Touching a product through photographs

For companies who are selling high end products online, it is unusually difficult to convey to the customers the touch, the texture, the smell, the taste of the products.

I have the honor to work directly with How Fast They Grow, a company founded by a mother with an exquisite taste. Her products are catered to moms who are interested to do scrapbooking for their growing wonders, but just do not have time to. Who does anyway. As we all know, scrapbooks are a huge timesink.

Her albums are beautifully crafted, backed with boards that do not warp, well designed, smooth fabric, the list goes on. But the beauty is really, how amazing it is to hold it in your hand, some of them are almost like a little furry animal that you would like to stroke over and over again. The challenge was, the ability to convey to the mothers, how amazing these books are, soft to the touch, the texture, how it feels when you run your fingers across the fabric of the book.

- Michael Soo

Strength in Diversity

By now, you probably think I'm a nutty professional photographer, dipping my toes into such a wide variety of subjects, from product photography to food photography to fashion photography to glamour photography to landscape photography and fine art photography to gosh, portrait photography, wedding photography and what else, commercial photography. On top of all that, I'm also well versed with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Website Design!!. Still think I'm sane?! I think not. While 90% of professional photographers out there strive to specialize in one field of photography, I spread my wings and claim strength in all. Is my brain really that slow? Contrary to what you might think, I have good explanations on what I've done thus far.

1. Mastering different facets of photography has allowed me to apply my knowledge in one to another. For example, if I were to shoot an engagement session at a seemingly boring golf course, I can utilize my knowledge as a landscape photographer for composition; my discipline in fashion and glamour photography to pose my subject beautifully; my in depth experience with studio lighting to use bounce multiple light sources to the subjects to create a wonderful interplay of light and shadow.
2. It keeps me excited as a photographer and continually challenge my ability to improve. It is much more often to hear of, say a specialized wedding photographer to get bored of his craft due to lack of innovation, creativity and exciting work. He/She will tend to do the same style over and over again with overall little improvements. For me, however, I am never bored since I have been peaking my performance by learning everything I know from one area of photography to the next. What I thought about in one area of photography has constantly been applied to another.

However, in spite of the above, most clients tend to think of a photographer is best when he or she is specialized. Just think, a bride probably will be more apt to choose a photographer who is specialized in weddings versus one who does everything. How do you, as a photographer prove otherwise? Show them your portfolio. The images needs to speak and they will, if you are good.

- MS

$20,000 Boucheron Watch

How often do you get to photograph a $20,000 watch? I did today. Boucheron watches has been up on the Top Ten Luxury Watches List quite a few times and not surprising too. The styling is classy without overdoing the gold and diamonds. The face of the watch is the mother of pearl, framed with 124+ diamonds, with a few more on the time markers. For this specific product photography photoshoot, the gold, I mean goal is to bring out the depth of each diamonds and definition of the watch without the watch fading into the white background. This can be difficult since there are quite a few reflective surfaces. I used a total of 2 lights. One for the background and the other for the watch. I've also employed several prisms, mirrors, gobos & flags to get light into specific areas of the watch that will make the metal gloss from highlights to dark shadows, not easy to accomplish. To shoot this, I was given only an hour, truly too little time by product photography standards to shoot a $20k item. But by employing a technique that I've developed and mastered, I took 10 images and siphoned the specific details that I want from each, to create the final print. The three images you see in the gallery are created from over 30 images, carefully overlaid over each other to create the final image that is far stronger than a shot of a single image. - MS