Absolutely excellent!

[Steve T]

Check this out, if you shoot canon, this is a must watch for still life and product photography. Just wish he had mentioned the picture style editor.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxOZIcroDA

 

[Garry Edwards]

Well, it's equally relevant with any make of camera, it isn't specific to Canon.
And the subject itself is very easy, with no challenges of any kind.
And the lighting is pretty flat, which is what is wanted for this kind of 'catalogue' image, but very easy to do.

Having said all that, the video does what it says on the tin, so is far better than the vast majority of Youtube videos...

I've got an interesting and challenging shoot coming up - snooker cues!
I haven't seen them yet but I know what to expect - highly polished wood that is going to need a very consistent and fairly large diffused specular highlight - on a subject that is tapered - and that one will be a real challenge.
I might even make a video of it.
Come to that, I might even invite people along to watch, and to try it for themselves, depending on my workload at the time.

 

[juggler]

Well, it's equally relevant with any make of camera, it isn't specific to Canon.
And the subject itself is very easy, with no challenges of any kind.
And the lighting is pretty flat, which is what is wanted for this kind of 'catalogue' image, but very easy to do.

Having said all that, the video does what it says on the tin, so is far better than the vast majority of Youtube videos...

I've got an interesting and challenging shoot coming up - snooker cues!
I haven't seen them yet but I know what to expect - highly polished wood that is going to need a very consistent and fairly large diffused specular highlight - on a subject that is tapered - and that one will be a real challenge.
I might even make a video of it.
Come to that, I might even invite people along to watch, and to try it for themselves, depending on my workload at the time.

I'd be very interested to see the video - or better still, a blog post. I know little... but I'd start by using some large v flats as reflectors and pointing strobes directly at them, possibly with some diffusion material draped over the front, and then adding black flags as required. I'm keen to see how far off the mark I am!

 

[Garry Edwards]

I'd be very interested to see the video - or better still, a blog post. I know little... but I'd start by using some large v flats as reflectors and pointing strobes directly at them, possibly with some diffusion material draped over the front, and then adding black flags as required. I'm keen to see how far off the mark I am!

Black flags yes - or at least probably.
light reflected from large flats can be a good method for lighting flat shiny subjects such as knives, but snooker cues are round and tapered, so although it is theoretically possible to get the angles right with flats, it wouldn't be my tool of choice. But your'e thinking in the right direction

 

[Steve T]

I wonder at the amount of the cue that will be in the shot and how that affects the lighting options. How to get the width of the handle end and the tip end in the same shot while keeping any lighting effect visible at both ends. I would think the best you could do would be to have separate shots of front and rear sections in close.

Steve.

 

[Garry Edwards]

I wonder at the amount of the cue that will be in the shot and how that affects the lighting options. How to get the width of the handle end and the tip end in the same shot while keeping any lighting effect visible at both ends. I would think the best you could do would be to have separate shots of front and rear sections in close.

Steve.

Good point. What we do here for the main shot is to photograph only the relevant bits, which is the sharp end and the blunt end. So, 2 cues together, facing in opposite directions. This will create its own lighting challenge because the tapers will be opposite to each other and they will be different thicknesses so a single light source will create very different diffused specular highlights. I may end up taking separate shots and shopping them together, I don't know yet, I never do until I actually start the job.
If we tried to photograph the entire length, the detail wouldn't show. Having said that, as with just about all other product shots, we take closeups too and although these cues haven't arrived yet it's pretty obvious that they will screw together, so that joint will need to be photographed.

But, as ever, it's the main shot that really counts, because if that one doesn't interest the prospective customer they won't look at any of the detail shots.

Product photography is basically a mix of lighting, marketing and camera skills, in that order of both importance and difficulty.

 

[Steve T]

Will the cues be shot in a snooker enviroment or in the studio Garry? I can imagine shots on a snooker table with, say, the tip looking down on a difficult bridge shot or the cue laid on the table, near and at a level with the cushion with just the handle showing. Thats going to be a b****r to be happy with if its just the cue on its own. I think out of focus balls a rests etc would be the best props to show the cue off and draw in the punter especially if the other bits and bobs are all expensive.

Look forward to seeing how this goes Garry, I would think it definitely merits a good video tutorial, wish you were nearer to kent, I would love to see this shoot.

Knock em dead mate.

Steve.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Will the cues be shot in a snooker enviroment or in the studio Garry? I can imagine shots on a snooker table with, say, the tip looking down on a difficult bridge shot or the cue laid on the table, near and at a level with the cushion with just the handle showing. Thats going to be a b****r to be happy with if its just the cue on its own. I think out of focus balls a rests etc would be the best props to show the cue off and draw in the punter especially if the other bits and bobs are all expensive.

Look forward to seeing how this goes Garry, I would think it definitely merits a good video tutorial, wish you were nearer to kent, I would love to see this shoot.

Knock em dead mate.

Steve.

I'd like to do it as a lifestyle shot, but I haven't got a snooker table. And there are only about 100 of them to sell, so the budget won't be there to take the shoot to a snooker club.

We'll have to see about the video tutorial, I'll do it if I can. But whether I can or not, I will definately do a written tutorial, which will be much more detailed anyway.