Dutton Plastics is a company very widely known for all sorts of plastic products they manufacture. Louise Diesel Photography had done product shots for Dutton before, where we photographed some plastic products on their plumbing side. Dutton asked for our services again, this time to photograph products of a different division, the caps and lids they produce for many household products: products we sue on our homes every day.

Photographing products do require some skill, as products, especially cans and tins have a certain shape to them, and with the wrong type of lighting, the shape fall away leaving a flat image with no dimension. Consumers want to recognize a shape, want to know that a can is round, and see that a lid has grooves if that is the case. It brings back a sense of almost touching the product, knowing that is has some texture, and strategic lighting is used to create that effect.

We enjoyed photographing Dutton Plastics’ products, it turned out to be very much an artistic, creative challenge, and playing with light is what we like to do. It’s a medium that can be manipulated and used in endless ways to create striking effects. Photography is all about what light is available to use, and how the photograph will use that for appealing images, and when product shots are involved, to create a great product that the client will be proud of to display on their website, brochures, or in any printing media.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Professional Product Photography 

Photographing products, takes quite a lot of patience, and a keen eye to be able to see what your light does to the subject. Photography is all about bringing the 3^rd dimension back, because something that has a texture, or a shape, or a smell or taste, can’t be experienced in a flat medium such as a photographed, so our “toy” to play with in our profession, is light – we bend it, shape it, feather it, make it darker and lower-key or lighter and high-key, and light is the essence of how we create images with dimension.

To photograph any round shape, one uses the light its feather and fall-off to create a shape, and show the texture and grooves of something such as a bottle cap. Flat lighting works well with bigger families, as we would rather want to concentrate on getting all the people involved, getting them to smile and have a great time with their children and loved ones, there isn’t time to fiddle with lights. The moment the shoot gets more technical, we use lighting that is more side-on, or from an angle that will create a stripe down a bottle’s side, or a nice highlight on a can’s cap for example.

Dutton Plastics had a range of their products recently photographed by us, and it was quite a creative challenge, to photograph the bottle- and can caps they produce in their plastic division. Caps come in all shapes and sizes, and Dutton Plastics is a company that has been supplying many manufactures with caps of all sorts of products we use in our households every day. We had some fun photographing them, and creating all sorts of interesting arrangements with the different sorts.

Yolandi Jacobsz & Riani Labuschagne

Product Photography

In all magazines, and brochures, products are found, and those products – have to be photographed. It’s dreadful to see great products and the supplier or salesperson did not take the time and effort to have had a good photograph taken. We treat product-photography; just as we would any other type of photo shoot – professionally, and to the best of our ability, knowing we have good camera equipment and decent lighting set-ups.

Many products have shapes to them, or a certain way the name has to be represented, so we make sure have a clear idea from the client on what they would need, and what would they want the product to project. Lighting plays a big role on photographing any sort of products, as it is the one thing that would give it dimension, and bring out the shape, if that is the goal, best.

Mostly products are shot on a white background, so that it could be used later on brochures or in advertisements, so we keep it simple, and then tweak and fiddle with the light, to make sure the product is correctly lit, in what suits the client’s vision for the product best.

We treat these types of shoots with as much precision as we possible have, knowing that these images will probably be used in types of media or press. We find it a great challenge to make the best of our skill, and your product come together, to give the client satisfying results, images you would be proud to display

Yolandi Jacobsz

 Professional Photography

I had the privilege of doing some photos for the professional hairdressers form Snazzy Hairsalon in Meyersdal (south of JHB)  They are entering into the GoldWell colouring competition and it is all about the colour and setting a new trend…  (Sounds very funky with a trip to Paris at stake   )  The haridressers did a fantastic job on both hairmodels, with

last minute faffing and all. J  Good luck ladies! Take me with to Paris if you win…

Riani

I love to capture photos of people in their natural environment, where they are everyday and doing what they do every day.  In the industry it is called environmental portraiture.  So, Hand in Hand South-Africa empowers women in rural villages by giving them the means to start their own entrepreneurial business and then helping them out as well as following up.

This is where we were contacted to go with them to Rustenburg where they have a few of these initiatives up and running and needed some environmental portraiture of these peoples everyday lives for a case study.

There is something utterly humbling about doing work like this.  You meet people who don’t have a lot but because they are grateful have done a lot with what they have.  Even though

there is a language barrier you still manage to communicate with knowing eyes and smiles which radiates proudness.  These women are able to support their families in such a way that will teach their children the ways of life.  And being able to work, supports and challenges them in such a way that they are proud to show us their hard work.

Going through these photos just makes me smile…  The personality of every person in the photographs, what they think of their work, how hard they work to support their families and exactly how proud and grateful they are to have been given this opportunity. ( and of this crazy photographer sitting on her bum in the muddy (and wet) vegetable garden… )

Riani

“Sinzinani Day Spa & Beauty Salon is an urban sanctuary, nestled between the Klipriversberg mountain range, set inside a true African bush setting at Thaba Ya Batswana, South of Johannesburg.” – Taken from their website

If you are looking for that “out of Africa”, in the City pampering experience, then come and discover the place where relaxation and stress reduction are the ways of life…

I have spent a day at Sinzinani day spa and man oh man, did we have a good time.  Their therapists are highly-qualified and very professional and best of all the day is all about rejuvenating your body and mind.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Taking commercial photos for a spa can be quite tricky as there isn’t always natural light available and this forces you to make your exposures longer and use professional

photography equipment like a tripod and a Canon 5D mkii (which we love to use).  Firstly we had to get our model to settle in comfortably (if you don’t feel comfortable, the photo won’t look comfortable).  Then make sure you get the shots which the client requires from you but don’t forget to do a few creative spa shots either.

Commercial photography involves a lot of planning before you can even consider taking the actual photo.  Make sure that you have a sit-down meeting with your client to discuss their vision and needs for this commercial photoshoot.  What is possible and how do they want to use the specific commercial photograph.

Lastly, push your boundaries and have fun!

Riani

Modelling is all about looks and attitude… and “A” has tons of both   You need to be able to own a certain look and change in an instant.  A professional modelling portfolio is the most
important tool any model can own.  This is something you use to market yourself in any field of modelling.  Be it photographic, ramp modelling etc.  The challenge in photographing

professional models is to do something different and working in sync with your model.  You need to make them feel comfortable and sexy and this is when the true model will reveal themselves…  An awesome modelling portfolio speaks volumes about the model and the photographer.

Riani