Now reporting from Idaho.

I'm back! Got settled in beautiful Coeur D A'lene. My wife and I watch the waves soaking in the end of this of a wonderful journey, And on to the next just a little less sandy. More to come...

Sneak peek, Polynesia product shoot

Hey guys,

I'm doing a product shoot for Shop.Polynesia.com. Check out these Sarongs soon to be up on the site they also come in an assortment of colors per style. My favorite Seahawk green and blue!

If your a business looking for Product Photography I can help you out. Please visit my contact page WilliamScottCarlson.com.

Shooting FireKnife, Hawaii 50

 Fireknife ages 6-11 competition 2014.

Product Photography, Hawaii 50

Aloha friends,

Anyone need some tips on photographing product? I've recently got into the business of Product Photography. I've been testing some lighting combos, speed lights vs. mono-lights. It really comes down to if your working out of a studio. How much do you want to carry while traveling?

Here's what you need, a DSLR camera. With proper natural lighting shooting in manual you could stop right there. If you want professional images adding soft light gives it that extra oomph.

This is my choice lighting setup, but on the go I'll switch out monos for speed lights. The layout however stays close to the same.

The light on the left is my main, the light on the right is the back light. The speed light I'm using is the Sigma 610 DG super. I'm only using this flash to trigger the mono lights. The light tent is a Phottix 32 inch. The gain in using a light tent is that you can control the environment. The light that goes in bounces all over creating the endless white background.

Want to take this to the next level? Add a third light. Having one more light above the box will eliminate shadows. (coming soon a review on the Cactus v6 wireless transceivers and RF60 flashes).

Here are 2 examples of what the 2 light set up would get you. One mistake I made was not cleaning the product before taking the pictures. You can never get it 100% clean, so there is always a bit of Photoshop needed in post.

Another option is to ditch the light tent. I like using a glossy base for reflection. You can get some epic eye catching shots with a nice creamy bokeh background... Ok hold on I'll grab my camera and show you!







In this shot I'm using my 5Diii, Sigma 70-200mm, and the Sigma 610 DG super flash. Bouncing the flash off a white wall to illuminate the 7D without effecting the reflection. Other than that I put the camera on the floor right were the fan is in the first picture.

Side note: the lens on the 7D is the Sigma 17-70mm it's a great alternative to kit lenses. A lot better quality for someone looking to upgrade from a 18-55mm without going to a "Pro priced" lens.

Shootz,
Bill

If your interested in Product Photography please fill out a contact form.

Smoke Photography, Hawaii 50

I've never attempted smoke Photography. This was my first experiment. I'll explain how I got these images in case you want to give it a shot.

   I used a Canon 7D to capture the image because I wanted to use a Sigma 17-70mm macro so I could get in close to the smoke. You can really use anything with manual settings.

   This is best done in a lower light situation. I got these images about 30 minutes after sunset.
   The key element to capturing the smoke is to have a complete black background. I used the black side of a reflector, black paper works as well.
   With a light source aimed directly at the smoke. Use a piece of cardboard to block any light spilling onto your background. I used a speed flash, but any light source works, flash light or whatever you have.
   I used mosquito punks as my smoke, incense or blown out candle work well too.

   This is your basic none complicated version. This is not "professional", but a great start.
   The drawing however very technical very professional. Enjoy the blue prints.
   You could take the project even further with extra lights. Try different things to burn, put motion in the air to shape the smoke. You could also bring it into Photoshop and use a gradient map.
   The blue tint in the photos may be the actual mosquito repellant, more likely the auto white balance calibration in the camera correcting for the flash.

Thanks for checking out my first how to. If anyone tries this I'd love to see your results. You can post them to me on my Facebook page.

Shootz,
Bill

More shots from this week, Hawaii 50

This is Jen and this is Jens first time modelling? She gets it..

Shootz,
Bill

Recorded in color captured in B&W

The art of Photography is to capture a moment that will be forever lived. A moment that can bring us to that same place in time even if we've never been there.

The two images above in my creative thinking could not be swapped. The B&W only works in the first image, the colored image tells a completely different story.

In a colored photo you see everything, it's a record. Black and white on the other hand can cut right to the heart and is full of emotion.

I really enjoy both color and B&W, these days B&W is mostly personal projects.  Color really captures everything my clients need, (always subject to change).

B&W images can really hit home. Say for an engagement shoot, it's smart to shoot color. The bride will want images to record the outfit and surroundings. B&W cuts through all that special crap just focusing on the love.

B&W may be old school, but today they are far from. You can bring modern Photography to this classy film style. It's all in the execution. Really, it gives you a different side to the story being told.

I shoot EOS Canons, I also shoot 35mm Minolta, Fujica, Konicas, and a Samsung galaxy s3. I can get into gear on a later post. I really just shoot with what I have with me at the time.

I'll leave you with a super cheese ball Photography joke...
A man is drowning in a river. You only have time to save him, or make a photo.
Which f-stop do you choose?


Shootz,
Bill