How can I recreate the lighting and look of this tea cup photo?
Asked 7/23/2011
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2 answers
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I’m trying to reproduce the look of a tea cup photo with warm color, soft bloom, and a dark background/reflection. I’ve experimented with flash, ISO, and aperture on my Canon 500D in Manual mode, but I’m not getting close.
What lighting setup and camera settings would help create this effect? In particular, I’m curious about the type and position of the light, whether flash or continuous light is better, and how to achieve the warm tone, dark base/background, and shallow-depth look.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
7
If you look at the exif of this photo on flickr you will see a low aperture and high iso and probably just overexposed it a bit. Flash produce a different effect than this. A weak light source(es) far off gives the feel and with longish exposure gives bloom; high iso lowers the dynamic range and possibly a wider aperture lens gives some blur.
Obviously the results are different because of different angles and lighting positions.
If you can get the flash off your camera and aim it from the side or get say an 18" 15w fluorescent light and move it around it will give different effects.
Playing with the ratio of ambient lighting and flash power vs exposure time/aperture will then be factored in too.
All in all, theres a bunch of parameters to fiddle with on the camera, lighting sources, strengths, positions and diffusion and you'd probably spend hours in front of a little cup before you get a similar shot but then in the process discover a zillion new shots in between all that.
Originally by user5880. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user5880
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This look is mostly about lighting and setup, not just camera settings.
A good starting point:
- Use a small light source placed high and slightly to the side. The sharp spoon shadow suggests a relatively small, directional light.
- Avoid direct on-camera flash; off-camera flash or a small continuous light will work better.
- A weak light source farther away can help keep the light directional.
- Shoot with a fairly wide aperture for softer depth of field.
- A longer focal length can help create the flatter perspective seen here.
- The dark area under the saucer may be created with black cloth under a glass surface.
- The warm yellow-green tone may come from the liquid color plus a warm reflection, brass surface, or a yellow gel on the light.
You may also need to slightly overexpose and balance ambient light, flash power, shutter speed, and aperture to get the bloom/glow you want. High ISO can contribute to a softer, lower-dynamic-range look, but lighting position is the biggest factor.
In short: use directional side/top light, warm the light or subject, keep the background dark, and experiment with light distance and angle.
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