A 'product' shot

[DaveRob]

CC welcome

[Shadowman]

Nicely exposed, I think the watch face in should be rotated; just my opinion.

[Geoff F]

Yes, I was thinking about a 90 degree rotation. But that would cause a problem with the strap position; so I suppose this is the only angle to produce a suitable reflection.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Rob,

Yes this looks well done;
It is nicely dust free
Good sharpness
I like the negative space on the left

If I were to nit-pick;
There are a few dark spots; possibly sensor dust? - mostly in top left quarter of image.
There seems to be some posterization or jpg artefacts on the gradient in the left half of shot.

Nice watch and good shot of it.

Hope that's helpful, Dave

[Mike Buckley]

What created the colors reflected in the tabletop (the colors other than the watch)?

[thegman]

Excellent shot, oh and nice watch too

[Rob Ekins]

I agree with John, the piece feels weird lying on its side, nice shot though.

[Dave Humphries]

OK, I'm playing devil's advocate here

~ the piece feels weird lying on its side ~

Isn't that how all our watches spend the night on the bedside cabinet (for those that don't wear them in bed)?

Seems natural to me

[thegman]

Excellent shot DaveRob, I tried something similar from a Scott Kelby tutorial, lying a watch on an iPad. Not quite as sharp as yours

Rolex Sea Dweller.

[Rob Ekins]

OK, I'm playing devil's advocate here
Isn't that how all our watches spend the night on the bedside cabinet (for those that don't wear them in bed)?

Seems natural to me

Dave,
I just took a quick look at the Rolex website, all of their product is displayed on it's side like daves shot just front on..so it seems it's probably just me that is weird not the shot

[IzzieK]

Terry (Loose Cannon) had a similar image of a watch that was given to him on his retirement (I think)...I still remember that and that became the standard that I expect in a product shot. I am not keen on the sideways shot though is what I was trying to say. The Rolex one is good.

[Mike Buckley]

I don't know much about the norms for this kind of photography, but it strikes me that no detail in the watch band is revealed. I see that Gerry's image does reveal considerable detail in the watchband and I much prefer that concept.

[Shadowman]

OK, I'm playing devil's advocate here



Isn't that how all our watches spend the night on the bedside cabinet (for those that don't wear them in bed)?

Seems natural to me

I must be the oddball, I leave mine face side up. I'd have to turn on a light to see what time it is anyway.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Dave, or Rob!

Beautiful watch. Man, I love shooting watches! Well, at least in the rare circumstance when I get my hands on a new one! They present a really cool challenge due to what needs to be lit and how small a space it needs to be lit in, how to light the matte surfaces, how to light the reflective surfaces, the the angles of the product, show the attributes of the product…

… it is really a very cool product to shoot! To do it well, and as a product shot, it’s going to be all about the detail, lighting it to bring that out (huge), presentation, and making sure the manufacturer is well represented with your final submission (very huge).

It’s a nice shot DR and easy to see you have put some effort/thought into it.

If you are up for it, I’ll take the position of the manufacture’s art director (MAD) as if you were shooting this for the manufacturer since it is advertised as a “Product Shot”. And taking into consideration the observations already mentioned.

First thing that comes to mind DR? The logo and lettering is obscured by the watch hands. This is the Original Sin of product photography. As the MAD this is unacceptable off the bat. Fun Fact? The vast majority of watches are shot with the hands at 10 & 2 (or thereabouts). The psychological reason for this is that the face is perceived as “smiling”! Also in this position usually the logo and important lettering (manufacturer) are unobscured. Second hand at the “6” position. If you are shooting my product, then I sure as shootin’ want my logo/name prominent.

Lighting.

There is a disproportionate amount of clipped blacks and too dark shadows in this shot. The band, the back side of the crown, the left side of the face toward the bevel, the lugs, and of course the reflection, etc. I wouldn’t want my nice metal looking like dead black. A lot of this watch’s details are lost. All it really needs is a bit of reflected light off somewhere to camera right/front to add a touch of light back into the scene. Also, the subject and the reflection have no sense of separation because of the clogged blacks.

As I look at the product and the way it is lit, I am seeing the metal with a matte finish. If this is the case, then it works. If it is indeed a shiny, glossy, reflective finish, then the lighting needs to be reconsidered. Both the watch and the band buckle. As for the buckle, the three dots at the bottom doesn’t define at all and looks like a mistake.

I would say the shot is a bit too tight top and bottom. A little head and foot space would keep the product off the frame edges and more in the eye.

The reflection itself is beautifully defined. Notice the difference in your shot DR and the other one posted. No ghosting. Very nice and very well done. Good choice of surface whatever it is.

