In this video, I go behind the scenes on a drink photography photoshoot working with stylist Natalie Garforth, from set-building through to post-production with a professional retoucher.
I should start this off with a caveat. I am not a drink photographer. Yes, I photograph a lot of drinks at work, but it's not my sole specialty. However, being a food photographer, it is something that I need to work on, as it is often called upon as an aspect of my work. Test shoots are a great way to do this without the pressure of having an art director scrutinizing me every step of the way.
This video documents the shoot from the night before, where the set is being built, through to a live edit video of my retoucher doing his work. I also go on to explain the thought process behind each of the lighting setups and the manner in which we chose to style and shoot the work.
Hopefully, this video gives good insight into how test shoots are run and exactly what goes into creating new portfolio images. I tend to cram in a few test shoots every few months to work on new skills and to keep some underutilized skills sharp.
Nice. May I suggest you invest into a small compressor to reduce dust and post clean up that can be avoided.
The lighting set up is... there are no lighting set ups! So true.
Are they those air can things? Like WD40 but air?
If so I have tried a few, but have often com undone when a sudden gust of water/ice shoots out. Are there certain brands or types that are better than others?
I am all about saving retouching time!
I don't find the cans very effective and they don't last very long, plus the fluid used to push the air out can come out and damage acrylics and other types of surfaces you may use or create for background. I have a 1.5 gallon version of the Husky at home and the black one at my studio. You can control the air pressure and put a cloth in front of the air nozzle to be extra careful. Older tanks can rust inside if not purged. Condensation builds up, there is a little valve to purge the air. and rust can eventually fly out but rarely. Just purge often or after each use. Your black boards seem to be made of styrofoam and painted. Those I would not run pressure on. If you use acrylics, compressors are great to remove dust and you can use your hand to shield light things on a set up where you want to blow off dust.