During the COVID-19 lockdown, I decided to do as a challenge (time challenge that us) a continuing education class in which there are weekly assignments. I’ve shot a lot of product, and this week’s assignment was on tools.
I decided to shoot a laser level I bought that has plumb and level beams. The challenge was how best to represent those, and I decided to experiment with 2 approaches.
The case itself was fairly standard fare. The product was designed with a hard glossy plastic case, so that’s how it needs to be presented. Using large scrims alongside each side with a strip box illuminating them from behind, with a small (since the product is small) soft box overhead, showed the glossy nature yet with a nice gradient.
The beams had to be done in post.
The first approach was to illustrate them as lines, with the second more of a “plane of light,” which might be more accurate but I don’t think conveys the idea as well.
As always, lighting details on Flickr.