[patch17]

i was trying some still life shots with stuff i found at home. here's one of them...



comments, improvements, criticisms are most welcome.

[Petographer]

The only thing I would pick at is the subject matter. Everything else seems great. Lighting, comp, shadows all seem great. Good job patch.

[Toad]

This is a difficult still life to attempt because of the wide exposure range between the white and the black. The black "handle" on the device at the bottom right corner is hard to distinguish from the shadow - likewise the white on the bottom left corner is merging with the white of the background - very tricky...

It is a really nice concept - but I think that the execution relies heavily on distinct forms and shadows. It looks like you used 2 light sources for this. I think the photo might have been improved by not using a reflector or fill flash or whatever you used from the front left. The dramatic shadows that your key light casts are being washed out by this second light. A single light would have made blacker, more dramatic shadows and really increased the contrast between black and white.

Just my $.02 - thanks for posting.

BTW: is this some sort of fruit or cheese slicer?

[byrt_001]

Hi

This is a looooot better. very niiice. looove the b/w is just perfect.

change a little of contrast but is not too bad im just fassie

Take care

Christian

[Cailean]

BTW: is this some sort of fruit or cheese slicer?

Egg slicer, I believe... for making egg salad.... Mmmmm, egg salad... I think I need to wander down to the kitchen...

[adam]

To slice the eggs in your nasi lemak...

[shuttertalk]

Hey Patch..

I like the work you've put in to the shot. The light vs dark elements in the picture is awesome!

[Irma]

Personally I like the subject, since it is familiar to me. It is amazing how simple things of regular use in the kitchen could be so artistically represented in a picture. I like this sort of pictures very much, because to take a picture of something that is already beautiful like a flower is not that challenging than to make intresting to the viewer an egg slice. Nice concept patch

[patch17]

thanks for the comments guys. was inspired by a post card i saw and thought i'd give it a go.

i used a simple set up consisting of one light source (a table lamp), and a sheet of A0 white drawing paper laid out on a table and up behind the subject. i guess the lamp was angled down a bit too low thus causing a bit of a "hot spot" on the bottom left third of the picture.

i intentionally faced the chrome handle away from the light to place it in shadow (and thus avoid reflections) and make the thin wire cutters more distinct. no fill in flash, but i guess there was some reflection off the white paper to bring up some detail but dampened the shadows.

i did notice that there's uneven toning of the shadows of base and the lines aren't straight. i just realized it's due to the uneven surface of my paper back drop. (note to self... make sure surface is dead flat if you want straight even shadows.)

here are a few more objects i shot : http://sg.photos.yahoo.com/gundam78sg
under "kitchen still life" for anyone interested.

[Irma]

I like the concept. It's very original. I have to say that thanks to your post I started a project today. I couldn't finish it because I had to go out almost the whole day but I will work on it tomorrow. Thanks a lot for sharing Have you tried to take your pictures just with daylight?

[patch17]

no worries irma. i mainly shoot with available light, don't particularly like using flash. i'll try some more shots with window light next time. thanks for the suggestion.