When we were asked to produce some creative product shots for a new client, I thought Challenge accepted! The product was an awesome high end cross country trainer with incredible grip on various surfaces and was to be photographer while not been worn.

I wanted to show multiple surfaces, but from a different perspective so decided to create a quick and dirty land cross section to sit the trainer on.

Here’s how to do it and it only cost a grand total of £10 to build.

What you will need:

• A large plastic box (mine was £6)
• Sand (mine cost £4)
• Duct tape
• Wood, or polystyrene, or any semi ridged sheet material you have laying around
• A saw or jigsaw
• A rock (found mine in our garden)
• Shovel to dig up some soil and grass
• Carving knife
• Spray bottle with water in

Step 1:

Take your box and cut two vertical lines where you want its front to open.

Tape these closed with duct tape

(With foresight, cut a line at the bottom to join both vertical cuts)

Step 2:

Place your rock inside and then cut any semi ridged sheet material (I had some polystyrene to hand) to fit behind the rock. This will create a divide so it will take up less soil and sand to fill it.

I cut this so it fitted snuggly and the duct taped it in.

Step 3:

You need to create some divides for the soil and sand – I had some transparent plastic material lying around, but cardboard, wood or plastic would work just fine.

Cut them and duct tape them in to create compartments

Step 4:

Fill with your materials. I used more pieces of broken polystyrene to at the rear of each compartment so it requires less sand and soil.

I literally dug a small hole in the garden and filled it with that, I saved the worms and popped them at the front and used a carving knife to trim the grass sod.

Step 5:

Place your box where you are going to shoot it, setup your lighting and get ready to open your box front.

TOP TIP:

If you slope your box back backwards the cross sections are less likely to fall out.

I used a bit of wood to do this.

Step 6:

Carefully remove the tape and open the box, I sprayed the surface of the soil and sand to keep it moist. You’ll need to snap out your section or have the foresight to cut between both vertical cuts.

Step 7:

Process and tidy up, by which I mean turn down the visual noise. If it’s light or bright and not adding value to your image, get rid of it!

Here is the Final photo:

About The Author

Simon Ellingworth is the architect of The UK’s premier training centre and hire studio – Amersham Studios.

In 2013, he was a finalist in the ‘International iPhone Photography Awards‘, ‘Mobile Photography Awards‘ & ‘Professional Photographer of the Year‘, previously runner up in ‘Professional Photographer of the Year‘ and ‘Sony World Photography Awards‘.