Glass: from cracked to broken

[Mike Buckley]

My friends donated this cracked wine glass awhile ago. When I was placing it in a box for storage yesterday, I accidentally broke it. If I had tried to break it so nicely, I couldn't have succeeded. So, I made two more photos of it shown below.

EDIT: Bruce and Binnur suggested that I make a composition with the glass laying sideways on the tabletop, so I added the third photo. Ironically, in the process of making it I broke the glass again.

[Digital]

I think the glass would have looked better if placed on its' side. My $.02 worth.


Bruce

[Mike Buckley]

I would never have thought of that, Bruce. I'll try it!

[NorthernFocus]

I like the symmetry of the first shot. The on the side idea might be interesting too.

[Plumcrak]

I also like the symmetry of the first one but the two cracks in the second image pull me into it. As always Mike, very nicely done.

[FootLoose]

I like the 2nd shot for its greater detail. I would also try rotating the glass in the first one about 1/4 turn anticlockwise to show the point of the cracked section against a clear background rather than the opposite side of the glass.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Dan, Jon and Greg.

I would also try rotating the glass in the first one about 1/4 turn anticlockwise to show the point of the cracked section against a clear background rather than the opposite side of the glass.

I rotated the glass very slowly 360 degrees several times before settling on these two compositions. I don't remember why nothing else worked for me, but it was very clear that nothing else did.

[Brownbear]

Beautiful images. I prefer the 1st because the curved lines make him seem friendlier than the 2nd guy.

Is that reflection in the 2nd glass from an unbroken glass? or is it a soft shadow?

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, Christina.

I don't know what shadow or reflection you are asking about. The only reflections in either image are the reflections of the base and stem in the tabletop. Both images were shot in a completely black environment that prevents unwanted reflections. Similarly, nothing is casting a shadow as the subject and tabletop are transparent and the background is translucent. The only light source is shining through the background, subject and tabletop toward the camera, making it impossible to cast a shadow.

[rambler4466]

As well as the composition here, I really like the lighting. You mention a totally dark environment. Can you provide some more detail? Also, it occurred to me after reading the comments above, that this would be a good example of the importance of trying many different angles and alternative compositions before stopping your shoot.

It is very commendable of you to have taken a simple subject like a broken glass and turned it into an imaginative photo.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Frank!

You asked about the totally dark environment. Look for the heading, Characteristics of the Space, provided in this post.

If I were not using such a small space, the environment would not need to be totally dark. Instead, the items in the room might be far enough away from the bright light of my shooting area that no unwanted reflections would appear in the glass.

this would be a good example of the importance of trying many different angles and alternative compositions before stopping your shoot.

On a related subject, never remove anything in the setup until you are absolutely positive that you are going to create a new setup. Being positive includes having satisfactorily post-processed all the images and ensured that you or your client are very happy and no more shooting using the present setup has to be done.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Mike, it might be a good idea to try shooting the glass lying on a surface because it probably lay on a table when it broke

[Mike Buckley]

Bruce also suggested laying the glass down so I'll try it. However, it didn't break on a table. It broke when I placed it in a box full of other broken wine glasses. I have a reasonably substantial collection of them now.

[Brownbear]

It's always a pleasure to view your images...

My apologies for not explaining as thoroughly as I should have. If we look at the image of the 2nd glass (more prominent here) we see a very soft beautiful grey shaded area in the shape of the actual bowl of the wine glass (at the back of the glass, not broken, in between the outer rim)...

Because the shading isn't broken I thought you might have another glass in the scenario very softly reflected inside the glass. And then I though that perhaps it might just be the shadows of the actual glass inside the glass. Is this simply the lighting which provides a 3 dimensional look to the glass?

In the 1st image we see this but only on the left hand side of the glass. (not the broken part) "We" because I'm not seeing things ... Anyhow is beautiful and I'm simply curious.

Thank you.

Thank you, Christina.

I don't know what shadow or reflection you are asking about. The only reflections in either image are the reflections of the base and stem in the tabletop. Both images were shot in a completely black environment that prevents unwanted reflections. Similarly, nothing is casting a shadow as the subject and tabletop are transparent and the background is translucent. The only light source is shining through the background, subject and tabletop toward the camera, making it impossible to cast a shadow.

[chauncey]

Mike...you are giving new meaning to the term overindulge.

[Mike Buckley]

Mike...you are giving new meaning to the term overindulge.

I'll take that!

[Mike Buckley]

I'm still not understanding what you're referring to, Christina.

You mentioned shadows again and transparent objects don't produce them; only some translucent objects (when they block enough light) and opaque objects produce shadows. The physics of light relating to transparent objects is that the light passes through them, whereas a shadow is produced when a sufficient amount of light is prevented from passing through the object.

I might have been wrong when I mentioned earlier that the only reflections are displayed in the tabletop. I don't understand the various angles enough to know whether the shapes in the base of the bowl of each glass are refracted reflections of other parts of the wine glass itself. I do know that they aren't shadows for the reasons explained above and that they aren't reflections of any object other than parts of the subject.

[Mike Buckley]

A more scientific way to think of the tones in the image, Christina:

Assume (inaccurately) for purposes of simplicity that there are only three tones in the images -- white, grey and black. When photographing clear glass, everything that is white is where light is either passing through the glass and we are seeing only the light (with nothing reflecting it) or it is the light being directly reflected by the glass. (The term, "direct reflection," simply means that the light source itself is being reflected. The reflection is always a mirror image of the light source.) Everything that is black is where no light is falling on that part of the object. Everything that is grey is where some of the light is falling on the object but not so much that it appears white and not so little that it appears black.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Mike. Now I understand what I'm seeing and why at times in the past you haven't understood what I was seeing. Very helpful. Thank you.

A more scientific way to think of the tones in the image, Christina:

Assume (inaccurately) for purposes of simplicity that there are only three tones in the images -- white, grey and black. When photographing clear glass, everything that is white is where light is either passing through the glass and we are seeing only the light (with nothing reflecting it) or it is the light being directly reflected by the glass. (The term, "direct reflection," simply means that the light source itself is being reflected. The reflection is always a mirror image of the light source.) Everything that is black is where no light is falling on that part of the object. Everything that is grey is where some of the light is falling on the object but not so much that it appears white and not so little that it appears black.

[Mike Buckley]

I added a third photo to the first post in the thread in response to Bruce's and Binnur's suggestion that I lay the glass down on the tabletop. Ironically, I broke the glass yet again in the process of making the photo.