Shooting tabletop stuff is like riding a bike. Once you learn, you can always do it. However, you won’t be able to do any fancy tricks, unless you practice and push yourself on a regular basis.
Back in the middle to late 1990’s, I was a commercial photographer’s assistant. I worked with photographers on catalogs and advertisements for Neiman Marcus, Horchow, JC Penney, The Container Store and several others. I watched, helped and learned how to light, style and shoot a variety of items. I still remember when we shot Fabregé eggs for a catalog… the process was insanely complex and detailed to make them look as expensive as they really were in person.
Of course, I got away from tabletop work. As I started shooting for myself, I developed a knack for lifestyle shots. However, I still get an occasional gig shooting tabletop items (like one shooting several hundred vases for a collector’s museum). That’s why I try to practice different tabletop items… I want to keep these skills fresh. I decided that tonight would be a good night to practice.
