Modern Photos

As far as ‘modern’ goes, The photo work I do is tabletop and studio-based emphasis on product work with hardcore Photoshop using multiple exposures, layering effects, masking, frequency separations, the whole Nine Yards. This image is no different, perhaps the only technique did not use on this photo was focus stacking! I might spend an hour trying get that one highlight in that one area just right kind of thing then layer it into the composite.

Why this photo of a benign kitchen tool exists….this is part of a very niched-down portfolio I made for the specific purpose of targeted marketing collateral to manufacturers of commercial kitchen equipment for restaurant and hospitality as well as consumer. The folio and material I sent out did the trick and got some decent work!

How this shot was made….a lot going on here. Clearly a real bartender would not squeeze citrus into a rocks glass but that’s no fun cause most shakers are stainless steel and can’t see the juice splashing--shot is about the tool not the practice of real-world physics of bar tending.

Camera itself was stationery the whole shoot which took better part a day and half, simply changed what was in front of it, lighting and exposure. First, am not on location, this was done in spare bedroom of my house. The stage is maybe 24 x 36”, most of which is out of frame left and right. Tabletop is a modern printed vinyl. The background is some random stock image I blurred the heck out of, zoomed into and is on a 65” television—the background plate was long exposure which was cool because captured reflections in the glassware and thru the vodka bottle. Got those blue-ish reflections in the glassware, etc.

Then, several frames shooting the still life itself getting texture in the fruit, herbs, tools on the right and hitting the gold foil on the vodka bottle. All done with one AD600 to camera left. The tool itself is glued to a boom arm which was not hard to shoot. Then, spent an entire two bags of limes and shooting high speed flash maybe 200 frames of the juice squeezing thru the tool. In the end I used maybe 10 separate frames to make just the juice composite.

From there, put all the layers together, many adjustment layers, frequency separation on the tool itself especially in the metal bits and cleaned the glassware from dust. Clean up blemishes on the organics, etc.

Overall, from a ‘wage an hour’ perspective is a total loss the amount of time spent on this but is a folio shot and a marketing shot as great example of what CAN be done. People I sent collateral materials from this min-folio and who called me back for a consult all commented on this shot so that was super cool we got to discuss how is done, why and how such techniques can help solve problems on their end.