Still Life Setup Advice?

[cliff123]

I'm looking for more advice please...

I need to setup a studio photo of a drink. Pint glass, phone, keys etc, but with a stylised appearance. (Think Mac like, white behind and underneath with reflection). Can anyone advise on the best setup for this sort of picture? I've heard white cloth/paper under glass is a good way to get the reflection on the bottom, or of course photoshopping it, but any other methods tips are welcomed.

thanks.

[nogginthenog]

I would use glass, but suspended at either end ( out of crop ) ... 8 beer crates ( 2 piles of 4 ) are ideal, then backlight by putting a softbox, or a couple of heads or striplights behind a big bit of white opaque Perspex. You could substitute this for a white wall / paper with some heads pointing at it, but I find the Perspex more controlable and takes up less studio space. Turn the back light up nice and bright so it just burns out, but you will still get a reflection in the glass of the subject.

Other ways are glossy white Formica, or you can get a matte silver card that does the job nicely - if you tear open a Tetra-pack, you will find it is usually made from the kind of aluminium card. Take a bit of this to an art shop and see what the closest they have is.

Sorry for the crap sketch, but using the pen tool with a Wacom Tablet for me is tricky!



this was done using the silver card....



HTH.

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

I use a sheet of white perspex - it gives a nice subtle reflection. You can 'shop a reflection in, but if you're viewing from above then simply flipping the main image won't look right.

Is this the kind of thing you're after? the low angle meant that the natural reflection wasn't big enough, so I moved the camera up, shot the new reflection and then combined them.

[cliff123]

Thank you. That's very much what I'm after, and your setups are just what I was thinking. Thanks for your advice.