The Firebird

[FrankMi]

It’s mid-day, bright sun, and I’m trying to photograph a sculpture that is covered with 7,500 mirror mosaics and not get blown highlights? I must be crazy!

This is The Firebird (and Arch) by Niki de Saint Phalle along with Annette, who was kind enough to add a ‘human’ element to the image for me!

The Firebird currently resides in front of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC, is over 17 feet tall and weighs over 1,400 pounds.



Yep! Crazy all right. Blown highlights coming out the whaazoo! Perhaps I should try again about 2AM.

[Andrew1]

In my mind the specular highlights do add to the photo although a bit less would also work. In too much of a darker drab grey light we may no be able to tell it's covered in mirror glass.

[FrankMi]

In my mind the specular highlights do add to the photo although a bit less would also work. In too much of a darker drab grey light we may no be able to tell it's covered in mirror glass.

How true Andrew. I had shot some images that were -2EV to try to overcome the blown highlights but couldn't tell in the camera's preview screen how much was still way over the top. I now suspect that I would have needed to go at least -5EV to have a chance and even at that it would be a crap-shoot as to whether or not the mirrors would reflect the colour of the sky.

[acsky]

Hi Frank

That is a nice sculpture. You got some blown highlights, but maybe enough to make the figure shinny. Did you try shooting in manual mode and reducing the shutter time or the aperture??

Toño

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank

That is a nice sculpture. You got some blown highlights, but maybe enough to make the figure shinny. Did you try shooting in manual mode and reducing the shutter time or the aperture??

Toño

Hi Toño, for this image I was in Program Mode and adjusting the Exposure Value. Next time I try this situation I will likely go to full manual as this camera only has +2EV to -2EV as an EV range to play with.