Author: heshao Translation Source: Mars Era
In this tutorial I will tell you how to take professional glass photos with minimal photos in pre-production and digital post-processing. You’ll learn professional lighting techniques to create some stunning photos and stylish backgrounds.
Use the same background and props, but different camera settings. First, I’ll cover two common photo-shooting techniques, and then I’ll show you how to capture each photo and take steps to post-process it in Photoshop.
Let’s take a look at the final renderings:
Final effect
Step 1: Equipment preparation
Before we start, you should prepare the following points:
Glass (you can break it into small pieces), hammer, one or two plastic bags, bracelet, two black A4 papers or black folder, desk lamp, tripod, camera, graphics program.
Step 2: Collect fragments
Before we start taking the actual photos, you are going to break the glass that you have prepared. That’s why you need a hammer and plastic bag, because you don’t want the pieces to be scattered around. Place the bag (or two cups, if you want to be completely confident they will stay inside) and hit it with a hammer a few times. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
Below you can see the size of the fragments we need: (Figure 2)
Figure 2
Step 3: Create the background
In this step, we will create the background. Black is a great choice because it improves the visibility of the glass.
If you use two black papers as the background paper, try to follow all the borders (length and width) of the long background as much as possible, at least to include the object. You can refer to the position of the following photo: (Picture 3)
Figure 3
Step 4: Set up the lights
To light the scene, we will use natural light coming in from the window, or your lamp. You can just use natural light, but glass table lamps make a nice glossy finish. Below you can see a photo of how I set up the light: (Picture 4)
Figure 4
As you can see, natural light comes from behind, providing soft, diffused light.
Step 5: Screen composition settings
The composition of the picture is very important, it will improve the quality of your photos. Since this is not an article about composition, I suggest you read: “The Master’s Photographic Art Creation” if you want to know more about the basic composition of the picture.
If you look carefully, you can see the relationship of lines and surfaces in the image, the focal point of the image that leads the viewer’s eye, the use of the rule of thirds, and the use of depth of field to highlight the most important parts of the photo. (Figure 5)
Figure 5
Make sure the bracelet is the most visible in this case!
Step 6: Set exposure
I would recommend setting manual exposure. Because you’re shooting against a black background, using autoexposure with your camera’s internal software will overexpose your photo. For my bracelet photo, the EXIF data is: shutter speed 1/25, aperture F9, ISO sensitivity 400. This can only provide a general guideline and you may need to adjust the values slightly to get the best results.
As you can see, I used a fairly small aperture. I hope everyone can pay attention to the texture of the broken glass skin, because I shot from a very close distance and the degree of freedom is very small (the depth of field will be very small). The aperture of F4 can only guarantee part of the clarity of the bracelet, which is not what I ultimately want to achieve.
Step 7: Shoot
I won’t say much more here! I just recommend that you take lots of photos in different combinations. It helps you discover the best angles, and you can choose to shoot from different angles. Below you can see the unedited results: (Figure 6)
Figure 6
Now, I will show you how to set up your camera to take different pictures, as shown in the photo preview below. You will use the same props and background. In this photo, we will extend the shutter speed, which�� is why you need a stable tripod or something to support your camera.
Step 8: Set up the lights
As I said before for this photo, you will need a longer shutter speed. This means you will need less light. I would recommend waiting for a cloudy day, dusk. Still using a table lamp, give the glass a “shimmer”. You could shoot with just artificial light, but I don’t think the results are natural enough.
Step 9: Adjust camera settings
Because you will be shooting with long exposures, you will need the help of a tripod. It would be ideal if your camera’s shooting mode combines Selfie and burst shooting. In this case, switch your camera to this mode and set the number of photos in the burst to about 5.
If your camera has difficulty shooting continuously, it will not affect your final shooting.
Take a look at the EXIF data of my photo here: shutter speed 0.5 s, aperture F29, ISO sensitivity 400. If you want a slower shutter speed, lower your ISO value (on most DSLR cameras it is the lowest at 100) and increase the aperture value to achieve it.
Step 10: Photograph yourself
As you can see in the preview image now, our goal is to capture the bracelet in motion. If you have a self-timer plus continuous shooting mode, set the timer. Before the one or two second countdown ends, rotate the bracelet.
