Beer and Baseball
Feb, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was the result of a couple of things, buying a new lighting kit, some research into bottle lighting and some practice to get it right. This photo was taken in my home, where i set up a small studio so that i could practice lighting setups. I mean, it is all good reading and learning about lighting, but if you don't practice it, you don't understand how the light works.Time
This photo was taken in the middle of the day on a Saturday from memory. The time of day didn't really matter as i needed a darkened room. When using studio lighting, it really comes down to how much ambient light you want in your shot, i needed as little as possible in this shoot, so i used a dim, dark room.Lighting
this was a pretty basic lighting setup, it was basically one soft box on the right to act as a rim light for the ball and the Bottle, then a remote flash with diffuser umbrella at 1/16th power. The rim light was key to this, so that was the most important part to get right, the remote flash was needed to fill a little of the darker areas directly facing the camera. For the backdrop, i used a black velveteen, the reason for this is because the black will act as a bit of a dimmer, where it will soak in some of the light and not reflect back onto my subject.Equipment
I used my canon 1d Mk ii Tamaron 24 - 70mm f2.8 Tripod one soft box (300watt) One remote flash defuser umbrella Felt backdropInspiration
it was mainly for practice. I wanted to see how subjects worked with light. I researched alot of similar types of setups with bottle props, looking at the effect the light has on glass in different situations. I set my self a goal to create an image where i get the desired effect. Plus this is something that just goes together........Baseball and Beer !Editing
Yes there was some slight post processing. I really wanted to emphasise the black in the background, so that the Bottle and the ball popped out at the viewer. Increasing the highlighting slightly also assisted in this. Since shadow wasn't really an issue, i left that pretty much alone.In my camera bag
Everything i own in photography i take with me. Some call it overkill, i call it being prepared. 2 cameras, 3 lenses, filters, batteries, flash, these things are what you need if you are out on the field. My studio equipment i keep at home, this is where i do my studio work.Feedback
Practice ! i cannot stress that enough ! learn how the light reacts to the subject, adjust it, move it, bend it if you have to. When you learn how something reacts, you get a better understanding on how to use it. Try thinking about what makes something more appealing, example, use a mist spray on the bottle, gives the illusion of a frosty cold beer. As I said, it is about practice and research, learn how to do something, practice it, then mould it to something that works for you.
