Some products suggest their own niche when it comes to product photography. If we stick to whisky, or as the Irish have it, whiskey, we can see the pattern. Haig Whisky has the distinctive blue bottle, which logic says should be reserved for bleach or old fashioned medicine. But they went with blue. And they… Read More
Product Photography does not need to be Junk
OK. So a beer called Junk Yard Dog maybe should have some junky elements to present the product for photography with a degree of authenticity. But what? A pile of scrap metal? Some old hubcaps maybe. Hmm. Well, what about a real Junk Yard Dog holding the product? Not the mad guard dog from the… Read More
The Finest Coffee Break Treat
This being Christmas Week, there are many treat options for the mid morning coffee break. The fabulous Christmas bread from Italy, Panettone is a personal favourite. The German delight that is Stollen really goes down well as we dream of that Alpine white Christmas which never seems to arrive. But, I believe the Scots have… Read More
World Class. All the way from Blackburn!
In the age of throw-away, non-fixable products, it comes as something of a shock when you are confronted with controlled, high precision production being carried out by men with a lifetime of skilled experience. Quite humbling actually. A little while ago I was commissioned to shoot images for Blackburn’s Dobson and Beaumont company of precision… Read More
Is Painting still dead?
Photography shook the world back in the Victorian Era. Upon viewing the work of early photographers, the French painter, Paul Delaroche famously declared, “From today, painting is dead.” Maybe it was. But is it still dead? Despite a clear distinction for more than a century between the arts of painting and photography, we seem to… Read More
An Octopus will unleash the Kraken
The Kraken. A sea monster of gigantic size with origins in Scandinavian folklore. Believed to have a cephalopod-like appearance and bring certain death to sailors. But is it all just myth? I have had a few encounters with cephalopod beasts throughout the Meditteranian in various waters. Greek, Turkish and Spanish. Over the years, I have… Read More
Wine Photography
Well, this wine photography presented more than a few problems. First, the bottle, and wine inside, to be lit with gradient light, on opposite sides of the bottle. I think it is better if the light does not go right to the edges, but allows a dark outline to remain. (Chiaroscuro as they say in… Read More
Back to Black Photography for Products
Black. So much more sensual and exciting than white. It has the power to envelop and reveal. To set a mood of luxury. To allow colour its full impact with so much more drama than white. Smooth black can caress a surface and allow or deny a glimpse of what is hidden. However, for a… Read More
A Few Words On Colour
Colour is all around us, and is of primary importance to image making. When attempting to record the exact colour of an object I am to photograph, several important steps need to be observed. First and foremost, a colour check card must be inserted into the scene, and a record taken with the exact lighting… Read More
Food Photography
I love shooting food! In fact, I love everything about food. Everything from shopping for it, to cooking it and of course, eating it! My wife really doesn’t like to be with me on a shopping trip. She is from the grab it, pay for it and then use the time to do something more… Read More