These days I tend to ruminate on an idea for days, sometimes weeks before I finally pick up the camera to make the photo. Coming up with ideas is my biggest challenge when I am wanting to use my DSLR, followed by coming up with the right light for that shot. But here’s something interesting: I find myself taking more and more images with my cell phone these days but don’t necessarily publish them.

Good topics you two discussed.

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I take your question at face value that we are not talking about all that is thought about up to the point of taking the photo. I spend more time analyzing what I want to shoot than actually shooting it.

First I make a conscious effort to see the finished image in my head. Not just at the point of exposure, but all the way through to presentation (after post processing).

When I am ready, my first thought goes to subject/background interplay. Do I want the subject to be a part of the world or separate from it? This helps me determine lens selection. Short lenses put my subject in the scene, long lenses put the subject in front of the scene.

Lens selection made, I then have to understand what that will do to my DoF. Depth of Field is the first technical issue I believe we must decide first. Shutter speed can be crucial on some occasions, but that is not often in my kind of photography.

After DoF, I begin to compose the scene and make sure of all the elements within it. This examination – the ‘sketching’ part I will usually do without any lighting. Just raw image on screen to help me determine the exact point of the camera.

Once that is decided, I build my lighting. From a simple bounce card to a complex, multi-strobe shot, I build it in the place I have chosen, with the parameters I have chosen to help guide me. One light at a time, starting with the main, and finishing with any specials I may want on the background. Cutters, scrims, cukis and more are then introduced.

At that point I am ready to begin the shoot, fairly confident that I will get the image I saw in my head before I even reached for my camera.

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I think that many of the story-telling elements (colors, symbols, etc.) are very much a cultural thing. A color, for example, can have different “meanings” depending on the culture.

I have become more and more aware of telling a story in my images. I found that some of my “creative” images lacked something. It turns out, it was the story. I have tried sketching image ideas, but more often than not, I go through a shot in my head (sometimes for several days), from all different angles. I jot down anything I need to remember, like getting certain props.

When I actually set up the shot – a commercial product shot – the first thing I do is place the product where I want it (initially, anyhow). Then I need to choose my lens (camera choice isn’t difficult, as I only shoot product with my DSLR). Do I want a shallow of deep depth of field? How much of the product is to be in focus (usually all of it).

Then I decide on the angle: High? Low? Straight on? Are there details of the product that limit my choice of angle? (like a detail on the top of a perfume bottle or something).

If props are to be added, I add them one at a time, until I get the “scene” as I want it. During this phase, I may even have moved the Product a couple of times to better suit the scene. Then I sticky-tack things in place as necessary.

Unless the light was one of the actual elements of the scene (like the shaft of light is in your meat/pantry image), I now consider the lighting. I don’t have many lights, so my lighting is usually fairly simple, and I work with lots of reflectors.

The shot itself takes no time at all…usually. I spend LOTS of time setting things up, checking details, wrinkles, dust, etc. before I get to the real shooting. I do take shots during the setup, to see how it looks on a “flat screen”. Viewing a scene with your own eyes – in 3D – it might look wonderful, but translated to the 2D flatness of a computer screen, you might lose something. I do that on location as well. I will close one eye to see things “flatly”. It can change a scene drastically.

I shoot with the intent of having to do as little post-processing as possible. Unless I am doing a composite, I usually only need to do minor adjustments and then add a bit of contrast “pop”…and I am finished!

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