Post number 300!
Last Monday, I published my 300th post. Since starting the @watchstudies account officially on December 19th, 2020, I think I've missed at most 2 days of not posting – both times due to travel – but have otherwise posted at least once every single day. Even for a very active and engaged community like the watch community, that's a lot of content.
Not surprisingly, there were days where creating anything good felt like an impossible task. In my post about overcoming creative blocks, one of the suggestions I offered was to practice what you know. The key benefit of this exercise is that you already have the foundational recipe to work with, which in turn minimizes the ambiguity in the task and intended outcome.
Essentially, by simply following some pre-defined steps, you can help get the creative juices flowing. Even with nothing new added, you'll have some great work to show for the effort. But more often than not, you'll find your creative intuition kicks in at some point and you'll naturally adapt a basic recipe into a masterpiece of your own.
Anatomy of a table shot.
For me, getting to 300 posts without a burnout had a lot to do with relying on these fundamental shot recipes. The way I see it, every photo is a derivative of some other basic style of shot. And so, by having these pre-defined templates accessible, you can give yourself a powerful stage to jump off from too. Where you go from there is up to you.
For today's tutorial, I wanted to re-visit 8 of the watch shot recipes I've written for Study Club over the last 9 months. Whether you're on your 3rd post, or your 3000th, I figured it never hurts to get back to the basics. Enjoy!
This week's challenge
Share your go-to watch shot when you need a little creative boost, or try one from today's list! Don't forget to tag your shot with #watchstudies to share it with the community!
8 shot recipes to get the the creative juices flowing
A shot recipe is simply a style of shot distilled into a series of repeatable steps and techniques. Follow them to a T or improvise to your heart's delight! A shot recipe is just a template to get you started.
Here are 8 of them to help you get the ball rolling.
The Parrot Shot
Perhaps one of the easiest and most impactful versions of a wrist shot, the parrot shot pulls the viewer in with an angle that looms over the watch owner's shoulders, or sometimes, looks at the watch through the owner's perspective. Named for the perspective a parrot would have looking down from your shoulder, the Parrot Shot technique leverages the folds and layers between the camera and the watch to create layers of depth and directionality.
Tutorial: How to take better wrist shots of your watches
See also: How to take better wrist shots with your phone
The Table Shot
This was the shot that helped me understand the value of depth in product photography. Without depth, a small product like a watch can easily feel very flat and insignificant. By adding depth to the shot, the scene in which the watch sits in feels infinitely more vast and rich with character. The Table Shot provides the perfect canvas for practicing how to create depth. Spoiler alert: it's not hard at all once you break it down.
Tutorial: How to recreate the table watch shot
See also: Shooting watch photography with the iPhone 13 Pro Max
The Flatlay
The effort it takes to make something look candid may be the greatest photographic paradox of our time. But that's true for a lot of well designed things. If the creator spends just enough time to take care of all the little details, all the viewer experiences is a cohesive outcome that looks and feels natural. That, in a nutshell, is what shooting flatlays is all about. Fortunately, by following a few simple guidelines, it's actually quite simple to create a shot where the whole feels greater than the sum of its parts.
Tutorial: 6 tips to improve your watch photography flatlays
See also: How to create beautiful flatlays with spatial relationships
The Pocket Shot
Maybe one the most relatable shot out of today's list, the Pocket Shot captures a candid pose we've all done at some point or another and that, as it turns out, is a pretty great way to showcase a beautiful watch on the wrist. While seemingly simple in concept, the pocket shot can be deceivingly challenging. The difference between a good pocket shot and a great one is also all in the details: the cuff, the folds, the textures, and – dare I say it – the attitude! Once you've got a handle on the recipe though, the pocket shot is a great one to have in the arsenal.
Tutorial: 6 tips to perfect the pocket shot
See also: Shooting watch photography with the iPhone 13 Pro Max
The Jacket Shot
I'm the last person you want to offer fashion advice, but I can't help but admire a good watch and jacket combo. Sleeves and watches may be two peas in a pod, but the Jacket Shot aims to bring the rest of the jacket into the fold as "an expression of style and aesthetic partnership". While I may not be the best judge of fashion when it comes to choosing a jacket to wear, I can offer a few pointers that make a jacket shot more visually engaging. No excuses here: everyone has a jacket and well, we already know you have a beautiful watch.
Tutorial: How to create the jacket watch shot
The Duffel Bag Shot
What we carry with us is a reflection and extension of who we are, which is the thought that the Duffel Bag Shot was born out of. Both a form of expression and an exercise of escapism (for all of us missing travel lately), the Duffel Bag Shot is a playful look at what you'd take with you– watch, gear, and all – whatever your destination may be. Storytelling, depth, and all your favorite things: this is a shot recipe that can easily launch a thousand ideas.
Tutorial: How to create the duffel bag watch shot
The Book Shot
There are few other products more versatile than a book when it comes to props that complement a watch. Stack them, lay them down, open them up – the possibilities feel infinite (apparently you can read them too...). As such, the Book Shot lends itself well to the theme of powerful jumping off points for creativity. Like the Jacket Shot, you likely already have everything you need to attempt a Book Shot, which makes it the perfect go-to when you're trying to warm up the creative muscles.
Tutorial: 8+ creative ways to use books in watch photography
The Once Upon a Hand Shot
Popularized and arguably perfected by the talented @onceuponatimepiece, the aptly named Once Upon a Hand Shot captures a moment of watch admiration that we all know far too well. Framed by the delicate but confident grip of a hand, the Once Upon a Hand Shot is a beautiful showcase of depth, texture, and the character that makes every hand unique. Swap the watch, switch the backdrop, change the grip – there are countless ways to make this shot recipe your own.
Tutorial: How to shoot the 'once upon a hand' watch shot
See also: Hand modeling for watch photography
Your turn!
Share your go-to watch shot when you need a little creative boost, or try one from today's list! Don't forget to tag your shot with #watchstudies to share it with the community!
And if you're made it this far, drop a 🧑🏻🍳 in today's Instagram post!
Thanks for joining this week's installment of Sunday Study Club!