Product Photography at Night
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I recently had the opportunity to assist the great Parisian product photographer Peter Lippmann while he was on a shoot here in Costa Rica. Peter was contracted to take some interesting product photos of shoes, but in an entirely different way. He chose to photograph the shoes in trees lit by strobe power at night. Assisting Peter is the sports equivalent of being a caddy for Tiger Woods, you shut up and observe, soaking in every detail of his technique and photographic mastery while assisting in the creation of something amazing. It was an experience that I will not soon forget. Peter was great to work for, a real pleasure – simultaneously funny and laser beam focused. I look forward to spending a day in his studio in Paris someday and learning more from him.
Anyone with an interest in great product photography should have a look at his portfolio here: http://www.peterlippmann.com/
The above photograph illustrates a very simplified version of his technique. I shot it during the dinner of a wedding using strobes and reflectors. It was outside at night so the background is naturally black, perfect for the almost Japanese simplicity of the photo. I used a system of post processing that through the deduction of what I learned from Peter I assume is his method. The look is lightpainted, and I was trying to emulate the effect of a flashlight painting the surfaces of the flowers during a long exposure. Actual lightpainting has a chiaroscuro effect due to the irregularities in the distance between flashlight and product, and the greatly saturated color of a direct light source. I look forward to more experimentation of this technique as I believe that it can create a breathtaking effect for interior photographs and landscapes.
