Sometimes single objects can make some of the most interesting photographs. With the studio now set up I’ve been looking for any opportunity to do some photography.
For this shot I chose to use a single object, a head of garlic. Because of the small size of my subject I knew that I would have to not only use a small light source but also control the direction for the light in order to minimize unwanted lit areas.
Setup:
- Backdrop – Black Savage paper backdrop
- Platform – Posing table
- Flash – Nikon SB-800 speed light with snoot* made from a koozie
- Light stand for flash – Located right of subject
*Snoot – In photography, a snoot is a tube or similar object that fits over a studio light or portable flash and allows the photographer to control the direction and radius of the light beam. These may be conical, cylindrical, or rectangular in shape. Snoots can isolate a subject when using a flash. Wikipedia
After taking a couple of test shots I found that because of the light position and narrowness of the light I needed some way of lightening some of the shadows on the left side of the garlic.
While there are many fancy ways that this could be accomplished the only thing that is required is some way of bouncing light back on the subject. For this particular shot I used a simple sheet of paper. This proved to be ideal to bring just enough light back onto the garlic head to help soften the harsh shadows.
Although not necessarily intentional, the posing table provided a slight reflection. For this particular shot I think that this really helps the image so it doesn’t look like the garlic is just floating in mid-air.
So as you can see with a small setup and just a simple subject you can achieve some really images. I highly encourage everyone to do whatever you need to in order to continue to hone your photography skills.
In the coming weeks I will be doing some low-key portrait photography as well as continuing to do some more still-life shots. Anyway, thanks as always for checking in at our site and if you have any questions or comments please be sure to reach out to us.
Thank you,
Sharon & Doug Shatto