Yes, another broken wine glass

[Mike Buckley]

Thankfully, I didn't break it. My wife broke it. Repercussions are far worse when I break things.

This tall wine glass broke in a different way than our previous breakages in that it left the entire stem intact. So, I just had to photograph it. Not that I needed any special reasons.

The tabletop is glossy black acrylic. A large continuous-light lamp with five bulbs is shining from behind the background of translucent vellum toward the subjects and the camera. Desaturated (not converted) to monochrome.

[Barbara Ponder]

Mike, you made a broken glass look good! I hope soon to learn more about flash photography I find it fascinating.

[NorthernFocus]

Techs are well though out. The reflections are about perfect. And the lighting set up really defines everything very well. Nicely done. You do so well making broken stuff look interesting, you could spend weeks around our house and never run out of material

[Shadowman]

Nice composition.

[Manfred M]

It's nice to see you getting back to your broken stuff work. As others have said, nicely executed.

It's a good thing I didn't drop the glass. My technique of dropping these items rarely results in any usuable sized pieces being available for photography...

[chauncey]

I like your fractured glass pictures...I wonder what one would look like were it reassembled,
without being glued or the like.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

I wonder what one would look like were it reassembled, without being glued or the like.

I have no idea and will never try it. It was bad enough that I cut my thumb on the glass at some unknown point in the process of just making the photo. I would probably mutilate myself attempting your idea.

I hope soon to learn more about flash photography I find it fascinating.

I edited my first post because I fear I misled you. I used only continuous light in this image. My makeshift studio has four continuous lamps (one large, two medium and one small) and two speedlights. Sometimes I use only continuous, sometimes only flash and sometimes both. I used only a continuous lamp in this shot because it makes it easy to set up the composition and to create a vignette (notice the top of the image) without having to use a light modifier or to add a vignette during post-processing.

[Shadowman]

Thanks, everyone!



I have no idea and will never try it. It was bad enough that I cut my thumb on the glass at some unknown point in the process of just making the photo. I would probably mutilate myself attempting your idea.

Ahhh! the missing element (blood) to all these broken glass images. If you really want to make it freaky just add a bare foot to the next set. We've been looking at your series as art, totally overlooked about the dangerous side to broken glass.

[KimC]

The reflections are gorgeous.

[Suzan J]

Hi Mike: I was starting to miss the broken wine glasses. This one is nicely composed and the broken pieces have most interesting shapes. I also like the tall elegant stem and the darker base. It would be so cool to go to an elegant wine bar and see a collection of these on the wall.

[tbob]

As usual technically and artistically well executed. I would never think to set up the curves of the glass to be so graceful.

As a beer drinker there is little hope of my ever emulating your stuff. The last time I broke a beer glass was probably 34 years ago ago. I was in no condition, for at least 36 hours, to even consider picking up a camera.

[Mike Buckley]

Continued thanks to everyone!

The last time I broke a beer glass was probably 34 years ago ago.

Surely you have a hammer.

[Downrigger]

Beautiful, Mike. I really like the dismembered pieces just lying there as though "it just broke" in the passive case sense. I'd be interested in understanding your intent by creating this by simple desaturation rather than a more formal monochrome process.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Mark!

I'd be interested in understanding your intent by creating this by simple desaturation rather than a more formal monochrome process.

The background: One theory explained especially well by Vincent Versace in From Oz to Kansas is to maintain the RGB color channels after the image has been changed to grayscale. Doing so requires converting to grayscale using a color filter.

However, he also explains that when the image fundamentally has the characteristics of a grayscale photo when it is displayed in color, there is no benefit to going to the trouble of choosing the ideal color to use as a filter and choosing the ideal strength to apply the color filter.

That was the case in this photo; I had to closely inspect the image at a large size to detect individual colors though I could see a very slight color cast overall when displayed at any size. So, I took the simple route and tried desaturating it. Voila! It had the exact look I had in mind with no need to even adjust the tone curve or the levels. The histogram confirmed my thinking about that so I did nothing after desaturating.

[flashback]

I call Shenanigans on this shot. You're getting away too easy; pictures of glasses, glasses with liquid, decanters (what, no canters?) and plenty of after the fact broken glass. Break it, arrange it, light it and shoot it. What I want to see are some photos of the glass AS IT'S BREAKING!.
Come on Mike, enough of this static stuff, show us some action shots of the glass as it's breaking. Challenging? Of course, likely a royal pain in the glass, but I know you're up to the challenge.

[rpcrowe]

Very nice....

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Richard and Jack!

You're getting away too easy

There is no such thing as "too easy." Ease is my lifelong goal. Thanks for the compliment that I'm perhaps getting close to achieving it. Ha!

(what, no canters?)

No photos of any horses being ridden at any gait, much less a canter.

What I want to see are some photos of the glass AS IT'S BREAKING!.

Not my interest. I'll leave that to Terry.

[tbob]

Continued thanks to everyone!



Surely you have a hammer.

It is hammered I am avoiding.

[Mike Buckley]

It is hammered I am avoiding.

Great comeback!

[thegman]

Excellent shot Mike, reflections are awesome