That zipper necklace photo... part 1.

This was a fun shoot to art direct and shoot, retouching not so much. This started at Pacific Trimming ( 218 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018) where I was overwhelmed by the cost and selection of zippers. Who knew that there were so many options? After much back and forth, and some questions the staff got me what I needed to build the set for this jewelry photo.

Building out the set was another set of new challenges. At first I started building on standard white 1/4” foam core but because the zippers were black the background foam core created distraction. Honestly, I would have needed an additional dozen zippers to build out a small jewelry set on white. Switching to black foam core allowed me to create deeper set that would give me more depth and fall off in the image without investing in more props.

To light the set I used Elinchrom strobe lights an impact beauty dish that was heavily feathered. By feathering the contrasty beauty dish light I was able to create deep shadows on what was a shallow set. Those deep shadows really allow the jewelry pop off the dark background.

In the next part I’ll go over my tethering and important aspects of creating this image.

Nicholas Kirkwood in studio, 2017

Recently I’ve been asking myself what is so appealing about making images in the studio. Natural light is beautiful and creates a texture that is unparalleled. It is as fickle as it beautiful. From moment to moment it challenges your technical abilities. While the risk is proportional to the reward with letting nature provide the illumination, I prefer the crisp snap of a studio strobe any day.