Introduction to the Project:

This photo was shot for GIT 384 - Commercial Photography. The prompt was to shoot photos for a product of our choice with props that tell a story about the environment/lifestyle the product can be found in.

My Process:

I chose one of my favorite perfumes from Dossier that has an orange blossom scent. I associate a smell like that with nature, art, and warmth, so I found props in my dorm that would fit those terms. 

My prop list includes

-dried mandarin slices

-yellow sunglasses

-artist's dummy

-potted succulent

-salt lamp

-faux vines

In the studio, I found a stone patterned mat to lay my items on, and arranged my props around the perfume in a way that was balanced yet organic. It looks like a collection of items that could be found on a desk of an artist studio or something of the like. For my lighting, I stuck with one soft box to give off the illusion of a table lamp's glow. I used the salt lamp itself as secondary lighting. It didn't shine onto any of the props, but it lit up the salt lamp with a nice warm glow.

Challenges: 

Figuring out a lighting and layout setup that I liked was difficult. I tend to like clean, organized images so letting loose a little and inviting some "clutter" into my shot was something new for me. Partway through the shoot, the lightbulb in my salt lamp broke, so I had to improvise and shine my iPhone flashlight behind it to get some light to shine within.

Editing:

The editing of the final image was minimal. I increased the texture and clarity to get some more details in the mandarin slices and the lamp, as well as increased the warmer tones to really drive that temperature home.