Subtlety

[Loose Canon]

Not one of my better traits!

Unless I used a brick I don’t know how I could have been more subtle than this!

[deetheturk]

Another great image Terry!

David

[IzzieK]

You make me laugh with this one Terry...is this one of your one-shot wonder? You're getting good at this...

[Shadowman]

Nice.

[bnnrcn]

I loved it Terry

[chauncey]

Terry, when I see a shot, that I especially like, as this one...my first instinct is to deconstruct it.
To that end, were I to make that shot and after having the lighting all set up which is no easy task...
I would have taken a still from one of the numerous videos that I would have had to shoot.

That would have been my way...what was yours?

[AB26]

A “Front Page” for Mike’s website. Wonder what he will be prepared to offer you for this one?

Well done Terry!

[Mike Buckley]

I also wanna know how many tries were required to get this one.

Very, very nice, Terry! I don't usually like the use of selective color but it works really well with this one. The high contrast also so nicely complements (makes) the drama.

One very small nitpick: The bottom of the hammer handle has a slight halo, perhaps only in this downsized version. (That happens to me sometimes in my downsized versions because I use a batch process to sharpen them rather than individually custom sharpen each one as in the originals.)

[Kaye Leggett]

Another superb shot, this is a lesson in perseverence for us all

[Brownbear]

Another marvel! I love this image, too!

[Manfred M]

Very nicely done Terry.

The one thing that strikes me as a bit odd looking is that everything looks a bit too static and perfect. I wonder if adding a tiny bit of motion blurr might result in a bit more punch.

[Wavelength]

So you are a teetotaler any more

Great image

[Loose Canon]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to comment.

Mike I’m not sure what you mean by selective color. This was not colored selectively. In fact I was unsure whether I should just convert it to B&W due to its lack of color to begin with. I do see what you mean by the halo though. I looked back at the original .psd and it wasn’t there so you are probably right about the downsize process. I have an action I use myself rather than do everything individually.

You may be right about that Manfred. I thought it may have looked a bit static myself. But I also thought the reason was because in the other broken glass shot I did I had liquid pouring. Nothing like that here though. I may play around with your idea in post and see what I come up with but I’ve never had much luck simulating real, live motion blur in post.

Unless I want to drink out of the bottle Nandakumar (brown paper bag it?) I'm now a teetotaler! I've broke every glass in the house!

[Mike Buckley]

Are you explaining that you didn't change to black-and-white by either converting using a color filter or by desaturating? If so, that's amazing. My experience is that every time I photograph clear glass, at least a tiny, tiny part acts sort of like a prism and creates some color. That usually happens where all sorts of rounded parts of the glass come together, such as where the bowl or base joins the stem. The only color I see in your photo using my calibrated and profiled monitor is the blue area of the shiny, metal part of the hammer's handle.

By the way, I no longer convert using a color filter when photographing clear glass. Instead, I've achieved much better control desaturating. I got the idea from reading Vincent Versace's explanation in From Oz to Kansas why it can be better to desaturate when changing clouds to black-and-white.

[Loose Canon]

Mike I didn't convert this to mono period.

I was amazed myself because I usually get the same result as you with the glass. And actually like it in most cases. I have read Versace's book. Great stuff. And I wish I could have done all the follow alongs he provides with it. Get the actions, etc. too.

I don't necessarily convert when doing clear glass but I don't do a lot of clear glass either like you do. Do you convert as a general rule when shooting clear glass Mike? One reason I ask because if I am shooting other things, like say for example silver (and even with a diamond gemstone on it) I'll convert. And as a rule. No color in silver and color in a diamond is part of their flaw and they are judged by their lack of color, which also has to do with their clarity.

Hey. I just wanted to mention that your broken wine stem shot rocks Mike. I'll get over there and say it on that thread but I try to do as much shooting as I can when I am home and I don't always have as much time as I would like to for everything. (The Honey-Do's are piling up around here and my a** may be broken gla** if I don't get out of the studio and into the yard! ) These glass shots I've been doing take a ton of time. In fact I just came up to get a different background for my next shot and saw this on the screen.

[Mike Buckley]

Especially in light of all the wine glasses that you're breaking these days, getting to your honey-do list is a lot more important than commenting on my photos.

If I want a true black-and-white look when the only objects in the image are clear glass, I always desaturate the entire image. If I'm including any color such as liquids or colored translucent or opaque objects, I might desaturate a problematic area of the clear glass but that's rare.

The reason I opt for desaturating rather than converting is that I found that the various patterns of light changed depending on the color that I chose as the filter. It seemed that I almost always had to settle for using a color that changed the patterns the least. If I desaturate, those patterns remain unchanged. Considering how much I work to capture just the right patterns, I don't like them changing during post-processing!

[rpcrowe]

Beautiful lighting and great PP....

[terrib]

I'm amazed at the work you do with all your glass. I imagine this might feel good after worrying over possible breakage of a client's expensive glass pieces.

[flashback]

Terry,
Maybe it's me, but if you can (and clearly, you did) freeze the action, I think blurring it would just detract from the amazing job you've presented.
Also, maybe you and Mike can join forces: You shoot breaking the glass; Mike shoots the broken glass. I'm picturing an amazing series of images from a cooperative effort.
I'll just shoot people. And keep taking photos too ;-)

[Loose Canon]

Richard, thank you sir.

I hope I’m getting it out of my system Terri! I sure did get tired of walking on pins and needles!

Jack I would work with Mike any time. I would kill or die to have the opportunity to learn the stuff he knows.