If you don’t have this shooting mode, rotate the bracelet and start shooting.
It’s best to shoot continuously so that you get photos that capture not only the entire movement from start to finish. Because there are so many photos to take, you will have a wide range of options at the end.
Below you can see the unedited result of this shot: (Picture 8)
Figure 8
Edit in Photoshop
Now it’s time to make your photo a little sharper, increase contrast and add a blue tint. I will describe the adjustment process in Adobe Photoshop, similar to the steps in other software. Open the photo in a graphics program and let’s get started!
Step 11: Increase contrast
If you want your photo to look better and have higher contrast, adjust the values for highlights and shadows. If you want to increase or decrease the brightness of the entire photo, adjust the midtones. Below you can see what I mean: (Figure 9)
Figure 9
Using masks to make photo adjustments in Photoshop is great because the changes are non-destructive and you can always re-adjust them as you want. Below you can see the button “Create new fill or adjustment layer”: (Figure 10)
Figure 10
Below you can see my photography on a horizontal level. I set the input value 23;1;200. (Figure 11)
Figure 11
Step 12: Sharpen
Now you can make your photo a little clearer. Again, we use a non-destructive technique. Go to Filter > Other > “High Contrast Preserve” so you can see the edges of your photo. You can see the following example: (Figure 12)
Figure 12
Now change the blending mode to “Overlay”. The gray color disappears, but your photo will be clearer. (Figure 13)
Figure 13
Step 13: Add Blue Tone
The last adjustment we will make is to add a blue tone to evoke a cold mood. Add a new adjustment layer “Color Balance” and set it to resemble what you can see below: (Picture 14)
Figure 14
Step 14: Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that if you are photographing glass, a black background will maximize visibility and contrast. In addition, in the post-processing stage�, try using masks to make adjustments so that you can edit them to make random changes at a later time.
Figure 15
Figure 16
Conclusion: I hope you learned something new in this tutorial and picked up some fun techniques that you can apply to your own photography!
Author: heshao Translation Source: Mars Era
In this tutorial I will tell you how to take professional glass photos with minimal photos in pre-production and digital post-processing. You’ll learn professional lighting techniques to create some stunning photos and stylish backgrounds.
Use the same background and props, but different camera settings. First, I’ll cover two common photo-shooting techniques, and then I’ll show you how to capture each photo and take steps to post-process it in Photoshop.
Let’s take a look at the final renderings:
Final effect
Step 1: Equipment preparation
Before we start, you should prepare the following points:
Glass (you can break it into small pieces), hammer, one or two plastic bags, bracelet, two black A4 papers or black folder, desk lamp, tripod, camera, graphics program.
Step 2: Collect fragments
Before we start taking the actual photos, you are going to break the glass that you have prepared. That’s why you need a hammer and plastic bag, because you don’t want the pieces to be scattered around. Place the bag (or two cups, if you want to be completely confident they will stay inside) and hit it with a hammer a few times. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
Below you can see the size of the fragments we need: (Figure 2)
Figure 2
Step 3: Create the background
In this step, we will create the background. Black is a great choice because it improves the visibility of the glass.
If you use two black papers as the background paper, try to follow all the borders (length and width) of the long background as much as possible, at least to include the object. You can refer to the position of the following photo: (Picture 3)
Figure 3
Step 4: Set up the lights
To light the scene, we will use natural light coming in from the window, or your lamp. You can just use natural light, but glass table lamps make a nice glossy finish. Below you can see a photo of how I set up the light: (Picture 4)
Figure 4
As you can see, natural light comes from behind, providing soft, diffused light.
Step 5: Screen composition settings
The composition of the picture is very important, it will improve the quality of your photos. Since this is not an article about composition, I suggest you read: “The Master’s Photographic Art Creation” if you want to know more about the basic composition of the picture.
If you look carefully, you can see the relationship of lines and surfaces in the image, the focal point of the image that leads the viewer’s eye, the use of the rule of thirds, and the use of depth of field to highlight the most important parts of the photo. (Figure 5)
Figure 5
Make sure the bracelet is the most visible in this case!
