A friend of mine is making these incredable old replicas. And I have promised to help him make a website, - and in that process, I've been taking some pictures. These are Salt horns, I believe. Britt

I like it that someone is doing fur. I see some spots that confuse me?

smile the horns are placed in front of an old mirror, - and the spots are the texture of the time... the mirror is worn. :)

Especially the light green colored wood!!! Bsteph

I'd have to work with the clone tool to get rid of the black horn, - but here it is, cropped Britt

I'm certainly interested in seeing these horns from other angles in order to get a better understanding of what their function is and how they work, so the image grabs my interest. I do something though, that I'll bet a lot of people do; when I see an image with a mirror in it I study the reflection just to see what else is in the room. In this image I can see a dark blue swatch of cloth (velvet?) and a few other items, so my suggestion would be to somehow obscure those things if they don't fit into the scene. The blue cloth seems to end abruptly at least. The spots on the mirror on the far left did at first look like defects in a print or something. The others, closer to the horns, on the right, were more recognizable as the effects of age. I wouldn't know how to fix the left side spots (tape aluminized mylar to the back of the effected area and reshoot?). I hope that's helpful to you.

I really like the cropped version as an image in itself, showing as it does the grain of the wood, the mirror aged, and the fur in good detail too! Nice job.

I've done a lot of product photography, and my advice is: keeep it simple. Look at catalogs. Everything that you put in the shot will distract from the product. Keep it clear. Any props you use should come in AFTER you've got the shot to work. The background should NEVER detract from the item being sold. Also, make sure the product is the star. Show it as big as you can, but make sure that you show its scale. Don't let anything intrude into the shot. Use a soft warm light. It helps.

I'd like to sound exactly as PunkClown... :)

I'll second that ; D

tch, ignore those heathens that want rid of the spots on the mirror - with an old mirror they are the character to it, the only thing that stops it showing a flawless replica of the present and forgettng it's age and origins.... Brilliant pic, love the mixture of the textures. And yeah, what exactly are salt horns? Like, water cannisters for salt or summik? (",)

I like the cropped version a bit better, partly because it emphasizes on the texture a little more... It's a very nice arrangement, mainly because of all the different textures involved.

Look, I know that the shag stuff is nice looking, and the mirror is great, but you are missing the point. The point of the photo is to illustrate the product. Take a good look at the catalogs that you have lying around the house; simple does it. Where you do see a complicated product shot, you can be sure that it took days, if not weeks to shoot. There is a photographer, his assistants, an art director, a stylist, or two, an account rep, and maybe even a printer involved. My advice, use a simple paper sweep, one light up front to the side, and some reflector cards to open up the shadows. Take a look at the picture. It's as simple as I could make

Interesting point about product illustration, & a very good example, but one thing I notice is how much more complicated product illustration has become as if every product you buy will create a whole new wonderful life for the consumer!! As this is primarily a texture discussion I guess the salt horns are secondary ; D

Wow. BEYOUTiful stuff. Thanks Britmaccary! I love it. The fur really helps bring a special feeling to the salt canteens. And the wood is especially special! Kurka-Brit was taking some pictures for her sole benefit. I don't think the item is for sale. Although I believe you are right in general that IF the canteens were to be sold on the website perhaps a different photo would have been better; BUT on the other hand I have plenty of catalogs which show the item being sold with a background which corresponds and supports it. For example. See above. Bsteph

W O W !!!!! AND a FREE Border Edger?!? Gee, ain't that JUST what everyone wants!?! lol - yeah, sorry Kurka (I dunno, ganging up on a newbie?!?) welcome to our normally placid forum!!! Your pic is good, and does demonstrate entirely the point you're making, but as Bev states, the original picture is to demonstrate the texture rather than the product - two cold bowls of soup would have make the picture entirely as valid in it's suggestion, but a) wouldn't have looked as nice and b) made us think Britt was going mad. (madder? lol) Actually, the very fact I've use cold soup as a comparison casts doubt upon my sanity too, I guess....... (",)

As You Wonder on through Life, Brother, Whatever be your Goal, Keep your Eye Upon the Doughnut, And not Upon the Hole. -HoJo. I thought the guy wants to sell dohickies. -Nando

But I like donut holes. Taste great and less filling plus they're cheaper! I suppose I misunderstood too. I thought she was just sharing the picture of some salt canteens! Also that was a good picture Kurka!!! Do you want a garden tiller also? Bsteph