Architectural Interiors - Tommy Fox's, Bergenfiel, NJ

I always enjoy photographing new things. Last month I got a chance to shoot some architectural interiors at Tommy Fox’s bar & restaurant in Bergenfield, NJ. Tommy’s is a great place to wind down and enjoy some distinctly Irish food and drink. The challenge shooting interiors is balancing the interior light with outside light, as well as avoiding geometric distortion when shooting with a wide angle lens. I think we did OK on both fronts. For more information about Tommy Fox’s visit http://www.tommyfoxs.com/. To see more photos from the shoot and my other commercial photography work, please visit www.greatproductshots.com and click on the “Architectural” tab under Photo Galleries. BTW - special shout out to All Aboard Marketing for arranging the shoot and constructing Tommy’s new website.

Photographing Micro Precision Product Shots using Focus Stacking

I have many great clients, including Gene Kozak. Gene’s company is Kozak Micro Adjusters www.kozakmicro.com. He sells high quality micro adjusting screws, bushings & gauges for a variety of industries. Gene is a brilliant guy and designs all his products himself. He came to me at the end of last year to shoot some of his products. The catch is most of them are quite small - less than one (1) inch long and very thin. The threads on the screws are also very fine - some of the finest in the industry.

A. Depth of Field

 

Photographing tiny objects presents some unique challenges. The biggest challenge is getting the entire object in sharp focus. This is because the combination of close shooting distances and high magnification results in very shallow “depth of field.” Depth of field is a fancy way of saying how much of an image is in focus.

 

 



Sometimes we want shallow depth of field. We’ve all seen (and I have done) photos where the main part of the image is sharp and the rest of the image falls into soft focus. Using shallow depth of field is a way to increase drama, and if you’ve read some of my prior blog posts, you know increased drama = increased interest = increase sales. But just as often, especially for technically precise products like Gene’s, you want deep depth of field so the entire image is in clear focus. This allows potential customers to see the quality and detail of what you’re photographing.

 

There are three common ways to increase the depth of field in a photo:  

 

1) Close down the aperture (F-stop) of the camera. The smaller the aperture (higher F-stop) the greater the area in focus.

 

2) Manipulate the focus plane to increase the apparent depth of field of the image. This can be done either with a “tilt-shift” lens or a “view” camera. Both tilt-shift lenses and view cameras allow you to tilt the focus plane parallel to the subject matter allowing it to appear that more of the image is in focus.

 

3) Use focus stacking. Focus stacking uses several photos of the same object taken at different focus points. Those multiple photos are then combined in Photoshop to create one image where everything is in sharp focus.

 

 

B. Focus Stacking

 

With regard to very small objects, the first two methods of increasing depth of field - shooting at small apertures, or using a tilt-shift lens or view camera - usually come up short. Thus, focus stacking is the only way to get everything in sharp focus.

 

Below is an example of a group of Gene’s products. The first shot is the final image after focus stacking is applied. The individual shots I used to create the final image are below it.

 

 

 

 

There is no set formula for number of photos you’ll need to do focus stacking. The general rule is the smaller the object and/or higher the magnification, the more photos will be required. There is specialty software that automates the focus stacking process but I prefer to use Photoshop. Photoshop can automatically stack and align the individual images. Then I mask off the unsharp portions of each image by hand. This tends to be more time consuming, but I feel it yields better results.

 

A final side note: the higher the magnification the easier it is to see dirt, dust, dings and other imperfections in the product itself. This is true whether it’s an expensive piece of jewelry or a precision adjusting screw. So the better the condition of the samples when they arrive at my studio, the easier it is to get great product shots. That said, even the best samples usually require a fair amount of retouching when shooting at high magnifications.

 

So there it is: focus stacking to create deep depth of field in your micro precision product photos.

 

As always please contact me with questions or leave comments in the space below.

 



Taking Great Shoe and Footwear Photos

I enjoy sharing knowledge and techniques with others. I recently wrote an article which appears in the March/April 2013 issue of "Shoe Retailing Today", the official magazine of the National Shoe Retailers Association. The article discusses what goes into taking and making great shoe & footwear photos. You can download a pdf version of the article here.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Visit my website www.greatproductshots.com for more information or email me.

The Four C's of Making Great Product Photos

I have not posted in quite a while - combination of being quite busy and a bit lazy. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about what it takes to make great photos. For me, I’ve come up with the Four C’s - Color, Composition, Contrast and Content. I believe these four elements apply to any photo, but since this is a product photography blog, we'll use that as the context for our discussion.

