[Irma]

I have been working with shells for few weeks trying to get a painterly effect. I haven't arrived quite there... Walking away from the painterly idea, I reset all and place my shells on black background and added reflections. This is always a good practice with lighting. It is also interesting to work with reflections as the composition tend to be symmetric. Trying not to fall in this schema sometimes, I crop the reflection and place my still out of the center. Sometimes works well, sometimes I feel as if it were a bit lost.

This was my result of this try.

#1


#2


#3


#4
I couldn't resist to play a bit with this one.



Thanks so much for looking...

[Toad]

Very nice. #3 is superb, with perfect exposure, composition and textures, The reflection really works well here, and the combination of colors and forms is excellent. #4 also grabs me, and I really like how you have mixed it up a bit for this photo. I'm sucker for that kind of thing, especially when it is really done right like this one.

[matthew]

These are fantastic, and I really like the reflections. Seeing what you're doing with your still life compositions is one of the reasons why I want to have a permanent place for tabletop photography. If you ever take set-up photos, I'd love to see them.

The experiment with #4 has worked very well.

While this isn't the critique forum, I will say that i find the cropped reflection in #1 is a little unsettling. A trick that I've learned from working on white or black is that it's easy to expand the canvas in Photoshop and just fill in the extra space to get the 'air' in the composition that I want. It's a megapixel-friendly way to work, and might be an alternative for including the entire reflection without having a centered composition.

[Irma]

Asking to see my setup is a great complement Matthew as I know how good you are in product photography. I doubted a bit to show it because it is so poor... but then again I thought as a good strobist that you are you will not judge my lack of equipment but the creativity... Anyway, please excuse my rudimentary setup...

We start with the reflection. My pieces are placed in a glass (35 X 25cm) that has been painted previously with two layers of black acrylic. To protect the painting as it comes off very easily I pasted a black cardboard. This painted glass will give you the sharp reflection. Then I worked my lights just above the pieces. I can't have my light exactly above because I have a low roof in my room and I don't have the arm, so I just work close the my soft box. In this case I used a strip of black carton around the soft box, this will make my background black as light is not lighting the cloth. (this is important)

The light will be hard in the pieces but will give light to my reflection so I have two options. One use a hard diffuser but the light will be even on the pieces, or to use a gobo and give some shadows.

The next step is to give light to the pieces from the side, so you place a reflector to give them light. This reflector goes from the background cloth to the foreground... in the back I have a black sheet of paper, so the light will not be reflected in the black cloth, but the problem comes when you need different light values in your picture as I have two white shells and one blue. So I paste another strip of black paper in the reflector not to give light to my shell in the foreground. I will be just bouncing light with a little strip of white reflector.

I know it is complicated, and maybe I could get the same results by doing all in photoshop blending exposures and masks and all... but I find easier to get my picture right from the beginning...

Here is the setup
#S1


this is the picture I got, it comes out of lightroom. As you see it is a nice picture to work with colors, contrast or any other treatment you want to give.
#S2 with diffuser



#S3 with gobo


This is a very easy photography because you don't even need flash to do it. You also can work with natural light. Just by taking care about the light.

here is a simple setup. My light comes from the roof, so I use a gobo to the light pieces and a diffuser (my dearest bowl) to diffuse my light. I use tripod and long exposure.

#S4


#S5 this is the result.



In all the result pictures I only worked my curves to give contrast.

#3 and #4 and all pictures of this setup and stills I post now are taken with a P&S (Canon G9), my soft box is an octagonal 60cm with a 300WS studio flash.

I really don't know how well I am doing when I am working most of my still with my G9, instead of my 5D. I posted a question about this in another thread because I am a bit worried about printing. I don't know if it makes any difference taking my pictures with a P&S or with a DSLR with good lens when it comes to print.

The reason I use the P&S is that gives me very sharp pictures, very easy to carry around, and I can use HSS (1/2500 sec) which is some cases is useful.

If you, Matthew, or anyone else have a question about my setup, feel free to ask, I would try to help.

[Irma]

Thanks Toad for your comment...
I also think #3 is very nice. I tried to work my reflection in the same way in #2 but the idea of a hamburger came immediately, so I did it this way. I think this technique with reflection is not for all kind of subjects, and compositions.

The original idea in #4 was to take a picture of a shell with the reflection trying to make a heart. The thing with the reflection is that didn't get it exactly perfect with the same angle. Always the reflection was shorter. Playing "What if I..." with my picture I arrived to this... I worked with y colors and contrast as well... I am happy you liked it...

Thanks again for your comment...

[matthew]

Irma, thanks so much for the photos and the description. Your setup, and the way you use little bits and pieces, is inspiring. I've always believed that light doesn't need to be expensive, but I'm nowhere near as inventive as you have been when finding ways of putting it all together.

If you use your 5D instead of your G9, then you'll need to stop down to about f/million to get enough depth of field, which means you need a lot more light or much longer shutter speeds. This is a constant battle for me with my D700, and I'll often end up working at f/22 or smaller, iso800 or 1600, and have to be careful not to run out of flash power. Why work that hard when you have something that's giving you great results?

[Toad]

Wonderful write-up on your setup as well as excellent photos! I am always impressed when household bits and pieces can be pressed into service - especially when the results are so professional looking.

I saw the heart right away in #4 - also furled angel wings..,

[Irma]

Thanks Matthew for your comment about my cameras...

It makes me happy that you and Toad found interesting my setup pictures...

[Zig]

The inclusion of your setup is really helpful...the most impressive use of a plastic food container as a diffuser. I too am always warmed when a photographer drafts in a mundane piece of household equipment with such pleasing results(I make do with a cheap angles lamp and a Petzl torch).
I too love the reflections in #3...this re-introduces the origin or natural habitat of the subject and seems to give more depth and meaning.

The "furled angel wings" that Toad mentions in #4: yes, I see that too. This reminds me also so, so much of a close up I did of a butterfly once, the same almost cruciform shape repeated here in the shell reflection. This itself reminds me of some of the studies by Leonardo. He spent much time later in life studying and sketching repeated natural forms, like the vertices and whirls of water running down a hole, compared with a snail shell, etc;

[Irma]

Thanks Zig. I am happy you find my setup helpful....

You would be surprised if you could see what I have recycled to use as photo gear. I love the idea of doing it. I am also very grateful with people that give me things (bottles or old stuff) for me to use in my pictures.

Thanks for your comment about Leonardo. I will try to find information and see his works....

[nia]

WOW! This an amazing work. I know how creative soul you are, and always brings us beautiful images and also inspirations too dear Irma. Number 1 and 3 are my best! You really did a great job with them, the reflection and the black background standing so beautiful and blues touches in them fascinating, l fall in love with these shells

Thank you dear Irma,
with my love,
nia