Last week I was in Hereford at the HQ of homeware companies Wonki Ware and Musango. With new products recently released, we had a huge shoot-list and lots to get through!
The style of the shoot would be lifestyle-focused, using only ambient light to show off the delicate detail and nuances of the products and give a natural, homely sense of atmosphere. We started the shoot and bright sunlight was streaming in through our key-light window… exactly what we didn’t want (!) so we set up a trace to diffuse punchy light and then began the shoot.
Fairly soon a bright shaft of light was leaking in through the skylight… so Emma, the Musango head-honcho, bravely inched out onto the flat roof to throw a cover over the skylight… and we were finally in business!
Scenes were arranged using minimal props, so as not to distract from the products and also to enhance their use and function… these included cherries, plums, apples, figs with a beautiful dusty bloom and a selection of aged tableware and soft cloths.
As well as knocking up some incredibly tasty treats herself, Emma had also enlisted the help of local chef to help prepare some food to show off serving dishes. Our improvised studio was beginning to smell heavenly as more and more food was brought in to photograph!
Around four hours later, and with the majority of the scenes ticked off, Emma suggested that we take a break and dive in to some of the delicious food that was piling up on the nearby table. And dive in, we did!
Usually on a photoshoot, catering extends to some instant coffee and a stick of chewing gum… I was well and truly spoiled on this occasion, and much like the post-Christmas-lunch-slump it was pretty tricky to rev myself back into action for the afternoon session.
During the next session, we fired through lots of the new products and just managed to squeeze everything in before the light quality aged in the late afternoon. I had a really productive day's shooting and enjoyed a great collaborative process with Emma to create some eye-catching promotional images.
To see more about these beautiful products from Wonki Ware and Musango, visit: https://musango.net
Find out more about my commercial photography service in my dedicated section of the website: Commercial Photography