Don’t forget to capture the details!

When someone lends you a beautiful object to photograph, like this violin, don’t forget to capture the details — all the gorgeous beautiful details.

The setup

Placing a timber look backdrop (printed on Tyvek) on an ottoman in front of my window and staged the scene. I wanted to keep it simple and let the violin shine. I had some vintage sheet music which I arranged on top of the background, placed the violin, some dried eucalyptus leaves and a vintage cast iron candle holder.

Then I placed the violin and bow and arranged everything neatly. I also had a silver reflector bouncing light back into my scene. (Please ignore all the junk in the background).

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The shoot

I was shooting with my Sony a7R III and my Lensbaby Velvet 56. Handheld with ISO 200, I switched between f/2.8 and f/4.5 for the overview shots. I also sneaked in some f/1.6 for some super soft close-ups. My shutter speed stayed above 1/80s the entire time.

I took some overall shots of my staged scene, letting the natural light flood in and wash with gorgeous soft diffused light. I had placed some sheer curtains over my window to often the natural light coming in. It was also late morning so the light coming in via my east facing window was not direct, as the sun was up quite high.

Next, I took some mid-level distance shots, up high, down low and on a 45-degree angle (or thereabouts). I feel it’s important to capture ALL the beautiful details from all angles. Not just one shot and you’re done. Play and experiment. Come back again and again if you can leave your scene setup undisturbed.

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Don’t forget to get in close

I mean really close. I switched to f/1.6 for some super close up shots. The beauty of the Velvet 56 is the macro function and that sweet, sweet velvety blur.

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So next time you step into the studio with something as lovely as this violin, spend a few moments really getting to know it. Look for the details, the best way to capture it to really make a statement piece.