1. Color

What is color and why is it important? Before we can understand color, we need a quick refresher on light. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, most people think so-called “white” light represents the absence of all color. However, in reality, it is the inclusion of all colors. This is important because everything we are able to see, we are able to see because it reflects light. (If it didn’t reflect light, we wouldn’t be able to see it.) What this means is, the color of an object is the result of all other colors being absorbed by surface of that object. So, for instance, something that we see as “red” means that that object is absorbing all colors other than red.

Equally important to the discussion of color is the understanding that people have emotional responses to color. (Google "emotional responses to color".) Warm tones for instance evoke one type of emotional response, whereas cooler tones elicit another. It is also important to note that humans have learned responses to certain colors. For instance, red or yellow are often associated with danger, whereas green and blue often communicate safe conditions. 

A yellow background adds emotion to the image. Just remember that when this is done in-camera, the background can reflect color back on to the product changing its appearance. Try to light the product separately from the background whenever possible.

  
The last thing to say about color is that sometimes the most compelling images don’t have any color at all. We all know the power of black & white images. It’s hard to say why, but monochrome photos can be a very impactful way to reach your audience.

 

2. Composition

When discussing photography, composition refers to what we include - and exclude - from the frame. It also refers to camera angles, focal length and how we arrange our subject.

For instance, when shooting product shots I sometimes like to shoot from slightly below to give the product a larger than life appearance. (Shooting close-up with a wide angle lens can also give the same effect.) At the other extreme, we sometimes see images where the product appears quite small since there is a lot of "negative" (empty) space in the frame. This creates a feeling of emptiness or isolation (not typically what we are trying to achieve with a commercial product shot, but hey, whatever floats your boat.)

Another common example of using compositions creatively is to show only a small portion of the product. This is useful in creating interest by withholding from the audience (excluding from the frame) something of importance.

Compared to the shot above, this was done with a wide angle lens from a lower angle. This makes the product look more imposing.

Finally, composition can also include playing with balance within an image. When posing group of products for example, I often place taller items in the center of the frame to create symmetry and an overall feeling of harmony when viewing the image.

 

3. Contrast

Contrast describes the interplay between dark and light areas of a photo. In terms of product photography, contrast can be used to highlight or distinguish certain product features. It can also increase the overall impact of the photo.

An example of highlighting an important feature is the use of contrast to define the product's shape. It sounds pretty obvious to say the edges of the product define its shape. Yet I get a calls all the time from people wanting me to photograph white objects on a white background. This means little or no contrast between the product and the background. So it is my job to make the product - literally - stand out.

One way I do this is to place black cards along the sides of the product just outside view of the camera. This reduces the amount of light on the edges of the product (the black absorbs rather than reflects the light). It can be very subtle, but this is often enough to create the needed contrast.

Notice the lack of contrast between the edges of the product and the background in the shot on the left. In the shot on the right, I placed black cards just outside of the camera's view to darken the edges of the bottle.

Sometimes it's fun to do the opposite - instead of darkening the edges, I'll use so-called “rim” lighting to brighten the edges of the product. At its extreme, this creates a halo of light around the subject, giving the product an other-worldly glow (much to my clients' delight).

4. Content

It almost goes without saying that in the making of any great photo, content is king. The problem is, what is compelling to one person may not be compelling to another. (Just spend few minutes noticing what grabs your attention on Facebook tonight: is that person's cat photo adorable? Or a reason to unfriend them...)

As commercial product photographer, the issue of subject matter is easy for me: when I am hired to shoot a product, clearly the client thinks that product is compelling - and of course, my clients are always right. Their customers will also likely find these photos of interest: they give the customers valuable information about the product and (hopefully) heighten desire and reaffirm the customers' interest in making a purchase. So in these cases at least, the issue of content is not in doubt.

There you go - a cute cat and baby photo in one :-)

What about your own photos? All I can say is, when picking subject matter, be true to yourself. Shoot what speaks to you and let others get on board - unless of course you're being hired by someone else. In that case, shoot what speaks to them, and you'll both be happy.

There you have it - the Four C's to making great photos. Keep each of these in mind the next time you take any kind of photo and see if your work doesn't got to the next level.

Until next time, please visit my website: www.greatproductshots.com or email me at greatproductshots@gmail.com

Happy shooting!