How to Photograph & Composite an Low-key Cosmetic Ad

[@workphlo]

Thanks for watching! Try our attachments to support the channel: Surface Support Plate workphlo.shop/surface Clear Support Plate workphlo.shop/clear Bottle Support Plate workphlo.shop/bottle Bottle Support Plate XL workphlo.shop/bottle-xl Cosmetic Support Plate workphlo.shop/cosmetic

[@theCreativeSav]

Dustin always looks so cool pressing that remote

[@workphlo]

Cheers mate

[@eniotneets1895]

Hi Dustin, I have been inspired by your videos to tabletop photography. I am disabled but have been photographing for about 30 years. Because of my limitations, I can not photograph so much more outside. But now I can indulge myself in my small studio, a bedroom of 4 meters by 4 meters. I am grateful for the clear videos, and especially that you do not brag about expensive flashes and other studio equipment that only a professional can afford. I keep following you and hope to learn a lot from you. A friendly greeting from the Netherlands, Toine

[@maddawgzzzz]

how is your work coming along?

[@LeonKolenda]

Great tutorial! What I love is how fast and easily understood it is, with NO Rambling on about other people and dogs or cats! I like the equipment list also.

[@workphlo]

Thank you very much, my goal has always been to keep things to-the-point.

[@shaunturner2269]

Could you shoot a video about your digital setup for example tethering software and pre-photoshop workflow (how you isolate preferred shots (rating, colouring, marking or deleting bad shot) and any adjustments made to the raw images before importing into photoshop)

[@AnimationDunk]

I miss your video, with botvidson you are the channel that give the more value in product photography to me

[@workphlo]

Any day now we are BACK!

[@ccchase420]

the best product photography tuts i've found..by a mile. working towards these kind of end results in the cannabis field is my daily aspiration.

[@workphlo]

Beautiful, I'm a C.TNY shareholder myself.

[@joelatronico4539]

I want to thank you for helping me understand compositing and product lighting/in camera “workphlo”. I’ve been struggling to really make it all happen together and your videos have taken me to the next level! I appreciate you taking the time to do these and share your talent with me!

[@pnwbjj]

The Bob Ross of product photography! Keep up the good work sir. I'm learning so much.

[@workphlo]

Bob Ross!? that is strong

[@dreamy1855]

Hey Dustin great to see another video from you and a more in depth photoshop element too. You know I love your work and this video is no exception. I really liked seeing how you mounted the product for shooting and being able to get those lights in so snug. I’d love to see you shoot something that has a mixture of materials such as glass, metal and a matte surface to see your approach with something a bit more complex. Congrats on getting over the 50k subs it’s fantastic to have been with you from the start and see your channel grow - it’s well deserved. 👍👍

[@BrunoRBSilva-fh9rw]

Loved this longer video ! You are always helping us in so many ways. Thank you !

[@workphlo]

Bruno! Thank you my friend

[@mrdev9843]

There is so much good stuff in this vid; I'm reviewing over and over 👍👍

[@sergio_grez]

Please! We miss you! Your content is the most valuable one in youtube regarding photography! We really need your channel :D Cheers from chile!

[@workphlo]

I love CHILE!

[@stefanvasilev9318]

Subscribed! And hit the bell for sure! I am so fed up with 3-minute teaser tutorials a.k.a. "Buy my training" on youtube. Love your content!!!

[@Bishnu_Deb]

*Great tutorial. Learnt a lot from this tutorial.*

[@workphlo]

thank you! glad we could help

[@Gee-Wizz]

Wow! this is fantastic, thanks Dustin. So much information and methods to try in one awesome video. It was really helpful how you showed some techniques are related to your great wine photography tutorials, and can be used here as well. Loved the stuff on building the background and tweaking it all together. I found the extra length of the tutorial very informative, thanks for the effort you put in.

[@Hongs.average]

Very cool! I especially enjoy the post production on how you have applied the background into the image, that's pretty. I just recently purchased lightroom cc and photoshop cc, I can now practice what you've done! In an era like this, both photography and photoshop skill are equally important...

[@Hongs.average]

Yes! do a projector or in-camera background. Besides the products shots, background, surrounding elements, composition are all very important to draw ppls attention.

[@workphlo]

Thanks for the comments Hongs, so glad you liked it.

