DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

How To Photograph A Bokehlicious New Year’s Photo Using Black Paper And An Ironing Board

Dec 17, 2015 by Udi Tirosh 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

alex-bokeh-title

Sometimes it does not take much to create a wonderful shot for new year, it only takes a punched black cardboard and two champagne glasses.

Moldova based Photographer Alex Zatsepin provides a detailed explanation on how he took the photo above using a punched black cardboard, an Ironing board, 3 strobes, and a good understating of how light and lenses work.

This photo, while stands on its own, is even more amazing when you realize the amount of “tricks” that went into making it:

Settings

Gear: Alex was using the Sony a7r II, an old Exaktar 135mm f2.8 lens (which gives a nice long focal length even on full frame cameras) and three strobes.

Lighting Setup: There are three lights on the setup: a big softbox on the back, covered with a punched black cardboard. A strip light on camera right to generate the nice elongated reflection, and a yellow gelled strobe behind the glasses on camera right to provide some champagne back light (you can not light fluids from the front)

zatsepin-alex-bokeh-02

Tricks in the bag

Bokeh Background: This is a cool trick, right? We shared a method for creating a nice bokeh using some crumpled aluminum paper, but it is not as controlled as what Alex did. Alex punched tiny holes on a cardboard and used a soft box to provide light that goes through them. Along with the wide aperture from the Exaktar and the camera to glass to background ratio, the holes were blurred enough to provide a very pleasant bokeh.

zatsepin-alex-bokeh-01

Tilting Glasses: both glasses rested on a small pieces of cardboard. The cardboard is v-shaped and lying on its side. This provides a way to control the glasses tilt. So the more open the V, the more tilted the glass.

Table Top: I know it looks like a table, this is actually an ironing board. Why? because it provides easy means for height adjustments.

Spilling Champagne: If you look at the photo, you’ll notice that the right glass has some spilling champagne. Alex shares how he achieved that: “I poured the champagne, then pushed the edge of one of the cardboard glass holders, and released)”

Final Photo

zatsepin-alex-bokeh-03

Alex Zatsepin is a Moldavian photographer specializing in dark art, fetish, psycho styles. You can see more of his work on his website and Facebook page.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How to make a full body bokehlicious wall Default ThumbnailBokehlicious Splash Shots Default ThumbnailOn Board Flash Snoot Mood board like a boss!

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Alex Zatsepin, bokeh, Champagne, glass

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

« May the Forced Perspective Be with You: How To Shoot a Life Size X-Wing Fighter
How Peak Design Became Kickstarter Ninjas »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy