Still Life critique, please.

[Friggs]

I agree with others thought of to cluttered. One thing to remember. The bottle is to be the subject. And anything else is to enhance that. In the first shot it was off to the side. What was the subject? It was not the bottle. The second shot is better. I am no expert to say the least. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt. But it is my thought and I figured I'd share it.

 

[Dangerspouse]

I agree with others thought of to cluttered. One thing to remember. The bottle is to be the subject. And anything else is to enhance that. In the first shot it was off to the side. What was the subject? It was not the bottle. The second shot is better. I am no expert to say the least. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt. But it is my thought and I figured I'd share it.

Hi Bill -

Thanks very much! Expert or not, your thoughts were insightful and very much appreciated. Did you like the final cropped picture any better than the first two?

For what it's worth, the winery purchased all three shots with the intention of using at least one in their flyers or website. And as someone else mentioned, if you're shooting for money and the client likes it (and pays!) all other criticism is moot. So I'm happy

But I will take your, and everyone else's, criticism to heart and pay more attention to highlighting the product in future shots like this.

Thanks again!

:encouragement:

 

[Friggs]

Thanks. I do like the final edit. I end up helping a lot of people. And the number one thing I need to remind them of is concentrate on the subject. I know when I went to photography school they beat that into our heads. Remember what the subject is. And everything else should enhance it. if not, it is not needed. So glad I was able to help. Good luck with future jobs. I am sure you will get more.

 

[Dangerspouse]

Thanks. I do like the final edit. I end up helping a lot of people. And the number one thing I need to remind them of is concentrate on the subject. I know when I went to photography school they beat that into our heads. Remember what the subject is. And everything else should enhance it. if not, it is not needed. So glad I was able to help. Good luck with future jobs. I am sure you will get more.

That's very nice of you to say Bill, thank you very much.

For what it's worth, this gig has now paid for my camera, two lenses, and a new computer and monitor to edit on. And I still have half their products left to shoot! I think it's time to update my resume :cool-new:

 

[hark]

That's very nice of you to say Bill, thank you very much.

For what it's worth, this gig has now paid for my camera, two lenses, and a new computer and monitor to edit on. And I still have half their products left to shoot! I think it's time to update my resume :cool-new:

Congratulations on the product shoot! I thought of you when I saw this CreativeLive course on Commercial Photography. The trailer shows him photographing a bottle. It looks like he is painting glycerin or a similar product that mimics water drops/streaks left behind by a drop that runs down the bottle.

https://www.creativelive.com/class/how-be-commercial-photographer-gary-martin-and-rob-grimm

 

[Dangerspouse]

Congratulations on the product shoot! I thought of you when I saw this CreativeLive course on Commercial Photography. The trailer shows him photographing a bottle. It looks like he is painting glycerin or a similar product that mimics water drops/streaks left behind by a drop that runs down the bottle.

https://www.creativelive.com/class/how-be-commercial-photographer-gary-martin-and-rob-grimm

Wow Cindy, thank's so much for thinking of me and passing this along! How very considerate of you. When I get home from work later I'll be sure to check this out - that glycerine "water" trick sounds like it would come in very handy for me!

You're an :angel:

 

[hark]

Wow Cindy, thank's so much for thinking of me and passing this along! How very considerate of you. When I get home from work later I'll be sure to check this out - that glycerine "water" trick sounds like it would come in very handy for me!

You're an :angel:

I came across this video after I watched the trailer for the other link. This shows how glycerin works (at least spraying droplets) and is free.

https://www.lynda.com/Photography-tutorials/How-use-glycerin-photography-tool/119012/360627-4.html

 

[Dangerspouse]

"Free" means it's even better! Woo hoo! Lol, thanks again Cindy. That was a great, quick video. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. :encouragement:

 

[STM]

I have to agree about the composition. The wine and cheese is fine, but I would eliminate the dish with the olives and the tomato. Simple is always better when it comes to marketing and advertising. You want the product you are selling to be the main focus point, and here it just looks like another element in the photo.

For ideas on marketing photos, a good resource is istockphoto.com

Something like this, would be a great idea, though it is a bit more challenging an image.

 

[Dangerspouse]

Yeah, a lot of people chimed in with pretty much that exact same advice, lol. Guess I made a pretty rookie mistake, huh? Oh well, at least they paid for it :encouragement:

I did actually do a setup kinda like the istock example you posted for a few of their other bottles. I don't have the actual images on my work computer here, but I do have two test photos I sent them to see if they wanted any of their bottles in a setting like thise. They did. The final product shots were much better, cropped, cleaned, etc., but here's the general idea:





Thanks very much for your advice, and also for the istock suggestion. It's all very much appreciated!

 

[Friggs]

That's very nice of you to say Bill, thank you very much.

For what it's worth, this gig has now paid for my camera, two lenses, and a new computer and monitor to edit on. And I still have half their products left to shoot! I think it's time to update my resume :cool-new:

That is so awesome. Congrats. I wish I could get a gig like that. I want a D500 so bad it hurts sometimes. But living on disability I have no means to get one. But I dream about it. But in my dreams, none of the ways I get them are legal except winning one. LOL I can't even afford to dream about getting a D850. LOL If you have time, share some more of your images. Love to see them.

 

[Dangerspouse]

That is so awesome. Congrats. I wish I could get a gig like that. I want a D500 so bad it hurts sometimes. But living on disability I have no means to get one. But I dream about it. But in my dreams, none of the ways I get them are legal except winning one. LOL I can't even afford to dream about getting a D850. LOL If you have time, share some more of your images. Love to see them.

Ha! For what it's worth, my (used) D5500, the two (used) lenses, and the (used+refurbed) computer package STILL cost less than a D500. A lot less. So I'm right there with ya in the coveting department

I'll tell ya what. When I land that Ford gig I'll buy us both D5's :encouragement:

 

[Hannah Shia]

Have you though about applying for a grant for a photography school? Or some other financial help that would lend you money so you can spare a bit for D500?

 

[Dangerspouse]

Hi Hannah -

Thanks very much for the suggestion, and the link! It's a good idea, but I'm probably too old to qualify. Plus I work very long hours already, and adding school assignments on top of that might be a bit much on me. I think I better just stick to playing the lottery and praying to Baal

Thank you, though!

 

[compasiune]

When you focus you must think where do you want the attention to do? Do you want to go on the writing on the wine bottle or on the greens?

 

[Dangerspouse]

When you focus you must think where do you want the attention to do? Do you want to go on the writing on the wine bottle or on the greens?

Thank you for that, compasiune. I'll keep that in mind.