Comments

  1. Great, it’s clearer, and I also rewatched the part where you actually point out that the studio is pitch dark, sorry I missed that. I think I will understand even better when the follow-up video is published!

    Regarding LED:s vs flash, I was asking more in general (watch photography without doing anything with fluorecense).

  2. Hi Karl! I have 2 questions regarding watch photography:

    1. I made test shots for a client one year ago. I had a Canon 6D mk II (26 megapixel full frame) and a Canon 100 mm macro. I also used an extension tube. The client was very pleased with the images. Now I have have a Canon 5ds r (50 megapixel full frame) when I shoot their watches. Since it’s a bigger sensor I chose not to use the extension tube. Do you think it was a right decision, or is it irrelevant?

    2. I will shoot watches for this client regularly. I work from home in a room that is about 2,5 meters in all directions. I use flash lights and LED video lights (with reflectors, translucent paper or softboxes). I have money to invest and want to know what is the best use of my money. Would I for example benefit from using studio flash instead of speedlights? Would it improve my workflow and/or quality of the images?

    1. Hi,

      1. That’s largely irrelevant, the only reason to use an extension tube is to gain more magnification. If you are happy with the magnification that you get with just the lens then that’s the best bet, otherwise use the extension tube.
      2. You would benefit from studio lights because of the extra power but mostly because of good modelling lights that allow you to see the effects your lights are having especially when shining them through scrims and moving the lights around in live view as i was doing in this live show.

      1. Thanks Karl, I have now watched the video.

        One thing that I didn’t understand is, how come the 32 s exposure for the fluorescence didn’t blow out everything? Was it possible to focus stack later with that long exposure?

        And also, related to my first question regarding speed lights vs studio flash: Would using LED lights make the end result worse in anyway compared to studio flash? I mean with LED I can work as you do with your modelling light.

        Thanks again for the video, very impressive!

        1. Hi Anders, to help you understand I need to ask you a question please.
          1. You have to ask yourself why would the 32second exposure blow anything as it was shot completely in the dark with the only light being the light from the fluorescent hands added ontop of the initial milisecond burst of studio lighting?

          In regards to your second point this shot wouldn’t be possible with LED lights because unlike studio flash, LED lights are on all of the time and would have blown the entire exposure if they were on for 32 seconds? The difference between my studio lights and LED is that the studio lights only fire their light for a very very brief moment to give me all of the exposure I need and then the rest of the exposure (the 32 seconds) the studio remains completely dark allowing me to only capture the fluorescence. My studio lights provide the burst of flash and also have a modelling lamp but I can turn the modelling lamps off so that the lights only provide the burst of flash which is what I did in this live show. If I had to do this with LED continuous lights I would of had to work out what the exposure was and then had an assistant pull the plug out of the lights at some point so the exposure of just the fluorescence could be continued.

          After the show had finished I continued with my series of focus stack images and I did each shot for 32 seconds with the studio lighting flash. So that i ended up with all of the shots with the watch exposed correctly and the fluorescent hands and all of the focus points. In a show later this year I will put all of those shots together and show a full retouch. Let me know if there is anything that isn’t clear.

          1. Great, it’s clearer, and I also rewatched the part where you actually point out that the studio is pitch dark, sorry I missed that. I think I will understand even better when the follow-up video is published!

            Regarding LED:s vs flash, I was asking more in general (watch photography without doing anything with fluorecense).

          2. Hi Anders, I’ve used both LED and studio flash but for me I always prefer studio lighting flash for it’s versatility and power and the fact you can also shoot moving objects like models for fashion too.

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