Melting ice cube

[Mike Buckley]

I'm having fun using my new $6 hand!

Setup
The setup is almost exactly the same as used in the photo of the red screw cap. The only difference is that I removed the two layers of diffusion material from the medium continuous-light lamp to increase the brightness. I didn't care that the shadows wouldn't be as soft because the position of the hand is changed so the shadows being cast by the fingers are fewer and far less important in this scene.

The shape of the ice cube is displayed in bright tones because light from the primary lamp is being reflected by a white wall behind the background material toward the subject and camera. In other words, the ice cube is being photographed using the classic dark field (bright line) method of photographing clear glass and other objects with similar photographic characteristics. The ice cube is also reflecting the bright lamp but the reflections are so distorted because of the shape of the ice that the lamp itself is not detected in the reflections. The white wall was present in the setup used to photograph the red screw cap but it had no impact on that scene because all of the objects in that one are opaque.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[FeatherMonkey]

Mike always admired and aspire to your work. It also always reminds me I must work my way through the lighting bible.

[bnnrcn]

Enjoy your new toy Mike Nice image, is the ice fake? It looks as if it was made of plastic or rubber.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

is the ice fake? It looks as if it was made of plastic or rubber.

It's made of acrylic. It's hand made to ensure that there are no two that look the same and it cost about $40. So, it's disappointing to realize that it appears fake to you.

I poured a mixture of water and glycerine on it to give more of an impression that it was melting. Without the liquid, it appeared really unnatural.

I wonder if the context is so different from what we're used to seeing that that contributes to it appearing unnatural to you. Also, this cube is relatively clear, which is different from normal ice. Only the really high-end ice served with relatively expensive drinks is this clear. Having said that, the lighting and refraction of the hand doesn't reveal the clear characteristic of the ice.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Mike May be the glycerine makes me think that is looks fake, because I see tiny dots on the ice and they don't look very natural to me . I can also see some of them on the thumb too. Besides you are right that the shape of the ice is not something which I'm used to seeing, it is like a ball rather than a cube.

I remember some of your shots with artificial ice cubes, but they didn't seem fake to me. So, I think it is the glycerin to put the blame on

Thanks, everyone!



It's made of acrylic. It's hand made to ensure that there are no two that look the same and it cost about $40. So, it's disappointing to realize that it appears fake to you.

I poured a mixture of water and glycerine on it to give more of an impression that it was melting. Without the liquid, it appeared really unnatural.

I wonder if the context is so different from what we're used to seeing that that contributes to it appearing unnatural to you. Also, this cube is relatively clear, which is different from normal ice. Only the really high-end ice served with relatively expensive drinks is this clear. Having said that, the lighting and refraction of the hand doesn't reveal the clear characteristic of the ice.

[Saorsa]

I think it's the viscosity of the glycerine and the splatters that make it look fake. Since the hand does too it just looks like an odd picture to me.

[Mike Buckley]

it just looks like an odd picture to me.

Great! That's exactly the reaction I hoped for.

[Donald]

Now, that is imaginative and creative ... as well as being wonderfully executed.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Donald!

[Rob Ekins]

Perhaps the presence of coloured reflections in the ice is confusing people. I selected the ice and desaturated the red using the eyedropper tool leaving the blues in and and it gave the piece a quite different feel.

Lovely work as usual

[Mike Buckley]

That's really interesting, Robbie. Thanks for the idea! I intentionally withdrew a black fabric wall of my makeshift studio to allow the various colors of the surroundings to be reflected in the ice. Now that I have tried your idea of removing some or all of the color in it, I agree that doing so gives the piece a different feel that is quite nice. However, it doesn't make the ice seem more real to me. I suppose that's to be expected because it already seems real to me.

[Rob Ekins]

Mike,
Looking back at the original image I wonder if the confusion around the cube is in it's unorthodox shape and that this particular shape does not sit well with the general perception of a cube of ice. Perhaps in the setting you chose the piece would work well as a rough cut diamond if you were to change the lighting to make that work.

If pursuing the ice look I can recomend this Lynda.com video on creating a chilled glass effect that I came across a while ago. Some good tips in there that could transfer well to making your ice cube appear more realistic.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Robbie! I look forward to reviewing that video.

[Mike Buckley]

That video is a real problem solver, Robbie. Thank you! My problem was getting the drips of water to stay on the black hand and to make them look natural. The solution is the aqual gel mentioned in the video. I've never heard of the stuff. I have printed an order form and will email an order to them tonight.

About the ice cubes: It turns out that the ice cubes I bought are made by the same company mentioned in the video. I bought them from a different company that first bought them from the company mentioned in the video. So, I don't think the shape of the ice cube in my photo is contributing to an unnatural appearance.