When CMG Technologies asked me to photograph their latest piece, a stainless steel bust of King Charles III, I knew it would be an unusual and rewarding commercial job. I’m a commercial photographer based in Suffolk, and this was a project with real detail to do justice to.
CMG Technologies is a Suffolk engineering firm known for metal injection moulding (MIM) and metal 3D printing, with clients across several industries and international recognition for its work and its four-day week.
To mark the coronation, the team printed the bust in their CMG Tech-X 316L stainless steel filament on a 3DGence MP260x printer, using a 0.5mm nozzle at 135°C. It went through a 24-hour acetone debinding process, was sintered at 1265°C, then tumble and magnetic polished to its final finish.
My brief was to capture that finish and detail, and to take a headshot of Dr Samuel Wilberforce holding the printed bust.
Lighting is everything in product photography, so I started there. I settled on softboxes and diffused light for even illumination that brought out the steel’s sheen without harsh reflections. For composition I worked across a range of angles and focal lengths, wide shots for the whole piece and close-ups for the face and crown.
For Dr Wilberforce’s headshot I used a complementary setup, professional but approachable, catching his expression as he held the bust.
In editing I kept the colours and details true to life so both the bust and the headshot showed the craftsmanship that went into them. It was a genuine pleasure to work with CMG Technologies and Dr Samuel Wilberforce on a piece that marks a moment in history.
The project was featured in Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine: https://lnkd.in/eiRmVGP4.
I’m Bob Foyers, commercial photographer at Foyers Photography, Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Suffolk. Whether you need to mark an event or show a product at its best, I’m happy to help.
See more about my product photography for Suffolk businesses.
