Bugle, BW

[Karm Redland]

Comments welcomed.



karm

[Brownbear]

I really like this image. Beautifully photographed. Love the light.

[FootLoose]

Good conversion, Karm. I like the warm tones in the metal. The spots in the background bother me, though. Presumably they are highlights reflecting off something but they look like dust spots to me.

[Mike Buckley]

Really nice toning and mood! I would like the image even better if the brightest tones were on the bugle that is in focus.

[jcuknz]

To be critical in a B&W image there should be detail in the highlights which are missing here and are too large to be accepted as highlight spots like the reflections of the chain in the mirror. Overall you have a beautiful image and what I have done in editing is only indicative of what should have been achieved in-camera with the balance between key and fill lights. It might be my monitor leading me astray but simply darkening down the image doesn't correct the matter so to me it seems the balance between lights is the problem spoiling a great image. The tones/detail elsewhere quite delicious


edit ... What you have showed us has the highlights clipped and if you had bracketted the exposure you might have the under-exposed version which reveals the detail in those highlight and could hasve been blended, whatever, with the 'normal' exposure .... so maybe not lighting but exposure

[John 2]

I agree, nice conversion, good composition and it's different. Don't see many bugles as a photographic subject. Agree with the comment on the dust spots. My only other observation is that some of the specular highlights (bottom left and on the second bugle) are a little distracting and might be worth toning down. Nice image.

[Karm Redland]

I really appreciate everyone's comments. Jcuknz, every one of your comments I think is spot on. I definitely like the improvements you made in my image.

I want to make some general comments:

1. The spots you see is not camera dust. I will post an image without them.
2. This was not a setup shot. I walked into a living room, and there sat the bugle on top of a small speaker against a glass wall. Lighting was given and very orange and yellow in hue. No way I was going to pass up this image.
3. The new image I'm going to post is how I responded to your comments.



Comments welcomed.

karm

[jcuknz]

In the situation I think you did well and I was being hyper critical becuase I thought it was a carefully set-up studio[ equivalent] shot .... though if I strike something like this I hope I remember my suggestion about bracketing

[Stagecoach]

Karm,

I liked the original but this version cleans it up and improves it. Why is it that musical instruments make such good subjects?

Grahame

[Karm Redland]

jcuknz, I've used and experimented with bracketing. I have to get back into the habit of using it when appropriate.

karm

[Karm Redland]

Stagecoach, brass instruments are sexy with their cool curvatures and lines. This winter I'm going to try my hand at studio shooting using musical instruments as my subject.

karm