some product shots ( need critique/tips )

[des34415]

Hi guys,

I've been playing around with off camera flash lately, and was thinking whether 2 OCF would be better than the standard on-camera bounce.

Equipment used :

1 x YN460ii
1 x Opteka EF600DG
1 x Lightstand w/umbrella
1 x tamron 17-50 f2.8 ( usually racked out to prevent distortion, am i correct? )
1 x 1000D ( always @ 1/200 to shut down ambient light, always @ f10 for maximum sharpness, iso varied to supplement power on flash )
1 x table with glass panel on top of A0 size paper ( to create reflections )

here are some of the samples and they are definitely way below expectations..

note : all the pics were not edited for dust/glass stains etc. just wanted to try out different lighting setups.




this shot was taken with 1 flash on the right, bounced ceiling + index card ( @ full power ), 2nd flash from left pointing straight at subject, (@ 1/16 ), diffused by A4 paper. initially i tried using both flashes to aim towards the subject from the sides, ( since we can't directly hit the reflective surfaces with light, correct? ) the result wasn't very good. the sides were well lit but the front (which is the most impt part) wasn't.

bottomline : i would like to know the best way to light up this watch with my 2 hotshoe flashes. using the umbrella didn't help much either. also, I'd like to achieve it without a light tent, as I believe it restricts my movement around the subject. what can i do to obtain all-round lighting with my current setup?
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7421/producttestshots009.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots009.jpg/)

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/408/producttestshots005.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots005.jpg/)

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/204/producttestshots006.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots006.jpg/)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4584/producttestshots007.th.jpg (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots007.jpg/)


for this, how do i prevent reflections in 1) the plastic cover and 2) of myself while i shoot from top down?
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4413/producttestshots013.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots013.jpg/)

again.. some blown highlights at the side. this was done with 1 flash on umbrella, placed very close to the octopus. how should i prevent this?
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4582/producttestshots015.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots015.jpg/)

any comments for this mouse? how can i improve it in terms of lighting?
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6408/producttestshots011.th.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots011.jpg/)

one of the setups for the mouse..
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5503/producttestshots012.th.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/producttestshots012.jpg/)

another problem i encountered was the background not being pure white. i understand in portrait situations, we can light the background separately, and have the subject far away so it doesn't affect the subject. for tabletop product shots, how do we prevent that? without the use of extra equipment if possible..


and btw, another unrelated question here. which image host do you guys use, that has a function that batch-lists all my images as [IMG] codes so i can paste in forums easily? i really like flickr but seems that they don't have this function. not a fan of thumbnails here - i already resized them for easy viewing so i don't see a need here..

feel free to blast me with your comments! both -ve and +ve welcome! i'm here to learn. thanks!

[canonloader]

The lighting looks OK, but I prefer a full tent. It's only real advantage is, it prevents reflections from above. But I'm just learning too, so can't really help with your flash umbrellas, as I use continuous light stands.

One tip right away though, lose the glass. Your getting double reflections and IMO, they look bad. You have to buy solid color glass or acrylic, as the double reflection comes from the top surface and the inside of the bottom surface. Even smoked glass or plastic will show a double. You need translucent stuff. Here is a dealer (http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=DPI) for colored plexiglass that I use. I ordered some black and milk white and it should be here today. :)

And just a reminder, it helps to post in others threads to, it's how forums work best. You'll see, this one is kind of dead. ;)

[des34415]

i see. i thought the more important advantage of it was the 360degree bounce all over the tent so everything will be evened out. i'd really like if i could do without a light tent since i can't take photographs from certain angles like this ; product size is another issue with tents too :(

thanks for the tip on glass! i really never noticed that.

thanks for the link too! but i'm not living in the states, would cost me a bomb to ship over to my side. heard black granite is popular over @ strobist's blog, maybe will try that out too.

i was using glossy art cards last time too.. but creases easily just like paper. need to PP those stuff out. haha.

hmm, do you mean helping out in other threads or asking for help? for the former, i guess i'm still too amateurish to give good advice to the people here ( i see a lot of good work here everyday ! ).. and if it's the latter - isn't it rude to interrupt other people's threads? not really sure about the forum etiquette here actually =/

[canonloader]

Look very carefully at the granite before buying. I bought on 12x12" pieace and it had little flecks in it that jumped off the surface in the picture and looked like I was shooting in a lint factory. Unusable and a waste of money unless you can buy perfectly black granite. Same for white, look at it closely. Any little stuff inside the stone will jump out when photographing it.

No, no, I just meant that too many people here post their stuff, want C&C and never post anything in any other threads. Hardly fair, and it kills a forum fast when people post their hard work and nobody says anything about it. Not pointing fingers, just saying. ;)

[des34415]

I see .thanks for the useful advice!

alright, i get what you mean now. haha. it's actually the first time i've stepped into this subforum.. usually i'd be lurking around in the small flashes section. :)

[canonloader]

By the way, you don't need to buy a tent. You can simply put two chairs with backs facing each other and drape a white sheet over them Leave the front open to shoot in, adjust as necessary. Basically, that's all a light tent is. :)

[des34415]

hmm okay.. but how do i shoot from top down, 1. with no reflections, 2. well-lit front?

i've seen a number of them do it without a 'tent'. their setup was quite similar to mine, albeit with super huge softboxes and larger lights. how did they do it?

also, what's the difference between an elinchrom quadra w/beauty dish lighting the subject from top down 45deg, versus just an usual hotshoe flash with shoot-thru umbrella? i only understand the application of beauty dish in portraits but not products. :/

[canonloader]

Many light tents have a top panel with a slit in to stick the lens through.

[tonto_j]

Hi guys, just my 2 cents worth, I shoot quite a lot of product shots for my online shopping site. I normally shoot in our conservatory in daylight but not bright sunlight if possible. I have a 2 head elemental 360w setup. I used an old bed sheet and emulsioned it with pure white, works very well and gives a stiffness to the fabric. I also built a wooden frame to drape the sheet from.

I normally shoot with diffusion umbrellas and angle the heads to hit the sheet. Then adjust the camera settings until the background is just blown out. Seems to work well, and with the frame I can hang it on the wall or free stand it on the floor.