It’s been a busy couple of weeks since I moved into my new studio and I am glad I finally have time to post a couple of articles. During last week I got a call from Neil Etheridge at CPS to come out and do a video shoot of a new baling machine that they had built and had to send off the his client urgently.
So, armed with 2 DSLRs, a handycam, a GoPro and lots of lights I headed off to his new premises in Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg. Fortunately I had some time to check out the operations of the machine and to see what angles might work. The video is to be a short showcase of how the machine works. I got all the footage I needed, including some nice shots of the new machine, and headed off. This is where the work starts.
I have spent the weekend shifting through the video files to find the pieces to put together. The editing is almost done but most of the work has gone into one particular photo. I needed a wide shot of the whole machine but because there was still so much activity and a lot in the background I decided to take a photo instead of using video.
Lighting was a major challenge on this commercial shoot. I had weak fluorescent lighting from above and an open roller door from one side. The machine is made from stainless steel. Getting a photo to look like the subject is stainless steel is one thing, lighting it so that you can see everything is another. So I used two studio lights and three flashes to get this one just right. This is what the original image looked like. I know it’s pretty bright but I did this knowing that I would be doing major editing on the photo.

After many hours of editing this is the final image that will be used in the video.

Once the video is complete and signed off I will post it. In the mean time here are some shots of the CPS team in action. You can reach CPS through their website at http://conceptpack.net.
Fantastic article Steven . What an amazing transformation of the photograph. Look forward to seeing the video footage.
Regards
NEIL
Thanks Neil. Check your email.