Howdy,

On Saturday, I was at Nordstrom and saw this wickedly cool watch that revealed the cogs inside. I’ve been wanting something like that for a while.

In the video tutorial below, I mentioned that I didn’t want to reveal the brand because I didn’t want others to have the same watch 😛 But what the heck… It’s a Kenneth Cole New York Automatic Mesh Bracelet Watch. Go get yourself one!

kenneth cole automatic watch

Pretty.

Makeshift Studio Setup

On Sunday, some college friends graced us with a visit and donuts. They left around 10:30AM for a dog show. Having about one hour before a lunch meeting in Pasadena, I decided to take a photo of myself.

It took about 20 minutes to setup a seamless charcoal backdrop, two lights, a reflector and a chair. I immediately got dressed and took about 10 snap shots. And it took about another minute to edit the final image. The total session was about 30 minutes; leaving just enough time to drive across town.

Since I think Leonardo DiCaprio is super charming on film, I decided to imitate him. Here’s the final juxtaposition.

leonardo dicaprio tag heuer

I’m obviously not as chiseled as him, but it was all for fun. Anyway, I posted this on Facebook and a few people liked the idea of a tutorial. Here it is!

Here are some of my notes.

  • Make sure to have a dark place to shoot because ambient light will affect the exposure
  • I used a large diffuser for the main light to get a soft shadowy cast
  • The two lights are equal in power, but varied in distance (for fill light)
  • Shooting a tight focal length requires a higher f-stop

Below is a video tutorial on the editing part.

Okay, that’s all. I know that this post has nothing to do with marketing, but thought it would be fun to share.

Ciao,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Dear Kenneth Cole – Should you read this, I’ll gladly be your photographer. Have your people call…um, my people.

P.P.S. Dear Leonardo DiCaprio – Should you read this, let’s hang out. Like aforementioned, have your people call…um, my people.

P.P.P.S. Today I was at the driving range. Rather than aiming for 300 yards, I was aiming for the cart collecting balls…missed every time. I need more practice.