sleepy_mind

Water To Wine

Product shot for my own personal enjoyment.. and maybe yours too.

Product shot for my own personal enjoyment.. and maybe yours too.
Read less

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

settings

Aperture f/5 ISO 100 Shutter 1/20 Focal Length 75/1

upload_date

Apr, 2016

Views

164

Likes

Awards

Summer Selection

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in a kitchen, actually, using a poster board to make a quick studio-like set-up. I don't have access to a studio so most of my ideas that require some sort of set-up I assemble a quick makeshift photo booth.

Time

One would think time of day was not important for this kind of shot, and that's a reasonable thought, but as I said, this was taken in a kitchen, without proper gear. Natural light is my best friend, and the afternoon sun diffuses nicely onto anything set near a window.

Lighting

For this idea I had in my head, I wanted it to be clean and starkly illuminated, and very pure in appearance. Direct placement in front of the diffused sunlight coming through the window achieves this nicely, while still being direct enough to lay down shadows and give depth. For tight budget photographers like myself, remember, natural lighting and sunny windows are you best friend.

Equipment

For this shot I used a Canon T3i, with a trusty nifty fifty lens, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. I did use a cheap tripod simply to hold my camera so I could pour into my shot and operate a wired shutter remote.

Inspiration

A couple of years back I was in between jobs, staying with family until my new job started. I was pretty down on myself given the circumstances, and was tired of sitting around someone else's house doing nothing of value. I made it a point over the course of two weeks, that every day I was going to shoot, and not stop until I had one photo that I loved. This was the result of Day 1.

Editing

Post-processing in my photos usually is limited to some small tone curves and color balance adjustments. Occasionally I may get really hung up on a dust speck or blemish that I didn't notice until after the fact and stamp it out, but not in this particular case.

In my camera bag

Everything I own I carry in a decent sized backpack case. I started snagging up gear while in college, most of which I was really lucky to come across at a real bargain, aside from my Canon T3i body. Visiting thrift shops was a real habit of mine, where I scored my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Canon EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS lens, both for $20. They were attached to an old 35mm Canon which the shop owner assumed was all junk, but the value was in the glass. I also carry a Rokinon 8mm which is truly awesome for the price. There is a 35mm Minolta XG-M that belonged to my father that I tote around in the bottom of my backpack too, along with a spare roll of Fujifilm.

Feedback

Some table top space, a sunny window, and an idea is all a photographer needs to capture a shot like this. I am a firm believer in zen principles, less is more, and use this to approach my shots. The more simply I can execute my shots, the better. When you have a backdrop, and good lighting, all that is left is for you to share your message, your thought, your vision with the viewer, and display it in a natural way. Try to interact with your scene, breathing life into a still frame in time.

See more amazing photos, follow sleepy_mind

sleepy_mind

sleepy_mind

Water To Wine

Product shot for my own personal enjoyment.. and maybe yours too.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow sleepy_mind

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.