Furniture Photography

Group: Sammy, James, Julian, Alex and Tamara

Chair and Tables

In this shot we went for a more dramatic lighting approach to add interest in the shadows to highlight the form and pattern of the details on the chair. The composition allows the form of the table to be displayed and a graduated background to give extra interest and depth. The key light has a honeycomb grid over it to diffuse the light. The colour balance is off it is too brown and the front of the chairs could use some more light to accentuate the gold colour of the set.

Chair

In this image we used strong directional lighting to capture the texture on the material on the chair. We then used a second light to graduate the background to give the image more depth. The front on composition accentuates the main feature off chair, being the material and the gap. It is a fairly simple shot which could be used for deep etching catalogue purposes.

Couch

For this piece we used a large soft box as the key light. This was positioned above the coach to highlight the top of the coach and allow some shadows on the front to give it a three dimensional appearance. We used a second light to spotlight the background and give it a graduated appearance. We then used a green gel to give the overall image some more interest and to allow greater contrast between the chair and the background and to really make it pop.

Creative (or just for laughs)

Furniture Photography

From my research I have gathered a few key points when photographing furniture. Some furniture may be made from material or have a textured surface and would need harsh angled light to properly display the textures. Other pieces of furniture may be reflective or glass and therefore would need large soft light sources.

camera angle and perspective would also be important to display the key features on each piece as well as a view point that is realistic to where we would normally view furniture.


Image 1



This is a location example of furniture photography. In this image we can see shadows on the right side of objects and in the corner of the room. This typically indicates a large diffuesed light source on the light side of the image either being natural light from a window or a large soft box to replicate natural lightt. I like the simplicity of this image and that the whole environment gives you a feeling of warmth and comfort that of which a bath is intended to portray. The camera seems to be approximately 4m away with a relatively wide focal length of possibly 24mm or wider, cropped into a square format.

Image from: http://www.allaboutyou.com/home/planned-to-perfection-32667

Image 2




This image is a studio example of furniture photography. Firstly we can see that the background has been graduated (maybe a little bit to hot in places) and has some fall off light onto the side of the chair which helps to futher display the type of material used on the chair. Alternatively there may be a side light used for this. There is also a main key light which seems to be high slightly to the right which gives a few reflections on the front of the chair. This angled light helps to define the patern on the material but there are still some black spots with minimal tonal detail. The photographer was positioned much closer maybe 2m away at approx 30mm and the camera is relatively straight on to the chair.

Image from: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://us.123rf.com/168nwm/digitalgenetics/digitalgenetics1003/digitalgenetics100300225/8120143-3d-armchair-studio-render.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.123rf.com/photo_8224271_3d-white-leather-couch-studio-shot.html&usg=__VumYXd8m9RgRVWil2Lbi_3IHU1w=&h=168&w=168&sz=7&hl=en&start=76&sig2=jFmMYkPMc_7cpYDAGykhhg&zoom=1&tbnid=msErHAey__hIlM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=119&ei=KX5CTusPxqCZBYKj0KAJ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvintage%2Bcouch%2Bstudio%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D547%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=578&page=6&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:76&tx=76&ty=46

Food Workshop 4.8.2011

The food workshop was really interesting! I loved the simplicity of it. The general principles of food photography is;

- best to shoot tethered

- zoom lens with close focusing ability

- home studio

- natural daylight

- Side/backlighting with reflector

- Specular highlights

- Shot at an angle as if you were about to eat!

Why Julian thinks food Photograpphy is GREAT! :)

§ Minimal camera and computer equipment requirements

§ Daylight/home studio

§ Minimal studio lighting required

§ Some easy styling/compositional/lighting formulae typically apply

§ Few people to shoot

§ Can often involve national and international travel

§ Some documentary photography required

§ Product doesn’t get huffy when things go wrong

§ If you don’t like the product you can throw it out and start again

§ No models to pay for

§ Someone else is paid to make the dishes

§ Someone else is paid to style the shots

§ Someone else is paid to clean-up

§ In some cases, you need absolutely no equipment or facilities

§ Fewer egos to deal with than some other specialisations

§ No bride’s mother

§ No need to SELL prints

§ Little post production required

§ When finished you get to eat the product!

What to Bring:

A range of beautiful and interesting fruits
A range of interesting, rustic and strange vegetables (you’ll surprise
yourself with what you can do with just a flower of garlic)
Cakes, slices etc
Even a dish or two that is pre-cooked and can be plated up, shot and
then eaten. Great for the Friday group,
you can have it for lunch after you shoot it.
A range of plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, glasses, napkins, tea towels,
large knives and serving spoons. If you
have several identical plates or bowls they can be stacked to great
effect.
A simple table cloth or two.
If you have some unusual and rustic surface (metal, old wood) that too
can be really useful.

Week 1 : 28.7.2011 - Portraits

Group Portrait Exercise

Group: Allie, Elanna, Sophie and Tam

Today we did a group portrait task that was basically a tool to get us back into the swing of things. We were given three different specific tasks.

Portrait 1: Executive Portrait

"You are to create a head shot of a prime minister to be used in a advertising campaign. They are to portray strength and compassion."

We went for a simple composition using a slightly lower angle to portray importance. We positioned Allie slightly side on to replicate photographs of this nature. Her expression is intended to portray approachability but also strength we used a

Portrait 2: Silhouette with Rim Lighting

"You are to create an artistic portrait and use silhouetted rim lighting."

Allie was again our lovely model. We wanted to create a soft mood with one key light and a reflector to add a bit of fill light. We also used a flag for further control over where the light fell on the subject.

Portrait 3: Couples Portrait