My Sunday at Rayko

Yesterday, I spent the day at Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco. I had signed up for a class but wasn't sure I'd get in....then I got the call I'd wanted....you're in. Sweet.

Sunday morning was grey and miserable, spots of pouring down rain paired with spots of sunshine carried me to the city. At quarter till, I rolled into Rayko, so excited for this class. Their entryway has couches and gallery walls where they feature photographers' works. They offer classes and a darkroom and mat cutters and computers and anything your photographer's heart desires.

Studio Lighting for Product Photography kicked off at 10am. I was enthralled the entire way. This class solidified my passion for photography and my intentions to pursue it more actively. We learned how strobe kits work. We learned how to use a light meter. We learned how to play with light and manage reflections. Here is an example of our bottle setup:

--The tent is made out of translucent diffusion gel.
--The c-stand is above the camera, holding the top of the gel.
--There are two strobes on either side of the tent, equidistant from the bottle for a symmetrical reflection.
--There is a light shining down on the back side of the bottle to illuminate the liquid.
--The top soft box is pointing on the background to create a gradient of grey
--The black cards on the sides prevent the side lights from spilling onto the background.
--The mirrors behind the bottle illuminate the liquid even more.
--We held a mirror near the lens to brighten the label.
--Meter, meter, meter.
--Shoot.
--I'll post the final shot here when I pull it off the camera.


What an incredible day. I had such an awesome time, networked with other photographers, and will continue my quest to go pro.

The final photo after two hours of setup!

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