[@qasempoghar392]

Hey Dustin, love your explaining how to work, I’m going to start my photography like this I have a question for you: when you took the picture like this that it’s black in the behind your picture is black I mean your room is shiny(I think you have a big window in your room) and it doesn’t effect your product, how??? Is it how the camera took it?

[@workphlo]

At 1/200 of a second, the flash lights my product but falls off to black by the time the light hits the wall. Think about it like this, if I didn't turn the flash on the exposure is black. What you are seeing with your eyes is the natural light not captured at 1/200 of a second. The reason the light falls off is due to the exponential way light decays. Thank you!

[@nightshifthoops]

This guy is an artist!!!

[@Pi3.1419]

Fantastic vid once again Dustin. Great interesting way to create a horizon line, thanks once again for the advance tips.

[@shaunturner2269]

Good to see you're back on KZbin! :)

[@jgraphnet]

Hi Dustin ! Thanks a million for all the videos you've done this far. I always seem to come back to them and kind of work up steam before a shoot - just to see how things can be done and catch some inspiration. Ok, I use studio strobes, but those are kind of low end, budget alternatives - with a modelling light. Kind of the Yongnuo's of strobes ... :) So I have no problem at all adapting your speedlight techniques. Studio ? Nah - I just showe some furniture aside to get me a couple of square feet ... You keep asking for feedback on what to shoot, so I thought I'd give you a bit of my suggestions. So sit back, because this could be a long one ... Any kind of bottles. Not just cylindrical ones, but curved in interesting shapes, tapered ones - top or bottom, square ones, pinched ones, bulky ones, coloured ones (like the perfume bottle), reflective ones, refraction, dark ones, bright ones, opaque ones - just about any ones. You have been hinting at doing more like wine and/or whiskey - and that would go just fine with me ... and how about light from below .. ? And why bottles ? Well, why product photography at all ? Do this. Anyone can do this. Grab a magazine. Any weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc will do. Leaf them through and look at how many product images there are compared to fashion, lifestyle, portrait, editorial, whatever. I can bet they vastly outnumber all of the others combined. So product photography lives and thrives well and you can do that kind of photography without spending a ton of cash on equippment - which you, Dustin, prove time and time again. You can also choose your own hours - within reason. Heck, you can even do it without makeup, hair in curlers and in your jamas, should you wish... :) Ok - so, many of the products are displayed or presented in some kind of bottles, right ? I mean - you can pick up interesting packages to shoot in a local store for a few bucks. It won't say YSL, or Hugo Boss, or Dior or any other heavy brand on them. But they are affordable enough, make for interesting shots and most often these are the products you find in said magazines. So you will have somehting to go with. And you can build a portfolio with them - without forced to a second mortgage. Now, I've been scouting The Tube for still life/product/advertising shots of different kinds of bottles and ended up with vids/clips from (more or less) professional studio photographers offering online classes and critique for a serious wad of $$. But as with all photography, it's all a matter of personal opinions and taste. Some like - some don't. Simple as that. That's called "life". With practice comes perfect, so what's needed on a beginners level are some hints and recommendations on how to approach different subjects of the genre - and you provide that in spades. Of course, you shoot what interests you and I have no problem with that at all. I'm just sharing my thoughts. And yes - I am a member of the workphlo facebook group. Just my $ 0.02 ... Looking forward to 2019 ! - dkjphoto -

[@workphlo]

Thank you very much it was a good read. Look out for more soon, I appreciate your feedback.

[@jgraphnet]

@@workphlo Won't take as much space in future. Promise ! :)

[@davidbailey4976]

Excellent, yet again Dustin. Really informative. Very many thanks.

[@workphlo]

Cheers David, glad it helped!

[@stuart_anderson]

Great video! I've learned so much from your videos and the fb group! I'd like to see you shoot some jewelry. Also, maybe some flat lay or some lifestyle type shots. Thank you!!

[@workphlo]

So happy to hear that man, I'd love to expand into those types of shots - stay tuned!

[@dreamy1855]

Great idea with the flat lay suggestion! I’d love to see that too 👌

[@pergamX]

Your videos are inspiring. Your presentation is so calming and effective. Thank you so much! Could you please do an example shoot of an object that is not in perfect shape (glass or plastic), yet an object that is still very reflective and shiny? For example, shiny wine bottle paper bag, or a present wrapped in a shiny birthday paper. I would love to see how you manage reflections and shadows there.

