Transcripts
1. Finding Backdrops for Product Photography: Hello there everybody. Welcome. If you clicked on this video, that means you are
interested in photographing either your own personal
products or client's products and you're trying to figure out what is the best background, then I can shoot
this product on. I don't know what the
best background is and I don't know how to
find these backdrops. Well, if that's you and you're looking
for places to shoot, then this video is for
you in this class. We're going to be sitting now and we're gonna be talking about things to consider before
you jump into the shoot, before you jump
into photographing the product that
you're photographing. And then from there, once
you're out in the field, once you're out in the world and looking for different locations, what are those things that
you have to look for? So again, if you're someone
who's looking for backdrops, if you're somebody who
is struggling to find them and you don't know why
this course is for you. I look forward to
seeing you in my class.
2. What are you photographing and what's the vision?: Hello there everybody and
welcome into the course. You've made it this far. Congratulations. In this first section, we're going to talk about
two different things. We're gonna talk
about your product and we're going to
talk about your mood. Are you an entrepreneur
and you are looking to photograph
products of your own stuff. Great. It's gonna be a good
video class for you. Are you possibly a photographer who is photographing
for other clients? And you were again trying
to find backdrops. Then again, this class
is going to be for you. So let's jump in. Let's talk about what is the product that
you're photographing. First and foremost,
let's figure that out. Or you photographing
something that is kind of small,
maybe like jewelry. Are you shooting something that is maybe a little bit larger, kinda sits upright
like a water bottle. These are things to consider before you even jump
into the photoshoot. Once you determine what the product is that
you are photographing, you can start to envision two types of images
that you want to get. For instance, something like jewelry typically
will require photos to be photographed from a
overhead sort of perspective. You can't really put a piece
of jewelry up in the air, floating, so to speak. You usually have to lay flat on something and
shooting either at an upward angle or a slightly
angled sort of perspective. So that is something
to consider if you're shooting something like a water bottle, for instance, not only can you shoot a water bottle from a
overhead perspective, similarly to the jewelry, but you can also shoot
it from a side angle and get a little bit more
of the landscape. So again, first step is going to be
looking at your product and determining the types of shots then you can get
with your product. The next thing that you have
to consider is the mood of what is the mood that
you want to go for. Typically, the mood
is something that is determined by the client
or the entrepreneur, depending on who is
watching this video. And usually I like to
get mood boards for my clients to determine
the vibe that they want, movie, the color schemes. But again, you're going to have to figure out
what the mood is. And from there, as you're out in the world looking for backdrops, you'll be able to teach your eye to gravitate
towards those things. Per say, the client
wants something that's a bit more on the creamy, neutral sort of
tone, then you know, for something that's neutral, you might be looking for
like a wooden surface. You might be looking
for concrete surfaces. If a client wants something
a bit more rugged, you might be looking
for rusty pieces, something that has a bit
more grit and sand to it. So again, you're
going to want to determine not only
what the product is, but of course, what is the vibe of what you
were trying to capture? And that's going to help
you once you're out in the world looking for locations.
3. Things to Consider When Finding Locations.: So now you've already
determined, you know, what your product is, you know what the vibe and
the aesthetic is. Now we're out in the world. So the first thing that I'd
like to look for is color. As we discussed before, you've got your mood board, you've got your
vibe already set. So based off of that, you'll be able to kind of pinpoint things that
you want directly. Are you looking for
something that's maybe a bit more natural greenery? Then you're going to want to
go to a park of some sort. And then from there kind of go around and look
for the succulents, look for the patch
of green grass and look for the pretty flowers. Are you looking for
something that's a bit more neutral then again, your guy is going to naturally gravitate towards
the neutral tones. Okay, that building is
a little bit white. This one, this concrete
looks like it could work. Oh, yeah. Look that over there. Yes, you're neutral. So on and so forth. Color is going to be that first thing that you're going to be looking for as you
are Scott locating. And it will help you
finding that first location that you're gonna be wanting
to find books in any way. Color is the first thing
that I like to look for. Now, the second part that I
like to consider is texture. Texture is pretty important. Texture is the second part that I'd like to look
for a texture or something that it can
be tricky sometimes, especially depending
on where you're at and what kind of resources you
might have in a specific area. But once you've found,
okay, I wanted, let's say something that's
a bit more neutral. And you found per se a
few different areas. Now you can say, Okay, I found this would this
would has a nice little, little look to it. Some little bit more worn down. I'm gonna shoot here.
