Circle of life.

[thegman]

I know to a lot of people this shot may be a cliché, it sort of started that way. I remembered reading an article on how to do it. My wife was thinking about her late father the other day as it would have been his 84th birthday and she brought out his boyhood bible and was telling me the story about it. Later on she had removed her rings to clean them and I thought I take the opportunity to do something nice for her. So I done this shot , quickly. She loved it and posted it to all her social media sites. The feedback was remarkable. So, I thought I'd post it here where the audience are more knowledgeable. As always all C&C are most welcome.

[NorthernFocus]

Not my genre but I'll offer a couple of impressions as a viewer. First off, you've already gotten what is likely more valuable feedback from those who have viewed it elsewhere. After all imagery is about sharing and eliciting emotions in others which you clearly did. But I suppose you're seeking more technical input from CIC. In that regard, I really like the lighting. The yellowed pages give a sense of age as does the shadow along both edges which shows the uneven pages. The bit of reflection on the paper tells of its texture. On the other hand IMO the placement of the ring seems a bit contrived. Compositionally there is a bit much dead space on bottom which could be somewhat relieved by just bringing a bit more detail out of the shadow there. But I'm on a poor monitor so ignore the last if something shows there on your screen.

[Shadowman]

How can we possibly disagree with your wife.

Nice effort, there's a bit of distracting noise in the darks and on the edges of the pages. Also, there looks like a bit of light flare.

[thegman]

Not my genre but I'll offer a couple of impressions as a viewer. First off, you've already gotten what is likely more valuable feedback from those who have viewed it elsewhere. After all imagery is about sharing and eliciting emotions in others which you clearly did. But I suppose you're seeking more technical input from CIC. In that regard, I really like the lighting. The yellowed pages give a sense of age as does the shadow along both edges which shows the uneven pages. The bit of reflection on the paper tells of its texture. On the other hand IMO the placement of the ring seems a bit contrived. Compositionally there is a bit much dead space on bottom which could be somewhat relieved by just bringing a bit more detail out of the shadow there. But I'm on a poor monitor so ignore the last if something shows there on your screen.

The bible was sitting on a piece of black velvet. The reason I posted here was for critique from people who know more about the very things you mentioned. Most of my wife's friends basically said ''aw lovely'' , which is nice but not what I really seek.

[RobFellows]

What sort of light did you use and at what angle? The highlights seem quite bright but I do like it. Perhaps move a little closer and higher. Another idea is to find a poignant phrase/word/passage and be close enough to make that legible.
But, depends on the audience.

[thegman]

What sort of light did you use and at what angle? The highlights seem quite bright but I do like it. Perhaps move a little closer and higher. Another idea is to find a poignant phrase/word/passage and be close enough to make that legible.
But, depends on the audience.

Rob, it was just a quick set up, a table lamp covered with a cloth to dull it down a bit and the bible was laid on a piece of black velvet. I totally agree about your point about finding a suitable phrase. That's why I post here, to get advice on what I've overlooked

[Mike Buckley]

This is really nice first attempt, especially considering how quickly you did it. Your wife and her friends understandably liked it so much that I'm sure they would enjoy a suite of photos of different compositions and even perhaps different styles. Once the theme of the shape of the heart is established, you'll be able to include images that don't include that shape, as the meaning of the ring itself will stand on its own.

In addition to thoughts already mentioned:

How in the world were you able to produce the reflection of the bible in the black velvet? Based on my experience, that should be impossible to do.

It seems that you brightened the lower part of the image during post-processing when there really wasn't much to brighten; black velvet absorbs the light so much (reflects so little of it), that you were probably better off leaving it as is. If you were looking to separate the book from the tabletop material, light it differently and/or use a different tabletop. My first thought about that when using this composition is to use a tabletop of glossy black acrylic to produce a reflection of the bible.

Most people like to see shiny metal lit brightly, so give that a try.

The easiest way I have come upon to eliminate flare and the accompanying lack of contrast in a situation such as this is to cut a rectangle that matches the aspect ratio of the camera sensor in the middle of a black card. (My card is about 11" x 13" and the hole is 3" x 4 1/2". It works like a charm using a 35mm lens on a crop factor camera.) Position the black card in front of the lens at a distance that eliminates the flare.

It's possible that a polarizer would have eliminated the glare on the paper.

[thegman]

Mike, thanks for your comments, always appreciated. I did lighten the lower part as I thought it was too dark. I was trying to show the depth of the bible, but may have just introduced more noise. I like the idea of a glossy base for reflection but not sure when I'll do this again, more of a spur of the moment thing.

[Mike Buckley]

more of a spur of the moment thing.

Unbelievably good results considering the circumstances!

[IzzieK]

This is a different shot and I like it apart from the space at the bottom as Dan mentioned. I knew I had seen this one before and so I googled "book with a heart ring image and saw different versions of them...there are even two tutorials on how to do it...I only saw two because I did not scroll further...I like your version better.

[thegman]

This is a different shot and I like it apart from the space at the bottom as Dan mentioned. I knew I had seen this one before and so I googled "book with a heart ring image and saw different versions of them...there are even two tutorials on how to do it...I only saw two because I did not scroll further...I like your version better.

Thanks for you comment Izzie, as I said it was a spur of the moment shot, plus I had just bought my new camera and I was desperate to shoot something

[Alma2911]

I agree, its a beautiful click. I would however suggest to change the angle of light being thrown on the ring in a way so as to form a better heart shape on the pages. Just couldn't help sharing something my daughter clicked a year ago, agreed that its got a lot of noise that needs to be corrected.

[Wavelength]

I like the symbolism very much here; the oldness of page and yellowish light added beauty...didn't you place the ring on the exact middle page or is it a bit more bulkier on the left side?

[thegman]

I like the symbolism very much here; the oldness of page and yellowish light added beauty...didn't you place the ring on the exact middle page or is it a bit more bulkier on the left side?

Thanks for you comments I'm not sure about if it was the middle pages, but the front part of the book has a lot of pages coming loose as the bible is about 70 years old.