[@workphlo]

Thank you so much! I will do what I can :)

[@xavigalvez7]

So inspiring. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for your time and knowledge

[@palgunamanuaba1101]

Can i use just led with softbox to shoot this kind of photo ? Im a lowbudget photographer .. if it cant i will save money to get speedlights

[@FlyingDeath1]

what kind of equipment did you use to hold up the Plexiglass Surface?

[@workphlo]

I use a Baby Wall Plate custom made

[@Bedlamite23]

Watched a few condensation videos, really interested in how you do condensation, particularly on a dark soda bottle, black or white background? Great detail delivery in your videos, thanks.

[@workphlo]

Thanks Ben! I will cover that soon

[@wpelissari]

Hello Dustin, i really enjoy your videos! I've adapted few things for my work. I do product photography for an auction house, I'm kind of intermediary level, I shoot paintings, furniture, silverware a bit of anything, and the goal is to have the most accurate representation of the object, mainly the colors, we put the artistic inspiration a bit a side unfortunately... I would love to see how you shoot complex silver objects in pure white background, like a pitcher or a tureen for example, most of the time 3,4 objects in the same picture and keep the reflex. Thank you for time making this videos and sharing with us!

[@workphlo]

Cool job! Really reflective products can be tricky because you need relatively large light sources like a big diffuser or softbox to brighten all the areas of the product. We have an episode on "pack shots" in the works - stay tuned

[@acidsnow5915]

now this was really interesting to watch! nice to have a tutorail behind the scenes like this! thanks for sharing this great content with us and i really really enjoyed watching this!

[@MahirAliAhmed]

Hi, Do you have any video explaining lens selection and choice. Regards,

[@workphlo]

Hi, I do not as of now. I will soon though

[@pnwbjj]

@@workphlo yah it would definitely be nice to hear/see clarification on lens/aperture/lighting settings throughout the videos. I'm often times asking myself, so what was the light power on that shot or what was the focal distance being used. I've watched almost all of your videos multiple times now trying to capture every little detail i can. So informative. Thank you.

[@Roz-Inspire-Video]

Hope you are doing well!...if not hope you are doing ok....love your Work on this stuff

[@workphlo]

Thank you, I am doing GREAT!

[@pewwbz9647]

Thank you so much for doing the post edits. I have no idea how to Photoshop did you teach yourself?

[@bayusendja5190]

All your videos is awesome! all is full knowledge.

[@JohnDawson]

Yo, @workphlo Dustin, where you at?! I need a workphlo fix! 😎

[@workphlo]

Soon 😎

[@JohnDawson]

He gone 😚

[@ZackPyle]

workphlo Not soon :(

[@mmlips]

Loved it, thanks! Would love to see the in camera vs post episode.

[@workphlo]

Great Mark, thanks for watching the tutorial.

[@anthonydsouza1366]

Hi Dustin, firstly I love your video tutorials, so brilliant, perfect and always with a beautiful end result, but I have a question this time. So, when you placed the stripbox next to the diffusion material facing the camera, the reflection on the shiny cap looked matt, but when you swapped it to face the other way, the reflection was shiny. Why is this please, as you still had the diffusion material between the stripbox and the product. I don't understand why you got such a different result, shine vs matt.. Thank you very much.

[@workphlo]

Hey Anthony, thanks for the great question. The hard edge, where the gradient begins, is what conveys to us that it is glossy (a matte surface would diffuse the edge). The reason you percieve the out-to-in gradient to be matte, is that 99% of the reflection is the smooth part of the gradient, not the hard edged beginning. If I moved that stripbox 1 foot closer to the camera - the hard edge would be placed somewhat in the interior of the product (similiar to our Classic Wine episode gradient). But here, the harsh edge was reflecting on the VERY edge of the cosmetic so it didn't "tell your brain" it is glossy. The in-to-out gradient displayed the harsh edge much more prominently. Hope that helps!

[@anthonydsouza1366]

Hi Dustin, Thank you very much for your reply. Really great explanation and yes, it helps a lot.

[@cliffmello]

Very cool! Love your video man! What’s your exposure values around mostly?

[@henkvandekaa7778]

Beautiful image, wonderful tutorial!!!

[@workphlo]

Thank you so very much! More on the way

[@seamydobbsno1]

Is the strip box your main modifier. Do you use octabox or umbrellas??

