Flash Kit Practise

Date of Meeting: 14/11/12
Time: 12:00

The studio was booked for practical work on the flash kit in order to experiment and recap what was covered in last weeks AV lecture. The task was to shoot random objects using the flash kit and different accessories to create various lighting effects. 

The backdrop chosen was white in order to caputure the products especially those which are dark. We chose to use a table in order to make it easier to shoot the products as they would be at a higher level. The camera was placed in the middle opposite the table with the objects in order to capture the image at centred angle. Flash heads were placed on each side of the camera at 45 degrees, on the right hand side the flash connected to the camera was placed with a diffuser in order to create a soft light. On the left hand side we used the snoot to control the radius and and direction of the light. 

Here is a diagram of an example of on of the layouts we used for the flash kit:

We chose to use a white umbrella reflector in order to try bounce off any unwanted shadows wich were appearing due to the light. 

Snout:

Soft White Umbrella Reflector:

Camera Shot Info:

• Aperture:
• Shutter Speed:
• Exposure:

Photos taken:


In the image below there is quite a substantial amount of shadow due to the amount of objects which are placed together. 

Seeing as the grouped objects brought a lot of shadow it was decided upon shooting each object indivually to try tackle the problem of the unwanted shadows appearing. 

Looking at the first images produced there was some shadow at the bottom of the products. To avoid this we experimented with different lighting effects such a placing them in different areas, using reflectors although this was not solving the problem. It was decided to not use the black table for the shots instead we used a white table in order to have a one coloured background. This will also allow us to capture the products just how they look in catalogues. 

Methods Used to Light the Products

In the image below the lighting was placed behind the table to try remove the shadows created on the sides of the objects. 

Even though placing the lighting behind the table got rid of the shadows some areas of the items started to blend in with the light therefore losing its shape, colour etc... To avoid this we moved the light underneath the products several time until we managed to capture a shot with no shadows. 

Once we managed to place the lighting in a position that captured the image but did not produce shadows or blend in with the product we shot continuously. Instead of focusing on group shots we did individual ones of each item to avoid shadows being created. 

Sources

Snoot

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqBjUCnhqUoozer1NsvzsrpA3WznpYrjbC9qRXPoI0Hrik3vBfWbe9KzhSDiADwYku84BnrmzLOjmgzUiWagSts4o1yNJuP-DpAHjl_GqyMicAkeHfAW98sG_jaYGNRTOGjmwZS4fmJ1h/s1600/26425-Snoot.jpg

White Umbrella Reflector

http://image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00YCmQZGHauPzt/Soft-White-Umbrella-Reflector.jpg