TILT_DSC_9363c
Feb, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
In my basement in Maine, where I have table set-up just for still-lifes.Time
It was fairly late at night. There was a blizzard howling outsideLighting
. I wanted to see if I could get an interesting shot using a broken wine goblet. I purchased a couple small lilies from a local flower shop and tried different arrangements using a single light. I used an LED flashlight, one that focuses to a sharp edge like a spot light and I shined it through a cut-glass candy dish. (the flashlight was slightly tilted up by placing a ballpoint pen under the front of it) I set this up as a horizontal image because my background paper is longer that way, I moved the goblet with the lily in it until I liked the light-streaks and shadows I was getting.Equipment
. I had my Nikon D700 on a tripod and used a Nikkor 35-105 manual-focus zoom at almost the 35mm end. (The lens has a 1:4 macro ratio. More than ample for this close-up focus.). The exposure was f22 at 1/4th second, ISO 400. Exposure compensation set to underexpose .7 of an f-stop. The white balance was on "auto", which I have had good luck with these LED flashlights. (I usually only have to slightly adjust the color in the computer.)Inspiration
The impetus for this image was the accidental breaking of the wine goblet. (I didn't want to go to waste.)Editing
As I mentioned, I slightly adjusted the color balance and also slightly darkened the image using my software's gamma control. I'd always intended the shot to be a vertical, so I rotated it 90 degrees counter-clockwise and cropped-off the (now) right hand edge to help emphasize the length of the shadows.In my camera bag
A Nikon D700 (although I hope to upgrade to a used D800 soon). My Nikkor AF 24-120 f4.5 is usually always on my camera. I also carry a Nikkor AF 18-24, A Sigma AF 70-300, A Nikkor AF 60mm micro, and a Tamron teleconverter. A small Vivitar flash unit. Also a 3'x7' mylar blanket (gold on one side, silver on the other) as a compact reflector, and the usual assortment of extra CF cards, battery packs and lens tissues.Feedback
If you are trying to shoot still-lifes, EXPERIMENT ! Try a variety of subjects, backgrounds, and lighting/lighting sources.
