In his project “Catching the perfect drip”, Nils Wilbert has included an element of dynamism in his product photography.
Nils Wilbert: “This project led me into a bit of a delightful mess as I aimed to capture a striking image of nail polish with enticing drips cascading down the bottle. My vision was to convey dynamism and interest while maintaining clarity and crispness. It was crucial that the dripping nail polish didn't obscure the brand or the essence of the product itself.
Firstly, I prepped the product by attaching a thin metal stick to the back of the bottle using a hot glue gun. This allowed me to hang the bottle sideways, facilitating the pouring of the nail polish and enabling me to adjust its angle with ease.
Moving on to the lighting setup, I employed a technique reminiscent of one demonstrated by Urs Recher and Karl Taylor in a tutorial on the broncolor website. Here's how I approached it: I meticulously positioned the product and my camera to achieve the desired framing. Placing a Siros 800 S with a Softbox at a distance behind the product ensured a bright reflective contour surrounding the nail polish. To maintain authenticity, I suspended a background cut to size, echoing the hues of the nail polish, creating a cohesive visual narrative. For the main lighting, I positioned a Unilite with a 30x120 Softbox hanging from above the product, with a diffusion panel in between for softening the light. Additionally, I placed a diffusion panel below the product at a 45-degree angle and positioned another Siros 800 S with a Softbox behind it. Seeking to add dimension, I introduced a Siros 800 S with a standard reflector from the right side, accentuating the background. However, wanting to infuse some hardness into the soft lighting, I added a Pulso G with a P70 reflector and a medium honeycomb grid as a backlight. This created a striking key light on the bottle's lid and glass. Additionally, a Picolite with a fresnel attachment on the right side produced a sharp reflection in the nail polish drops.
With the setup complete, it was time to pour the nail polish over the product—a challenging task that required careful experimentation with a syringe until the drops began to roll down. Capturing the perfect moment was crucial, and I photographed a variety of dripping drops to achieve the desired effect, ultimately combining them in post-processing using Photoshop.”
