Blue Glass & Blueberries

[Mike Buckley]

I doubt that I'll ever get tired of the simple look of glassware photographed using a bright background.

Setup
The tabletop is glossy black acrylic. The background, which fills the frame no more and no less, is translucent white acrylic. First capture without fruit: A medium continuous-light lamp positioned behind the background is shining toward the subject and camera. The vignette is created by the lamp, not post-processing. Second capture: A small LED flashlight lights the fruit on the right. Third capture: The same flashlight lights the fruit on the left. The three captures were merged.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[zkogut]

Absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had dedicated lighting instead of flashes. Great image!

[Manfred M]

I can definitely see why you say that Mike. Another beautifully done image.

Interesting on how you lit the blueberries, and it makes perfect sense. I suspect this was necessary in order bring that part of the image to life as the main shot of the glass was back-lit.

This is one image that I question the use of such a reflective surface to support the glass though. The stem is relatively heavy and I wonder what it would have looked like on a matte surface, there the lines of the glass would be cleaner?

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

Manfred: You're correct of course that the back lighting on its own left the blueberries without shape, texture and color. That explains why I used the small flashlight to light them from the side.

Regarding your thoughts about the stem of the glass, I like its color, shape and texture so much that I emphasized it by using a reflective surface to showcase it not once but twice. The composition displayed here is the last of about 15 that I tried. I like the glass so much that I'm reasonably confident that I'll give it a try using other methods including the matte surface that you suggested, so please keep those suggestions coming!

If I remember correctly, you have the Allison Earnest book, Lighting for Product Photography. If so, take a look at the front cover. It's that cover that gave me the fundamental idea for my photo.

[Astramael]

I have looked at this photo a few times since it was posted earlier. It is exquisite. Crisp specular placement, phenomenal glass transparency, sharpness is sublime. I lack superlatives for that blue spotlight down the center; it has texture and gradient and isolation. There is so much good in this photo that I hesitate to input my opinion because perhaps it is utterly invalid.

However, this is a symposium on photographic development, and that includes practicing at being a critic. So here I go...

For me the weak spot of this image is the lack of focal point. I view it and my eye wanders around. Is it the berries? Probably not really, they are distorted and muted. Is it the spectacular blue stem? Seems that way, but because it doesn't terminate at the bottom of the glass your eye kind of wanders on down off the image. The upper is sharp too and contains strong guide lines so once again my focus is diluted.

As previously mentioned by others, shooting on a matte surface would improve the shot in my opinion. I think the obvious focus would be the blue stem, so I would perhaps change the angle a bit to be looking more up rather than more down at the glass. Perhaps narrowing the depth of field would blur the near and far edges of the glass and bring the focus further into the stem. I'm spitballing suggestions at this point, but telling a story around the stem could perhaps improve the shot.

[Mike Buckley]

This is only your 5th post, Julian, and I can already tell that it's going to be great having you around. Thank you for taking the time to write such a detail critique. Indeed, welcome to CiC!

For me, the focal point is the top area of the stem. That's no surprise to me because our eye tends to see the brightest part of an image first. Notice that the brightest area of this image is the top of the stem and the adjacent background.

You mentioned the idea of shooting more up toward the glass. You'll be disappointed to know that the composition I made immediately before this one and now deleted involved shooting more upward. Even so, the horizon (not displayed) in this image is slightly below the center.

You also mentioned the idea of creating a story more around the stem than the glass in totality. I've got an idea about that in mind that would use a composition that displays all of the stem but only the lower portion of the bowl.

[Kaye Leggett]

Another great shot Mike. I am interested in yours and Julian's analysis regarding the focal point..... I agree with you that the focal point is the top part of the stem, but it is so subtle that your eye wanders. To me this is the strength of a good photo, you don't always want to be hit in the eye. So an image like this can be looked at again and again and the eye finds more in it, not tiring of it.

[Rob Ekins]

Very nice Mike,
I know I would have been tempted to centre that logo but its position works well where you have it.

The refraction of the rear rim (Primarily CL) bugs me a bit, it probably shouldn't as it is a perfectly natural occurrence, what are your thoughts?

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, Kaye: I like to think that an effective image leads one's eye through the scene, which is what I think you mean. That's as opposed to wandering more aimlessly, which I think is what Julian means. This image leads my eye, but that's just me.

Thank you also to Robbie: The refraction of the rear rim doesn't bother me as much as the disappearance of the darkest part of the outline on the right side of the bowl. I have no idea why that area of the bowl is defined primarily by a bright outline. I understand how the physics of light makes that happen but I don't understand why my lighting setup produced the physics of light that yielded that characteristic.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Mike I like the image. I agree with the others about the matte surface . I love the harmony between the blue color of the stem and the blueberries.

[Kaye Leggett]

Thank you, Kaye: I like to think that an effective image leads one's eye through the scene, which is what I think you mean. That's as opposed to wandering more aimlessly, which I think is what Julian means. This image leads my eye, but that's just me.

You put it so much more eloquently than me - but yes, exactly what I mean.