Or you might say, I don't like the worn down, but I like the wood that's
over there that's a bit more smooth
and paved and has made me different
color things into it, but texture, something that I do like to look for and it can
make or break an image. Why you shouldn't be considering textures in the first place. Well, think about your product. If you're shooting
something that is perhaps something like a concrete sort of
products similar to the ashtrays that
I was photographing. Well then it's a smooth
surface and you might not want to shoot it on
everything that's smooth. You might want to shoot
it on something that honestly has a bit more grid, maybe has a little bit of sand. You might want to throw it in some rocks then make
it look a bit more like enticing and it's
popping because it's, it's contrasting
with the backdrop. So texture again, it's something that
you're going to want to look for when you are
finding or locations. The next note that I like
to consider as patterns. Patterns is also
something that can really make an image
extremely interesting. And my personal opinion, there is one image that
always comes to mind that I just stumbled across
on a walk and I said, You know what, This is amazing. And it was a it was a watch that I
photographed and it was a like a like a flooring that had circles in it
and it was very general. I mean, people were
walking all up on it, like it was nothing but I
looked at the holes and through the holes you can see
the floor that was maybe ten feet down below it. And it was just super
interesting to me. And from there I stuck with
the watch in one of the hole. So it wasn't that big of a hole. Got the mosaic that
was behind it. And again, the simplicity, the sleekness of the watch, contrast it with
the ruggedness and the pattern of this background that I found that
I stumbled across. So again, it's something
to think about, something to consider
when you are looking for your locations is what kind
of cool mosaics can I find? What kinda cool
patterns can I find? Sometimes it's even as
simple as shadow cast. Shadow casts can make really cool patterns
on the floor as well. So pattern is another
thing that I'd like to look for whenever
I am Scott locating, especially once you say Okay, I found the color that I like, I like the texture of this. Is there a pattern that I can find are finding me inspired by? That's the next part
that I like to look at. My last note when it comes to finding locations is lighting. As we all know, the sun goes up during the day and it
goes down at night. That's just how it works. So per se, you're
out Scout locating. You didn't bring the
product with you and you are just
out there looking, trying to find locations to bring a future product, right? Take note of the time of day
that you are looking at, the spaces that
you're looking at. Take a note of what do
the clouds look like? If the clouds, if there's
no clouds in the sky or if it's overcast, the lighting that's
going to come is going to fluctuate and it's
going to be different. So that is something to think
about whenever you're out, shooting is lighting,
especially if you go in the morning and let's say you go in the evening, the shadow casts are
going to be different. If you decide to go midday, this is probably
not recommend it. You can still get some cool
shots if you go midday, but something to consider as
well as if you are shooting a product that requires
you to be overhead. Guess what the sun
is right above you. And if you go overhead, boom, you're gonna be in
every single shot there your shadow
is going to cast. Now of course, if it's overcast
and might be different, but if it's a sunny day,
something to consider. So again, lighting, take
note of the time of day, especially if your scalp
locating without the product. And you'll have a
better time when you come back for the
actual shoot of saying, okay, it's still a
sunny day today, just like it was before. It's the same time
that I went last time. The lighting is going
to look the same. So again, something to consider.
4. In the Field Finding Locations: Now that we've gotten
this all out of the way, we know what products
were shooting, we know the mood that
we want to go for it. We've looked for
different colors, we looked for
different textures, we're looking for
different patterns and even considering lighting. Now it's time for us to go out into the world and
do some shooting. So in this next section, you're going to see
me photographing and ashtray photographing a vase and finding different
locations on the fly. It can be tricky, but overall, we're able
to find some cool locks. We just have to
keep our eyes open, our minds open, and we
will find something. For this project. I decided to take
out some ashtrays along with a vase that
my friend creates, made out of concrete. And go around the city
and try to find at different places to
photograph these pieces. I found a few different
areas that had cool patterns and cool textures. Even found some wood that honestly worked pretty decently, along with some pretty greenery. The greenery was really nice
and did allow for a pop of color and the cactus fuel that everybody has
at the moment. But honestly, the place that
one the best was this park. I found this park in
downtown LA and I thought, hm, There's a lot of
places to shoot here. One of the places was this little red area that
had a concrete feel. And then there were
some really nice bamboo and the back and some pretty cast shadows
that were on the concrete. But the issue came into
play that I decided to go out to photograph midday. And as you can see, photographing midday does
cast a lot of shadows. But nonetheless, we were able to find a few
different places. And these are some
of the shots that we were able to capture. The key is to go slow. The key is to just keep
your eyes open and as you walk around
the city or the different areas that you
choose to go and scout, locate, you will find
something patients is key.
5. Class Project: So now that you guys know everything that you have
to look for and you've guys have seen me go out into the field trying my best to find different locations
for both the vase and the ashtray that
I was photographing. Now it's your turn. For your class project. I want you guys to grab
a product in your home, whether it's your
own personal product from your own personal brand, or it's a client's product, or it's something that
you have in your house. You just bought a new lipstick and you wanna go photographic. Go do it. Find a product in your home, and go outside and find
different locations to photograph and let me know why you chose the locations
that you chose. Was it the colors that you gravitated towards that fit
your moodboard and aesthetic. Was it perhaps a texture, wasn't perhaps a pattern
that you felt looked really great with this
product. Let me know. I look forward to seeing all
of your projects down below.