The commercial photography and shoots for the Objects of Desire assignment have all been taken in my home studio/tent, pictured above. It has two LED lighting bars at the top that can be moved around as desired to light up the subjects, with reflectors on the inside to bounce the light around effectively. I have found this really effective when taking high quality photographs with simple, non-distracting backgrounds.

After being inspired by Wilson Hennessy and Richard Maxted, as well as the advertising material seen in our everyday lives such as on TV and on billboards, I set my studio up and considered what desirable objects I had to photograph. The first item I wanted to shoot was my watch, as this is a classy accessory that is often shot for commercials with high impact images, high quality lighting showcasing all the details and materials, and striking backgrounds and colour themes. I tried to recreate this by using a subtle grey backdrop, which complimented the rose gold colour well. I varied the lighting throughout the shoot to illuminate the watch effectively without any reflections in the glass, and experimented with a variety of angles. To get the straight on view of the watch, I hung it from the lighting with a piece of thread to hang it vertically so it was easier to photograph and it gives the appearance of the watch floating in mid air, without any visible props in the frame.

Next, I used an eyeshadow palette as my next subject; it was brand new and in pristine condition, so I thought it would be ideal for a commercial shoot, as I have been advised before the objects in these shoots have to perfect, with no imperfections, to make the images effective. I also varied the angles and lighting with this shoot, to illuminate the colours of the makeup, while also effectively lighting up the case so the wording was visible, but without getting any unwanted reflections in the window. I began by using a zoom lens that I purchased at the recent Photography Show event, but because it was new and I haven’t yet had much time to use it, I found it difficult to focus the image and so went back to my standard kit lens, which proved very effective at capturing all the details. I also experimented with placing the eyeshadow brush in some of the images to see if this added to the image; I thought this looked successful but annoyingly the background was imperfect in some of these images.

Lastly, I photographed another makeup item, some lipstick. The idea of using makeup was that it is highly desirable for many women, and even some men these days, and is also a popular item to be shot for commercial purposes in a studio. The colours that I had were quite bright and gave interesting colour schemes in my images. I chose a white background for the makeup because the bright colours and black packaging contrasted strongly against the background, making the subject stand out. I used my tripod and shutter release cable for all three of the subjects to ensure crisp and sharp images with minimal camera shake; having the images in focus is critical for commercial photography. I really enjoyed photographing in the studio and seeing firsthand how professional lighting can really enhance an image.