Photography Theory and Practice - Darkfield and Brightfield

Darkfield
Darkfeild photography is a technique which is usually used when photographing products, the way it is set up, the product or model will be in the center, behind the product or the model will be a black or dark canvas, there will also be 2 dark or black canvases place diagonally in front of the product or model, there is gaps left in between the dark canvas which allow the light to get in the shot and shine of the product or model. because the light gets in to the shot that's what makes it so useful for taking photos of products because it captures it well enough to stand out against a black background.

 

Karl Taylor - Product Photographer
Karl Taylor is a product photographer from the UK who is famous for product photography, during product photography he has used the Darkfield technique.

  
  


Brightfield

Brightfield photography like Darkfeild photography is mainly used for advertising and promoting products although unlike Darkfield, bright field is filled with light which in some ways makes the product standout more for the view to see all of it. Brightfield is set up with 2 snoots being aimed at a plain white backboard; this creates a contrast between the product and the background making it stand out more. In product photography this technique is the one most used because it allows the viewer to see the whole product very clearly and easier.

 

Nori Inoguchi - Product Photographer

Like Karl Taylor, Nori Inoguchi is a product photographer who uses both Darkfeild lighting and Brightfield lighting.

   


My Examples

The photos above were my first attempt at dark field photography, I set a light up behind a wall that was behind the main focus and there were also two more walls either side of the main focus, there were holes in between where the walls would join to let the light through. I started by setting up two objects which were the main focus, I set my camera up with a low ISO, my Aperture was on 10 and the shutter speed was at 1/125, I set it up like this so that the photo would only focus on the main focus which was the jar and the marble. A problem with this though is that I took so of the photos while slightly moving which cause the final outcome of the photo to be a bit blurry.

I set up the main focus with two walls on either side of it and a plain white wall behind it with a light facing it. I then set my camera up the same as the dark field on a low ISO, 10 aperture and a shutter speed which was in 1/125, this is so that there is still a lot of light passing through the lens so that it makes the main focus stand out against the background and all the textures and details are captured.