says that this extra step that allows him to finish pouring the second half directly into the upright glass will cause a "big reaction" that will hopefully lead to a big frothy end result. Dolby explains that photographers can miss the shot either due to the drink not pouring right or a technical issue with the camera or lights can occur. If this happens, the shot needs to be reset to a certain extent. He recommends having some spare beers to repour as needed, or even using a bamboo stick to agitate the drink will react with the bear and create an additional "frothing" to help get the shot correctly.
The second half of the video explains how to retouch the image for a fantastic final result. The first step is to eliminate any distractions or mismatched elements in the shots like excessive bubbles or condensation on the glass and table. He then details how to extend and clean up the background so that there is a perfectly clean slate and removes any splashes or spills on that may be visible on the table.
Over the course of the rest of the video, Dolby shows his entire process including fixing the labels, adding some color corrections, highlight fixes, and even compositing small elements to create a perfect shot -- this even includes creating a label for the glass itself leaving him with a great sharp commercial-looking image worthy of a poster or billboard.
For more from Dustin Dolby, subscribe to his YouTube Channel.
#educational #postprocessing #tips #tutorials #adobephotoshop #beer #beverage #dustindolby #glass #howto #lighting #photoshop #productphotography #retouching #retouchingtips #speedlights #strobes #video #workphlo #youtube
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