Attempt at Product Photography - Criticism Invited

[Glen Blanchard]

Last Christmas, I asked for (and was given) a light tent, with the intention of using it to photograph some of my woodworking (small boxes). I only yesterday (11 months later) set it up for the first time. Below is my first attempt. Constructive criticism invited. This thing seems to do a very nice job of eliminating shadows and simplifying product photography. I do not know much about this type of photography however, thus the reason I am requesting input.

Thanks.

http://smilesrus.com/woodworking2/star_wars_box.jpg

[Jon Eckels]

My first impression is that it's too dark, and that the light origin is to centralized, casting a shadow on the piece. more lights in more places should give the lighting a more uniform look.

[Rick de Roque]

Don't know anything about photography but I love the box!!! Give some info.

Rick

[Bill Boehme]

I think that a smooth gradient background would work better. The current lighting and background give the box an appearance of hanging in open space instead of having its feet planted on something solid. There should be more shadow where the legs meet the surface that they are sitting on and eliminate the shadow of the box on the backdrop. I think that a set-up with diffusers would work better than the light tent.

Bill

[Keith Outten]

Glen,

The picture looks great to me, but I have very little photo experience so my critique isn't worth much. Like Rick I also thank the box is beautiful work, more details would be nice.

.

[Tim Morton]

Not bad, but I agree that the light needs to come up and you will need to use a reflector in order to eliminate the shadows on the sides of the box. I also find the background to be a little distracting. Can you pull the piece forward at all? You say "light tent" Can you back the shot up and show the entire setup? Is this a softbox? Electronic flash?

[Earl Kelly]

Glen,

It appears your light is unbalanced. By that I mean, your left side is lit very well but the right side has a shadow from the leg as though the light is in the wrong place. An overhead light might brighten the top, it looks a little on the dark side.

If this is your first attempts at shooting your work, overall looks pretty dern good to me. The background doesn't bother me. If this is a small box the photo paper backdrops can be gotten in 4' wide rolls.

What camera did you use? And how many lights?

[John Miliunas]

OK, so you can call me the odd duck but, I don't mind a bit of shadow in pics. Seems more natural to me, as it's rare that objects in everyday life have totally uniform lighting. The shadows I see in your picture, are subtle, hence to my eye, not overpowering. I guess that, in the years I've been doing various photography, I've been trying to "control" shadow, not "eliminate" it completely. OTOH, I do agree w/Bill that, a smoother, more gradient background may do it more justice. My reasoning for that is, your piece has some great detail to it and would detract less from it. Personally, I would use that particular background for simpler pieces. That's my $0.02. :)

Now, as for the piece itself, YES, please....a bit more detail! It's gorgeous! :D :cool:

[John Huber]

By semi-professional, I mean that sometimes I got paid and sometimes I did it gratis on my job, but they used it as if it were professional.

For a first attempt, you've done a good job. Continue to concentrate on the technical aspects. Everyone has an opinion on aesthetics, and they are often contradictory. Go to the library, or buy Light -- Science and Magic by Hunter and Fuqua. It is the primer and bible of photographic lighting.

[Mark Singer]

It is a great design! I like the photo....I have done a bit of product as well as 4x5 and digital photograpy and I think it is quite good. I wish it were a larger image that showed more detail.

[Allen Bookout]

To me the lighting is very good. Good depth.

I do agree that the piece is so beautiful that you might want to experiment with many backgrounds and compare. However, the more that I look at it the more I like it.

[Frank Fusco]

Your lighting is coming from below. That is very unnatural. Put the light on the right at about 45 degrees above the subject. There should be a difference in the amount of light from right and left. This can be adjusted by moving the lights nearer or further to and from the subject. Having it look like it is hanging in space is not a bad thing. The subject of the photo is the object. The other criticizm is not using the photo tent for almost a year after receiving it as a gift. Naughty-naughty.

[Brian Knodel]

I’m not qualified to offer a critique … the photo looks just fine to me, but I would like to learn more about the light box.

Brian

[Glen Blanchard]

Lots of constructive suggestions. Thanks. New image with different background and rearranged lighting. Step in the right direction?

http://smilesrus.com/woodworking2/IMG_3293.jpg

[Roy Wall]

Glen,

Lots of good advice and your work is excellent!!! Love the angled keys:)

A spot of light on the background itself will add separation from the canvas and enhance the product. You will need at least 4-6' from the backdrop to the piece. Solid backgrounds with contrast to the product is good.

I prefer a slightly telephoto look - say 125-150mm - if you have room.

The way you light may need a touch more crispness - but it is up to your taste. You can "rake" the light across the face to show more grain with a "snoot" (tapered tube basically) from a bare bulb.

Sometimes it is good to "break the rules" of standard photography. Nice work on all accounts!

EDIT - I see your new photo!! Looks Terrific!!

[Dick Latshaw]

Much better lighting but I think the background is now too dark.

[David G Baker]

Glen,
Experiment until you are satisfied with your work. Look at catalogs and try to figure out how the photographer lit the product. I think your photos are very good. Question, light tent brand name, where purchased and if you don't mind, the cost. In the past I did a lot of photos of items I sold on Ebay and jury rigged every thing. I want a permanent set up so if I want to take product photos I can just do the shooting without a lot of set up. A photo of your tent will be appreciated.
Thanks.
DG Baker

[Jim Becker]

Glen, I think that you'll find that having a proper photo setup like you have will make for a remarkable difference in your project photography. The one you posted in this thread is very nice! Further experiementation with "bounce cards" will help to reduce and eliminate any additional unwanted shadows. (Some shadow is necessary to provide depth)

The best background for this kind of work is generally an 18% gray or slightly lighter. Avoid ANYTHING with color as that color will be reflective on your workpiece...blue is especially "bad" in that respect. In this vein, I prefer the first shot...the second one's background is too dark IMHO.

[Glen Blanchard]

Question, light tent brand name, where purchased and if you don't mind, the cost. In the past I did a lot of photos of items I sold on Ebay and jury rigged every thing. I want a permanent set up so if I want to take product photos I can just do the shooting without a lot of set up. A photo of your tent will be appreciated.
Thanks.
DG Baker

I don't readily remember the cost for the setup. The place from where is was purchased is in the following link.


http://www.ezcube.com/

[Frank Fusco]

You did well with the dark background. Usually something like this results in too much contrast. The legs didn't get a full complement of light. Otherwise doin' good.

[Bruce Page]

Glen, beautiful box and I like the background too. I opened your pic in Photoshop and did an “auto adjust”.

[Mike Null]

I think there's too much light in the last photo but the work is absolutely beautiful.