While reflective products take a lot of time to set-up the result is worth it. These very small hand tools have a beautiful brushed and reflective finish. Multiple soft boxes with controllable Aperture lights combined with light modifiers to bounce and direct the light retained the beauty of the finish minus the hotspots. Canon’s EF100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM lens captures the detail and allows aperture to control the bokeh in the foreground and background.
Author Archives: Doug Simon
Tucson Real Estate Photography
The real estate client requested this be shot with an empty parking lot and a focus on this particular entrance. Using Canon’s 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens was ideal for this photo shoot.
Watch Band Product on White
This catalog of watch bands was shot on a white background using light modifiers, soft boxes and shot with Canon’s EF100mm Macro IS USM Lens. The above layout is created from multiple shots. Below is one layout the client requested to group like products.
Individual shots of watch bands.
A simple layout styling.
Sunset Wedding in Tucson Foothills
It was a long climb to the perfect setting for this sunset wedding. The dogs did great! Wedding attendees helped carry photographic gear.
As the sun was setting we moved quickly to get the scenic shots.
Industrial Photo Session Onsite and Product on White Background
This industrial photography project took two onsite sessions, and large acrylic products were also shot onsite using a white background, multiple soft boxes and light modifiers and shot with the Canon 24-70mm lens. The small precision hand tools were shot inhouse on white. The bokeh “hero shots” for the small tools were shot inhouse using a Canon EF100mm Macro IS USM Lens.
Reflective surfaces like acrylic and stainless steel require a lot of prep and set-up. Products must be thoroughly clean of fingers, dust and dirt.
The brushed stainless-steel finish had a beautiful warmth.
One cabinet’s interior (below) is stainless steel. The angle was the focal point for the customer, controlling the light made this shot beautiful.
The Hero Shots (ie bokeh) time for set-up is with both lighting due to the reflective surfaces and arranging the products for balance and visually attraction.
Once again, the brushed stainless steel required additional lighting. Due to the number of tools creating the depth of the bokeh needed extra time.
These micro tools are less than 3 inches each.
Hummingbird Nesting
The nest is maybe 1.5 inches across and deep. It is beautifully attached to the tree with the smallest of organic bits and is quite camouflaged! Such elegance for a perfect fit. The babies are newborn. Nearing sunset cast a stunning backdrop for her.
To keep his distance the photographer used a 100mm Canon macro lens to catch a glimpse difficult to see, especially without scaring her off.
Titan Missile Rescue Training
What a fabulous location photography shoot!! Not only was being inside a missile silo incredibly interesting, but these rescue trainers do amazing work training a range of professionals in the most frightening environments. On top of it these guys experience life not only noble and heroic, but few of us get to observe. It was a privilege to spend the day with them.
Dangling from a rope doesn’t seem to faze these guys. They are more fascinated with the metals and alloys used in their safety gear and tripods! Our photographer, while standing on a side rail, did ask if someone might hang on to him by his belt as he shot aiming 100+ feet down! Much laughter and great time!
Equipment used:
Canon 5d Mark III
Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Existing Light
Food and Product Photography
Food product photography is fascinating. Take a pile of grains, seeds or powder and find the best arrangement of the pile. How to sprinkle just the right amount of spread, where to stop the bulk of product and control powder spillage is critical. Stacking the chunky ingredients begins with balancing the chunks, then rearranging to create the visual look of the interesting sides and of course the crumbs. It takes a fair amount of time to get some test shots for the client to choose from. There is a beauty in ingredients!
Equipment Used:
Canon 5d Mark III
Canon Macro Lens EF100mm f/2.8
Multiple Softboxes
Multiple Gradients
paper funnels, small brushes
Commercial Property Photography, Tucson, AZ
This welcoming commercial property provided a number of scenic shots. We shot the interior rooms as well, but these show the gorgeous Arizona sun which proved the ideal lighting!
Equipment used:
Canon 5d Mark III
Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Natural Lighting
Gemstone Photography and Composite
The annual Gemstone Show was back with its regular month schedule for February 2022!
Our client wanted a layout with raw turquoise stones, the caliper and a polished stone, but with some sort of staging. We suggested using a stock background as a great affordable choice to create a wow factor for website photography. The original stock image provided the texture and grit; and photo editing layered on eye catching dimension. We shot a catalog of turquoise gemstones, but the lighting for the unprocessed turquoise and caliper required lighting adjustment and filtering.
Equipment Used:
Canon 5d Mark III
Canon Macro Lens EF100mm f/2.8
Multiple Softboxes
Multiple Gradients