This blog is all about my own process for when I need to take a selection of images to use for my own social media promotional material. Most of my social media images are taken from set photography sessions.

For my own marketing strategy, I like to plan each month with, yearly food days, well-being or holiday days into my calendar so that I can upload a photo for the set occasion or celebration.

This shooting process was to take a selection of photographs that can be used to represent #DrinkWineDay

One of my 1st tasks for each shoot is to decide what type of photograph I wish to take, this would mean, the angle, colouring, positioning and composition that I prefer.

I also like to complete some visual research to help make these decisions and here are some of the image examples that have influenced this shoot set of ideas.

From completing my visual research you can see that I have made my first decision, by deciding to shoot these images as a flat lay photograph.

The colouring and props that I will use will be in the colour pink as the wine I will photograph is Rosa Wine.

To keep with this theme for colour and linking with my wine theme. I will be using set coloured flowers to add to the set background, see below for the props that I will be using.

1. Image idea

To set this type of image up, I am using my pink marble background and I will angle my camera so that the camera is angled downwards so that you can see the top and part of the bottom of each glass.

I positioned the studio light at a low angle toward the two glasses of wine.

Theory - Side lighting is light that falls on a subject at roughly ninety degrees to the camera. This means that one side of a subject will be lit and the other side will be in shadow.

I have positioned the studio light so that the light is higher than the object, but still at the side and to spread the light, so the light is softer, I have diffused the light with a white oblique umbrella.

Final edited image example for this set-up

For the second photograph for this setup, I moved the angle of the camera so that I am shooting a flat-lay image.

Final examples for this camera angle.

2. Image idea

For this setup, I have limited my own props to a single glass of wine and one bottle of wine.

I have angled the camera from the top, to keep to the format of flat lay, but I angled the camera a little lower so that you can see the side part of the glass.

Theory - A flat lay is simply an image shot directly from above, a bird's eye view of an array of carefully arranged objects.

One thing I have to consider when forming this composition is the position of the objects to each other. Firstly I wished to balance the size of the bottle to the glass of wine. As these are different sizes I have filled up the negative space with my extra props of flowers and buds.

Theory -

• Negative space is the area surrounding the main subject in a photograph that is left unoccupied. Put simply, it is the space around the object itself that helps define the positive space

• Balance in photography is observed when an image has subject areas that look balanced throughout the composition

Here are some edited examples on the bottle, wine glass and some garnish of flowers, with flowers used to frame parts of the image.

These next set of images show the use of harsh shadowed lighting and I have used the flowers to cast shadow patterns over the composition, to help occupy the negative space within the photograph.

THEORY -

The lighting option used in these photographs is referred to as shadow lighting photography. While light makes an image seem bright and cheerful, shadows can be used to convey strong emotions. They can also be used to add a sense of mystery, and drama to a composition.

I have re-positioned the flower props and included further flower buds and petals. You can see in all my images, I have played with three main colours for the flowers and these are yellow, pink and white. I have used yellow to break up the complementary colouring of the background, wine and pink buds.

Here are the two final edited images from this session

If You Would Like To Have More Information And Learn More, Then Please Give Me Some Blog Suggestions In The Comments Below Or Arrange A 1:1 Photography Session With Myself.

thank you for reading my blog

If You Enjoyed This Blog, Then Please Sign Up For My Regular Blog Newsletter.

Please leave any comments or subject suggestions that you would wish for me to cover on the subject of Photography.

Thank you for reading.