Image of the Week: Coffee SplashA lot of people have asked me how I got this shot. This image is actually the result of three separate exposures: one for the coffee cup, another for the column of pouring coffee, and a final capture for the splash. Getting one capture in-camera of this same scene would have taken many, many more hours, several gallons of coffee, and a box full of branded cups. As it is, I was able to shoot the entire thing in just a couple of hours using the only printed cup I had and a single pot of coffee. By compositing the best elements of different captures, not only was I able to save a great deal of time in the studio, but I was able to provide the client with a layered Photoshop file that allows them to selectively display each of the elements: if they want just the cup and the splash, they can turn off the layer with the pouring coffee. If just the pour is needed, off goes the splash. The lighting is pretty straightforward: two Nikon SB-26 flashes, dialed to their lowest power setting to produce the shortest flash duration, were on lightstands just underneath the table surface and pointed up and back to bounce into a white reflector to create a clean, white background. The front was lit with two Hensel monolights bounced into umbrellas. Have questions or comments? Send me an email. Technical DataCoffee Splash was photographed with a Nikon D300 and a 105mm ƒ/4 manual focus Micro-Nikkor lens. Overall exposure with the studio strobes was ƒ/11. |
Purchase a Fine Art Photographic PrintCoffee Splash is available as an 11"x14" archival pigment print, matted to fit an 16"x20" frame. Each print is signed by the photographer and is accompanied by a display, care, and conservation document detailing the process behind the photograph.This image is also available under a Rights-Managed License for use in your editorial or commercial projects. |

