Product Photography - What Equipment do I Need

dmward wrote in post #12609362
bdillion has a good solution.
Only thing I would add is to bend the plexi under the product to eliminate the edge as seen behind the tomato.

Alex has some great tutorial videos on this and similar subject regarding product photography.

I usually photograph it on an angle so you don't even see the line, this was just pure laziness on my part in this photo. Other times, I want the line there as a separation.

The plexi is hard to bend and hold in place by yourself. I could bake it in the oven and put a permanent bend in it I 'spose. I only use the plexi part of the time. Most of the times I'm just erecting my tent over things that are already there.


The cool thing, you can pick up PVC for free dumpster diving in construction areas.

dmward wrote in post #12609362
bdillion has a good solution.

Very much depend on what you want and what kind of subject your shooting. Far from every subject will look good just because you toss it in a lighttent. The tomato doesn't look good in my eyes.

MR do little wrote in post #12609875
Very much depend on what you want and what kind of subject your shooting. Far from every subject will look good just because you toss it in a lighttent. The tomato doesn't look good in my eyes.

The tomato was never photographed to look good....it's a tomato with fog in the background.....it was funny to us at the time and that was the intent of the pic. I took no amount of time or care in staging or composing the shot other than to use a fog machine to blow fog in the background. The tomato itself was old and had been sitting out for a while so it lost a lot of its sheen. It was almost rotten. Nothing about that pic is supposed to be amazing, it was posted more as proof of concept.

I was not referring to the state of tomato. I meant to say the lightning ON the tomato doesn't look good.

MR do little wrote in post #12610612
I was not referring to the state of tomato. I meant to say the lightning ON the tomato doesn't look good.

The state of the tomato has lot to do with the light on the tomato. A fresh tomato is glossy and very reflective with a tight skin. Looks totally different when hit with light vs one that is soft and saggy. The idea wasn't to showcase anything, it was more proof of concept of the white plexi and not to say anything stuffed in a light tent is going to look good. I agree with you, it doesn't look good, but that was never the point. That photo is chopped to hell. Look at the left side of the reflection of the tomato, you can see some of the wrinkles in there that I missed in post. Had it been fresh it would have been quite specular with some better gradiation.

I understand your image was not to showcase the tomato, however if you used a fresh tomato the lighting wouldn't magically improve. The lack of direction and dimension is still there.


The problem with a lightent is the lack of control not to say a lightent can be useful it sure can but in general your better off working without it since its much harder to flag off and add bounce cards in a lighttent.

MR do little wrote in post #12611640
I understand your image was not to showcase the tomato, however if you used a fresh tomato the lighting wouldn't magically improve. The lack of direction and dimension is still there.


The problem with a lightent is the lack of control not to say a lightent can be useful it sure can but in general your better off working without it since its much harder to flag off and add bounce cards in a lighttent.

I don't want to go back and forth about a vegetable, but the state of that tomato had everything to do with lack of dimension. It was not specular to begin with, which absolutely KILLED any of the soft highlights that you would have seen had it been in better shape, and not heavily cloned out by me.

It was also not in a light tent.

I promise you hade it been in better shape you would have seen a couple of mild specular highlights in the front from the white cards I was using ti kick light back in it.

Kind of like Mr. Hobby's example.

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/davidhobby/3647​800430/

Sorry but your not getting it, your light placement,size, and diffusion has NOTHING to do with the tomato period.

I was talking about lightent/boxes in general, hence my first reply to dmward.

Believe it or not iv shot a few vegetables....

MR do little wrote in post #12611994
Sorry but your not getting it, your light placement,size, and diffusion has NOTHING to do with the tomato period.

I was talking about lightent/boxes in general, hence my first reply to dmward.

Believe it or not iv shot a few vegetables....

I never questioned your abilities.......
and with that, I'll be moving on.