Product Photo Shoot in Monrovia
I love photographing high-end well designed spaces and products on location. I shot the sink above at a home in Monrovia near Los Angeles. It's always exciting to work in a new space, I get to put all of my photography skills to work. Getting the light right in a new environment is the key part of the photography profession.
I brought along two Alien Bee 800 320 Ws lights, umbrellas for diffusion and my eye. My client, Allstone Group, was concerned with me capturing the detail of the beautiful sink in a "real" kitchen. They wanted me to show how it looks outside of a showroom. I shot at a narrow aperture to show off the fine details of the marble and outline of the leaf design. I did not want any of the details to get lost.
My client was happy with the shot and that is another key part of my profession!
New Instagram Hashtag: thediptychproject
I am excited to announce I've launched #thediptychproject to the world of Instagram. You can follow me at my Instagram account, naheedence, and get daily photographs or video from your favorite pro. I am @naheedence to view online. You can also like me on Facebook for weekly updates.
Diptychs and triptychs allow you to have two or three images from the same shoot to show a similar idea in one image.
Right now I am displaying portrait sessions using two (sometime three) photos from one photo session. I will branch out with more imagery displaying all of the subjects I shoot: Products, architecture, weddings and more. Using several pictures in one image is a great way to tell a story.
As of today most of the photos displayed @thediptychproject were shot by yours truly. I did see another instagrammer post a couple of their diptychs and I hope it will expand to even more people.
Following The Diptych Project I am working on some photo montages in the coming weeks. I have several ideas and they will be coming soon to my website and my social media accounts so stay tuned.
Mehndi, Nikah, Rukhsati: South Asian Muslim Wedding
Above is a photo I shot of a bride the day after her Mehndi. She is pictured here saying a prayer during her Nikah. The Mehndi (aka henna) ceremony is before the Nikah. The Mehndi celebrates the beginning of a marriage with body art, members of the family and close friends mark their bodies in beautiful patterns. The Nikah is usually the following day. During the Nikah the vows are said with a ring or valuables exchange and the couple is officially deemed married.
During a Muslim Rukhsati the bride is walked by her family to the groom's family with a Qur'an held over her head. The groom waits for her in the car and they drive away. They depart to their new life and the wedding is complete. Above the bride leaves the wedding reception with her family. These are truly the best times for me to shoot. They are candid, emotional moments, that can never be recreated.
Humorous Family Portrait Session in Los Angeles!
Babies are the toughest clients! Many times you are lucky to get a handful of "good" happy shots during a photo session. It depends on so many variables and you try to get them all just right beforehand. Has the baby napped and eaten? Is the room warm or cold enough? Will the baby be bothered by the flash? And sometimes you have a very short window so you have to hold that shutter down before you miss any magic. But magic is subjective, isn't it? The photos on the bottom of the triptych are hilarious, no? Why not book your special family moments with a pro? Call or email me today for a studio or outdoor portrait session in Los Angeles. I can even travel to you, we all know how much babies just love carseats, hahahah! *Disclaimer, these photos are not retouched, please excuse any blemishes ;)*
Shooting Reflective and Metallic Objects
The following scenarios show various setups and results for a bottle of cologne I shot during a product photography session. You can use these basic principals for lighting a myriad of subjects.
First Setup: One strobe light fired with a shoot through umbrella positioned to the left of the product.
Second Setup: One strobe light fired with a shoot through umbrella to the left of the product, and a folded white board reflecting light on right side of product.
Third Setup: Two strobe lights fired with shoot through umbrellas directly to the left and right of the product.
As you can see, the best results are from two strobes, but if you only have one light, using a handmade reflector can help out a lot! None of these photos have any retouching :) Here I am below with my setup. Have a great day!