[@workphlo]

Stripbox is my #1

[@fernandobonenfantphotography]

where can i get a Steel Support Plate, im uk based and just dont seems to find that thing anywhere XD . thanks

[@workphlo]

workphlo.shop/collections/frontpage/products/steel-support-plate

[@pieterdhaeze]

Hi Dustin, thanks again for the great tutorial. Question. I do some product photography myself and I have a problem controlling the speculate highlights of wrinkled plastic packaging of i.e. nuts or pasta. Do you know how to control those random reflections? Regards, peter

[@maddawgzzzz]

you figure it out...

[@manfongieong9336]

what kind of glue or sticker did you use for holding the product with a wire?

[@workphlo]

Hot glue

[@jmacc4473]

Hope you come back to KZbin soon!! Love the content🙌🏽

[@workphlo]

💯 here!

[@FrankP83]

Really love your tutorial Dustin, just a noob question...is really necessary a stripbox for this kind of stuff or a 90cm softbox can be also ok?Thanks for your answer =) #staysafe

[@workphlo]

A smaller stripbox would be fine, but overall I think the vertical strip distribution helps shape the light regardless vs. a bare light. Shooting a light into a piece of paper may be a more "appropriate" size light for example but either way I think it is beneficial to use some strip shaped light. :)

[@FrankP83]

@@workphlo thanks a lot for your answer ☺

[@soullessgemini7786]

I'm looking to start product photography. I'm going cheap and going with flashes. Should I get soft boxes or light strips for them, like which do you think will work best for what I'm doing? I'm going to being doing E-Cigarette products so nothing is taller than 10 inches high or 4 inches wide really. Thank you

[@workphlo]

I'd be all over Yongnuo Speedlights and the 8x36" stripboxes in our description. Perfect for small items, or items as big as 36"

[@soullessgemini7786]

@@workphlo Thank you. I always wanted to get into product photography but I thought it would cost at least a grand for proper lighting and equipment but when I seen the amazing results you were getting with 2 flashes, a light strip and reflectors and editing in photoshop I got excited. Thank you again.

[@ВасилийНестеров-п9ь]

thank youfor your work! it is amazing results and I have learned a lot from your videos. It is cool that you using very budget gear for that hi-end look)))

[@workphlo]

Thanks!

[@martinbowra9152]

Great video your work is amazing. Can you show how you photograph empty plastic transparent milk bottles. I am doing a project on plastic pollution. Thank you

[@workphlo]

Watch our video on lighting glassware, you will find a back-lighting technique that may be of use for your milk bottles! Cheers

[@ballamoto]

How do you do the instant composting while shooting? Or is all that done in editing?

[@roksipec1015]

What camera and lens do you use?

[@LevAshin]

Thank you for another great tut man! this is incredible, i learn so much here!!! Would be cool if you could make a video about how to shoot a perfectly spilled wind in a glass! :)

[@sankalpmehra]

Absolutely brilliant. Love your videos ..

[@workphlo]

Thanks I love my audience!

[@lorrettaclarke709]

Learning such a lot from your utube videos, I would love to have a video on commercial business, ie what kinds of images to put in a portfolio, and how to advertise ones work, ie how to get jobs?

[@mehbooahmed]

Amazing i love ur work i learn so many things

[@workphlo]

Cheers!

[@RossJukesPhotography]

As always, an *Incredibly useful* video, thanks for sharing

[@workphlo]

Cheers!

[@insightvideo6136]

Fantastic video! Thanks!

[@ovidijusadomavicius8165]

Awesome videos man! Waiting for more!

[@workphlo]

Very soon!

[@rickmagnellphotographyfilm9192]

Great content! Instead of the cans of air I buy Data Vac dusters like the MetroED 500.

[@workphlo]

Good call Rick, cheers bud

[@JulesFerlatte]

Again a great tutorial thanks for sharing

[@workphlo]

Jules! Thank you it is my pleasure to make these product photography tutorials.

[@abdelrahmanhamdy2108]

What camera are you using?

[@workphlo]

Nikon D5100

[@clemensrath1858]

Hey Dustin! Pls keep up the amazing work Throw out another vid!

[@workphlo]

Cooking it upi in the kitchen!

