Just for fun

[arith]

It isn't something I'm used to but I'm impressed with Wirefox. This obviously isn't as artistic but it is my first.



What happened to image upload?

[Wirefox]

A good start Arith and thankyou for the compliment. You have seen form in the mundane. Once you start to look for that there is potential in just about everything. I cannot figure out where the light is coming from in this image but almost every shot I take I use light (from the off camera flash) at different intensities and angles. Many are 'delete on camera' and others work. For instance I would have tried firing flash through the shade at different angles for this one (or is that where the source is?) and maybe try to capture the element whilst still glowing red. I also try to take the PP to its limit without 'cartooning' the image. Quite often (for me at least) this is what lifts the shot away from just another still life study. Its good to see others trying this type of photography I was beginning to think I had read the instruction book upside down

Steve

[Donald]

... I was beginning to think I had read the instruction book upside down

Ah ha!! So that's what stimulates the imagination that produces all those images.

You have seen form in the mundane. Once you start to look for that there is potential in just about everything

You've got to believe that there's no pun intended - but you've just switched on a lightbulb. It's such an obvious statement, which is why it's probably so powerful. Thank you.

[arith]

Cheers Steve; the light is from both ends with an off camera flash covered with a woolly jumper and I suppose I should have tried different angles. It is certainly different type of photography and more challenging. The tube is there to help prevent a whiteout with the slave pointing at the camera and because it looks different.

I certainly will try your ideas. cheers.

[arith]

Just trying to prove I don't know what I'm doing.

Maybe I should just bounce of the ceiling but it is magnolia; I just want to know how you time water droplets or in this case fairy liquid.

[Wirefox]

I love the glass but I would lose the vignette. I am not sure what you have used for the background but there seems to be a few artifacts in there.

For droplets I use an A0 size piece of art card (from HobbyCraft) for the backdrop . I seems odd but position your flash to illuminate whatever you want the liquid to reflect (in this case it will be the backdrop - do NOT directly illuminate the glass and/or the drop area). For a shot like yours stand the glass on box (upside down tupperware box is ideal). This is so you do not have the tray in the shot. It is easy to crop/clone out the tupperware box. Set you aperture to f/4 or f/4.5 and your flash to provide about 1/16 power this way the flash pulse acts as your shutter speed (this is roughly equivalent to around 1/11,000th of a second - some techie correct me if I am wrong). Set actual shutter speed around 200th sec on the camera in any case. You ar in manual mode here by the way

Obviously you will have the camera on a tripod with remote release. To pre-focus use a pencil or a ruler dipped in the drop area and auto focus on the drop area. Hold the auto focus and then carefully switch the lens to manual focus. This holds the focus in that area.

Darken the room. This is important when using the flash to control the length of exposure. I use dropper bottles from HobbyCraft to create the drops but a washing up liquid bottle will do the trick. Timing is trial and error but the more you do the better chance of a decent capture. It is less exasperating if you take a few test shots to get illumination right but be careful not to use too much power. You can adjust the exposure in your RAW processor and get it spot on by tweaking levels and curves.

As a foot note; you can use a half snoot to get better control of where your flash is directed. I have included couple of shots of my very expensive and highly technical gadget for reference. The snoot is made from black magifoam and held in position with some self-adhesive velcro attached to the flash head and a hair tie to curve the foam around the head of the flash (the velcro can also be used to attach various sizes of bounce cards made from white plastic modeling sheets) The velcro is a permanent fixture on my flash, front and back but it is quite easy to remove without leaving a residue.

[arith]

It all looks like good stuff to me Steve; I've done a few more and will try to make the device soon. I usually make silly mistakes like set the flash if it is on camera to -2 fev and an exposure with lights on at 1/3 sec which is also -2 ev then turn out the lights.

This is one of my later ones and I'm wondering if I need to get some crystal or anyway new glass.

[arith]

I really like the pencil to focus idea. and the other bits.