Self-Assignment in Product Photography or How I Learned to Paint a Fish from Nick Fancher

If you have been following my blog for any time at all, you may have noticed a recent influx of product photography involving cologne bottles. One bottle, to be exact. I have recently taken it on myself to photograph the same bottle of Versace Man cologne in as many ways as I can think of, in order to sharpen my product lighting and photo editing skills.




The room for error is so much smaller in product photography since the shots are close up and razor sharp focus. Each experiment takes me at least 1-2 hours in Photoshop to get a finished frame. Also, since the bottle is metal and glass, it is technically a bit tricky to light properly as well. Each experiment provides a different challenge as I light the bottle on sheet metal or submerged in water, etc.




In the three weeks I have been doing this self-assignment, I have already learned a great deal. I am also, to be honest, quite tired of shooting this bottle already. But I am determined to continue to push myself and come up with compelling images (if for no other reason than to keep myself interested).




Text, images and video via blog.nickfancher.com