[@111nikec]

Hi! Amazing tutorial as usual! I have a question: Since I started doing product photography ( far from pefect but it's getting better day by day ) , I always did photo stacking for sharpness, but I see all you do is stacking photos of different product parts with different lights. Basicly what I'm wondering is, what mm lens and what f-stop do you use to keep all products nice and sharp so that you can only focus on light photo stacking if i may call it so? I just tought I had to do photo stacking so that every part is sharp but your photos are sharp without stacking. I hope you understand what I mean :D Sorry if I didn't make the question clear enough, english is not my first language. Keep the tutorials coming! I really enjoy learning by watching and listening to you! :D

[@workphlo]

Thanks! I like f/8-f/16 depending on my subject.

[@kurtBick]

Shame you stopped uploading. This is a really quality channel!

[@workphlo]

We've been filming like crazy, stay tuned :)

[@kurtBick]

Amazing! Looking forward to it. Need more inspiration for beer photography haha

[@workphlo]

I'm itching for some good inspo too!

[@BariFunny]

What love to see a less striking, not center frame, more natural light/item in use product set up

[@workphlo]

That is a great suggestion, I will not let you down

[@StanleyParrishJr]

Your videos are so good man

[@workphlo]

Thanks Stanley, I really appreciate that

[@AbdullahJPhoto]

That's a great tutorial! Thank you

[@Panagiotis-Skordilis]

excellent as always

[@workphlo]

So nice of you, looking forward to making more lengthy episodes like this.

[@Panagiotis-Skordilis]

i dont need to watch the whole video to understand that you are one of the greatest out there. i do similar job so i understand the talent you have. Best regards

[@workphlo]

I'm blushing. Thanks for helping us pass 50k!

[@eduard.amihai7545]

You are awesome..you have tons of experience

[@workphlo]

Cheers it's a long learning curve

[@Splitleaf]

what's more worth it, buying a new battery or a whole new remote? hahaha. I want to watch you film an episode more closely soon, I could learn so much more from you!

[@workphlo]

Sometimes the off brand photography remotes are a few dollars, which makes them an easy justify buying. If they save you 1 hour in a year Photoshop aligning, then that is a huge benefit!

[@prasannagandre]

@workphlo sir please make a video on how to shoot nail polish commercial different ideas of creativity and lighting patterns thank you

[@workphlo]

Yes! We have a few cosmetic photography tutorials on the way

[@renatozorn7162]

Excelent!!!

[@workphlo]

Cheers

[@maxxu3432]

Thank,you !

[@workphlo]

No prob!

[@sandro6691]

"I'm under the impression a lot of the people who watch this might use speed lights" Me: Sitting here with a small handheld RGB LED light haha

[@workphlo]

Cheers Robert, I appreciate the feedback

[@sandro6691]

@@workphlo I'm Robert? :P I just bought 2 x 600w point source so I'm ready to follow along!

[@Chevy-jordan]

Hope he’s ok. Super cool guy.

[@workphlo]

Thank you, new video next week.

[@keen2243]

谢谢你很棒的拍摄

[@chepito1964]

Gorgeus...

[@workphlo]

Thx

[@dharmabehera5925]

Hey bro . Thanks for your videos. I have learned so much from you. But now a days you are not uploading any videos. It's so sad . Plz make some new and interesting.

[@workphlo]

Please see our new rockin vidz

[@Syltibob]

Great!

[@workphlo]

Thank you Syltibob

[@DanielArdagh]

Crushed it! :)

[@donnacrantshaw8505]

Nice!

[@workphlo]

Thank you Donna

[@doityourselfpakistan6535]

man u r great

[@kakatsos]

please dont stop making videos dude! What about studio photography with actual people ? are you planing to do something like this ?

[@workphlo]

I won't stop! We're on the road to 100k :) Absolutely we will branch out to broader studio genres.

[@fergheinman394]

an

[@workphlo]

An!?

[@fergheinman394]

@@workphlo yes

[@alanvandever9683]

I sure do wish these guys would slow it down a little. This is another guy who goes so damn fast you can't keep up and doesn't fully explain how he's doing things. I can not find anyway to get that "apply layer mask" that he did.

[@workphlo]

Hey Thanks for watching. Slowing down is built in to the KZbin player! Try 0.5 speed You'll see when I'm applying a layer mask, I'm clicking that small button on the layerdock that looks like a rectangle with a circle in it. Best of luck