Concave inside convex

[Mike Buckley]

Enough of my studio exercises (at least for today). I am posting this image as my first serious attempt at creatively photographing clear glass. Though I am pleased that this is several steps up from a mere exercise, there are many things about it that I believe are less than ideal, much less perfection. Don't let that stop you from being critical, as your critique will help me improve.

If you're interested in understanding the basics of how this image is made, refer to Bright-Field Decanter and the explanation of using a white translucent background.

[Carl in Louisiana]

I am reading that book also, but have not got to the actual try it stage yet.

Did you deliberately want the two tone background? The glass seems to have turned out really good to me. I have to slow down and practice more and your work is making me want too. Thanks for posting.

[Donald]

My one and only question about this image is that area front and centre immediately in front of the object, that is completely black. Maybe it's just me, but it niggles me and I suppose I'm wondering how it would have been with just a slight hint of light on it? But, that aside, I think it's a fine bit of work on the glass.

[Mike Buckley]

It wasn't that I set out to create the dark background at the bottom of the image though I am content with it. The driving factor was that I was using the most readily available materials that also required the least amount of time to prepare for use as a tabletop. That was a piece of white foam core, as opposed to the clear glass that is used to produce the images in the book. I selected the above image from a series of several exposures because I liked the combination of the drama and the separation of the glass from the background.

Using matrix metering, the exposure compensation in the above image is +0.7. You might prefer the image shown below, produced using an exposure compensation of +1.7. (Or you might prefer something in between the two images.) Notice that the bottom area is significantly lighter and that the horizon is almost invisible. It's just a matter which style one prefers.

I now have a piece of glass and a piece of clear plastic (similar to acrylic if not acrylic but I didn't recognize the official name) for use as a tabletop. I'll be using those to create very different images.

Thanks for your interest. I'm having a great time learning how to create images!

[Donald]

I selected the above image from a series of several exposures because I liked the combination of the drama and the separation of the glass from the background.

You are right. There is a lot of mood and atmosphere in your original, which is missing from the above alternative version.

[Mike Buckley]

My one and only question about this image is that area front and centre immediately in front of the object, that is completely black... I'm wondering how it would have been with just a slight hint of light on it?

I suspect that it would have been terrible, Donald. Seriously, if I had placed a light in that area, I would also had to have gone to the trouble of making sure that none of that light also lit the glass. That's because lighting the glass from the front would have been disastrous, as indicated by one of the examples in the book.

Even so, your suggestion is an example of why I am really beginning to like studio photography: I can control everything if I want to take the time to do it and if I have the expertise to do it properly. Despite that I already respected Sharon's creative images of her studio shots of flowers, now that I understand the million choices that one has to make and the skill that is required to implement them, I'm in awe of her images.

[Mike Buckley]

I was right, Donald. I tried it and it was terrible. The reason is completely due to my lack of expertise.

As I continued to think of your suggestion, I realized that, theoretically, I could easily prevent the light from falling directly on the glass by using a speedlight with a snoot. That part actually worked, at least well enough that it would have been easy to correct the imperfections in the glass during post-processing. The problem is that a bright reflection appeared in the background that was not worth the trouble to fix. Due to my lack of experience, I wasn't able to determine what to do to prevent the reflection.

Regardless, thanks for making the suggestion, as it posed a fascinating challenge to me. Maybe a couple months from now I'll know how to make your suggestion happen. Maybe not.