Step 6: Set exposure
I would recommend setting manual exposure. Because you’re shooting against a black background, using autoexposure with your camera’s internal software will overexpose your photo. For my bracelet photo, the EXIF data is: shutter speed 1/25, aperture F9, ISO sensitivity 400.This can only provide a general guideline and you may need to adjust the values slightly to get the best results.
As you can see, I used a fairly small aperture. I hope everyone can pay attention to the texture of the broken glass skin, because I shot from a very close distance and the degree of freedom is very small (the depth of field will be very small). The aperture of F4 can only guarantee part of the clarity of the bracelet, which is not what I ultimately want to achieve.
Step 7: Shoot
I won’t say much more here! I just recommend that you take lots of photos in different combinations. It helps you discover the best angles, and you can choose to shoot from different angles. Below you can see the unedited results: (Figure 6)
Figure 6
Now, I will show you how to set up your camera to take different pictures, as shown in the photo preview below. You will use the same props and background. In this photo, we’re going to extend the shutter speed, which is why you’ll need a stable tripod or something to support your camera.
Step 8: Set up the lights
As I said before for this photo, you will need a longer shutter speed. This means you will need less light. I would recommend waiting for a cloudy day, dusk. Still using a table lamp, give the glass a “shimmer”. You could shoot with just artificial light, but I don’t think the results are natural enough.
Step 9: Adjust camera settings
Because you will be shooting with long exposures, you will need the help of a tripod. It would be ideal if your camera’s shooting mode combines Selfie and burst shooting. In this case, switch your camera to this mode and set the number of photos in the burst to about 5.
If your camera has difficulty shooting continuously, it will not affect your final shooting.
Take a look at the EXIF data of my photo here: shutter speed 0.5 s, aperture F29, ISO sensitivity 400. If you want a slower shutter speed, lower your ISO value (on most DSLR cameras it is the lowest at 100) and increase the aperture value to achieve it.
Step 10: Photograph yourself
As you can see in the preview image now, our goal is to capture the bracelet in motion. If you have a self-timer plus continuous shooting mode, set the timer. Before the one or two second countdown ends, rotate the bracelet.
If you don’t have this shooting mode, rotate the bracelet and start shooting.
It’s best to shoot continuously so that you get photos that capture not only the entire movement from start to finish. Because there are so many photos to take, you will have a wide range of options at the end.
Below you can see the unedited result of this shot: (Picture 8)
Figure 8
Edit in Photoshop
Now it’s time to make your photo a little sharper, increase contrast and add a blue tint. I will describe the adjustment process in Adobe Photoshop, similar to the steps in other software. Open the photo in a graphics program and let’s get started!
Step 11: Increase contrast
If you want your photo to look better and have higher contrast, adjust the values for highlights and shadows. If you want to increase or decrease the brightness of the entire photo, adjust the midtones. Below you can see what I mean: (Figure 9)
Figure 9
Using masks to make photo adjustments in Photoshop is great because the changes are non-destructive and you can always re-adjust them as you want. Below you can see the button “Create new fill or adjustment layer”: (Figure 10)
Figure 10
Below you can see my photography on a horizontal level. I set the input value 23;1;200. (Figure 11)
Figure 11
Step 12: Sharpen
Now you can make your photo a little clearer. Again, we use a non-destructive technique. Go to Filter > Other > “High Contrast Preserve” so you can see the edges of your photo. You can see the example below��: (Figure 12)
Figure 12
Now change the blending mode to “Overlay”. The gray color disappears, but your photo will be clearer. (Figure 13)
Figure 13
Step 13: Add Blue Tone
The last adjustment we will make is to add a blue tone to evoke a cold mood. Add a new adjustment layer “Color Balance” and set it to resemble what you can see below: (Picture 14)
Figure 14
Step 14: Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that if you are photographing glass, a black background will maximize visibility and contrast. Also, during the post-processing stage, try using masks to make adjustments so that you can edit them to make random changes at a later time.
Figure 15
Figure 16
Conclusion: I hope you learned something new in this tutorial and picked up some fun techniques that you can apply to your own photography!
<!–Collectio
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