This piece of product is well worth pursuing if you have it for shooting DR. Lot’s of ways to go about it. It’s a good shot, but “product” has its own requirements!

And Izzie? I can only wish and dream about retiring! They just gave me that dang watch so I would show up to work on time!

[IzzieK]

Sorry I am wrong...it was for how many years of service you were at the company. Got it right this time!! No I will remember better -- it has been a while since that shot..

[Dave Humphries]

I must be the oddball, I leave mine face side up. I'd have to turn on a light to see what time it is anyway.

Nah, it depends on the strap, mine (plastic!) wouldn't allow that, but I know what you mean.

[xpatUSA]

I used to post a lot on the watch site tz-uk.com

http://forum.tz-uk.com/forumdisplay....al-Photography

A frequent poster there was the well-known and highly-respected Ming Thein:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mingth...57662100863159

Well worth a look, I'd say

[thegman]

Great advice Terry, very informative.

[DaveRob]

Hi Dave, or Rob!

Beautiful watch. Man, I love shooting watches! Well, at least in the rare circumstance when I get my hands on a new one! They present a really cool challenge due to what needs to be lit and how small a space it needs to be lit in, how to light the matte surfaces, how to light the reflective surfaces, the the angles of the product, show the attributes of the product…

… it is really a very cool product to shoot! To do it well, and as a product shot, it’s going to be all about the detail, lighting it to bring that out (huge), presentation, and making sure the manufacturer is well represented with your final submission (very huge).

It’s a nice shot DR and easy to see you have put some effort/thought into it.

If you are up for it, I’ll take the position of the manufacture’s art director (MAD) as if you were shooting this for the manufacturer since it is advertised as a “Product Shot”. And taking into consideration the observations already mentioned.

First thing that comes to mind DR? The logo and lettering is obscured by the watch hands. This is the Original Sin of product photography. As the MAD this is unacceptable off the bat. Fun Fact? The vast majority of watches are shot with the hands at 10 & 2 (or thereabouts). The psychological reason for this is that the face is perceived as “smiling”! Also in this position usually the logo and important lettering (manufacturer) are unobscured. Second hand at the “6” position. If you are shooting my product, then I sure as shootin’ want my logo/name prominent.

Lighting.

There is a disproportionate amount of clipped blacks and too dark shadows in this shot. The band, the back side of the crown, the left side of the face toward the bevel, the lugs, and of course the reflection, etc. I wouldn’t want my nice metal looking like dead black. A lot of this watch’s details are lost. All it really needs is a bit of reflected light off somewhere to camera right/front to add a touch of light back into the scene. Also, the subject and the reflection have no sense of separation because of the clogged blacks.

As I look at the product and the way it is lit, I am seeing the metal with a matte finish. If this is the case, then it works. If it is indeed a shiny, glossy, reflective finish, then the lighting needs to be reconsidered. Both the watch and the band buckle. As for the buckle, the three dots at the bottom doesn’t define at all and looks like a mistake.

I would say the shot is a bit too tight top and bottom. A little head and foot space would keep the product off the frame edges and more in the eye.

The reflection itself is beautifully defined. Notice the difference in your shot DR and the other one posted. No ghosting. Very nice and very well done. Good choice of surface whatever it is.

This piece of product is well worth pursuing if you have it for shooting DR. Lot’s of ways to go about it. It’s a good shot, but “product” has its own requirements!

And Izzie? I can only wish and dream about retiring! They just gave me that dang watch so I would show up to work on time!

Hey Terry.... definitely 'up for it'...... Thank you for taking the time and effort to put together the best constructive critique I have ever seen re any image. Seriously man that is sooooo appreciated, in fact its so motivational I'm going to address every one of your points sentence by sentence and post a new image in this thread with all the issues you indicate resolved.

Re Dave's point about the sensor dust. I had to get my camera repaired under warranty so got a complete strip and clean from Nikon for free :-). I will look at rotating the face at some point but I have to address the 'MAD' before looking at that. Terry once again thank you....

Incidentally the surface that I shot it on is an old TV table made of glass but painted on one side black, its tempered and about 3-4mm thick. When SWMBO decided it was ready for the bin I took it apart knowing that the glass would be the perfect reflective surface for all sorts of images like this.

DaveR

PS Just as an aside.... this watch is about 2 years old now, it has a few marks and isn't the 'pristine' sample that the 'MAD' would have supplied the photographer, that one would have been polished on the thighs of a hundred maidens, before being handed over in kidd gloves with 2 security guards. The one you see here will need small amounts of editing to take out the 'scars of a life'. The metal is a matte finish... or certainly a dulled satin.

Ta DaveR

[Wavelength]

Very nice