I need an assistant.
Yet again tonight I wanted to try something, but found myself stretched out in the kitchen with one part of my body in shot and one part trying to fire the camera. Uncomfortable, but in a good way…
Earlier in the week I’d tried shooting a picture of coins pouring from a jar. But the lighting had sucked and it took a lot of messing to even get something pretty awful. It was bugging me until I realised I was using the light all wrong.
In the original shot I’d set up a light in a reflector which was actually softening the light and creating all manner of texture in the background. So I changed and this is just a single flash gun in all it’s bare light glory.
The light itself is sitting to the left of the frame, slightly higher than my hand. From memory it’s at 1/4 power and about 50mm. The image was shot at 47mm, f/22 1/250sec (God I love my 24-105 f4).
The shot has been lightened slightly in photoshop and had a little sharpening applied.
I also moved the coin as it was further to the left in the picture and I felt it was disconnected from the rest of the image.
Kind of fun to set up and play with this sort of thing. Hopefully it also fits the requirements for the next camera club competition which is all about motion.
As usual, thoughts and comments appreciated!
Peoples Photography in Dublin last weekend was a great opportunity to sit back and watch the world and to look at the sort of photos I’d produced over the last year.
It’s interesting to see them all in one place and actually have time to study them. Even before Dermot commented, I noticed I’ve moved more into the realms of post processing images and that the maybe for me the means is becoming more important than the end.
I also noticed I have a tendency to end up with high contrast photography. I like deep tone ranges it produces.
It’s also interesting that this is my third Peoples Photography and it was the first I felt comfortable watching people look at my photos.
It’s a good way to close off a years photography. I’d recommend it.
The jury is still out on this photograph, but it’s an image I’d planned and as such I’m quite happy with it.
Ever since I took the picture of the toy box I’ve been toying* with taking more photos of things like kids dolls with slightly more morbid images embedded somehow. I could get all twee and talk about how childhood is but a step towards blah blah blah. But let’s be honest, I just thought they’d be fun to do…
The setup here was reasonably simple, doll and mirror on a black cloth with a black background and strobe diffused from camera right parallel to the mirror (pointing to the doll, not the mirror). Then, swap the doll for the death figure and a little merging later…
Like I said at the start, the image was one I’d planned. It may actually be the first image I ever drew a lighting diagram for. If I was to do it again, I might try to put a reflector on camera left to lift the left side of the doll, but I’m not sure to be honest.
*Puntastic!
I always wanted to know what sort of chickens laid the chocolate eggs?
That aside, this was shot in a soft box using constant lighting. Actual real lighting as opposed to improvised desk lamps or flashes or such. The kit itself is a loaner and I don’t think I break confidences by saying it was a bit of an ebay special so could be better, but if I ever do go back to micro stock this is ideal for that sort of isolation photography – you can post process an image pretty efficiently as the starter out of the camera is pretty damn close.
Anyway, I’m getting chocolate on my keyboard. Have a good Easter.
“Not as clumsy or random as a blaster…”
OK. I did it. I made a Jedi reference. But, I guess this truly is a weapon for a more civilised time.
I spent a lot of time tonight playing with how to make the background more black and less, well crap I guess. Long and short of it is I had the sword to close to the background which meant it was impossible to isolate in camera. My photoshop skills just aren’t up to the challenge.
Still, I thought I’d share.
While taking these my 4 year old daughter asked who owned the sword. When I told her she asked “Does he use it to go on adventures?” You know, I think he might was all I could say.
A long time ago I was loaned a sword. It’s sat in my care for some time without me ever taking a photo of it. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the subject, I’m fascinated by swords – Personally I think the world lost some of its beauty and honour when we stopped muzzle loading.
I didn’t take a photo of it because I was scared or it. It truly is a thing of beauty. It probably deserves a better still life photographer than me to do it justice.
But since I need to give it back, I decided I needed to try. And for the next few nights I will try, try and try again.
Thanks for kicking my arse on this Geoff.
I have been mostly eating
And playing with Mono Conversions…
One of the nice things about having photography as a hobby is that if you don’t pick up the camera a lot for a few weeks it doesn’t cost you anything.
Apart from a frantic weekend sorting pictures for my brother, I haven’t been taking a lot of pictures recently. Lots of reasons for it, but none worth wasting your time with. Interestingly, even though I wasn’t taking pictures, I was still reading other websites and magazines. I guess I’m still addicted to the camera.
Anyway, I picked up an unusual button flower vase at a recent craft fair. It made an interesting subject, so I thought I’d see if I could do something with it. Rather than break out light stands and umbrellas and reflectors I decided to see if I could just light it with available light…
So, these shots are lit with some halogen spots under my kitchen units and reflected with either a piece of A4 paper or a 60watt desk lamp. As basic as you could get.
I guess I could reshoot this and remove the highlights by diffusing the light some. But I kind of like them on it. It gives the image a more rounded effect or something
And in black and white…
As usual, thoughts on a postcard, or a comment box, or an email.
This was an experiment with light from a few weeks back. The objects were set on a table on top of and in front of a black cloth.the camera was tripod mounted and pre-focused then the lights were turned out. On a 30 second exposure in the dark, individual objects were lit for a few seconds with an old torch.
Nice neat way to get interesting lighting.
Happy Halloween…