Aesthetics Photo Project

With this Coronovirus outbreak going on, work for a lot of photographers have been put on hold until further notice; weddings, corporate events, etc. Some of my gigs have been postponed as well. But to make the most of this downtime, I’ve decided to learn some new techniques and do a lot of practicing. I wanted to do a mini practice project of things that I have laying around the house that aesthetically goes together and pleasing to my eye.

Warm and Cozy

I never was a big coffee person until I married by wife. Now I feel like a fiend in the morning because the first thing I do, even before brushing my teeth( dont judge me!) is make me a cup of coffee. My set up was quite simple. I use a shoot thru umbrella on the left said of the coffee and beans with a silver reflector on the right side just to give a little more light to that side, but not too much. The 1st photo, I shot with my 70-200 2.8 Sigma lens and the flash I used was the Flashpoint AD200. The above angle shot, I just switch my lens to the Canon 17-40 L Lens.

The set up

The Punisher: War Machine Edition

So I have a collection of masks and helmets in my office that I’m very proud of. One of my newest editions is the War Machine Helmet. What makes this helmet different is that this is The Punisher’s variation of it when he took control of War Machine’s armor in the comics. To add some accessories to the shot that fits The Punisher’s m.o, I put some toy nerf and dart guns around the helmet. I edited out the color to the guns to give it that realistic look.

I also had to use long exposure to get the helmet’s red eyes nice and bright along with my flash. I use the same flash as before and lens( AD200 and 70-200 Sigma) but this time I used a dome diffuser because I didnt want a soft look to light but I also didn’t want the light to be TOO hard. I also use a round silver reflector on the ground to bounce like upwards.

The Book of Sith

I’m a big Star Wars fan. And I know some people don’t like the new movies but my wife and I really enoyed them. Kylo Ren is one of my favorite characters! A while ago, my wife bought me a Kylo Ren Helmet and the Book of Sith as a gift. So for this photo, I wanted it to appear as if Kylo Ren was studying The Book of Sith( yes i know technically he isn’t a Sith). This was kind of challenging because I want it look dark, but still bright enough where you can see the edge of Kylo Ren’s helmet. Again I used the dome diffuser with AD200. I put the light slightly behind and above the helmet and book. I use a black curtain on the ground to absorb the light. I also edited out the Star Wars Logo to give the book a more realistic look.

Menpo & Katana

I’ve purchase some katana’s and other weaponry a while back for a photo shoot. I forgot all about them until I was randomly searching through my closet to find something to photograph. To go along with the katanas, i figured my menpo mask would go perfectly with the shot. A menpo is a mask that samurai’s would often wear for protection and battle. I placed the main light behind the swords and mask. Then i place a white posterboard in front of the items to bounce back light on the masks and swords.

I had fun doing this little project. It forced me to get creative and experiment with new ways on lighting my subject.