Egg in the raw -- Take 3 (Planet Egg)

[Mike Buckley]

Please click the image to view it at a larger size to appreciate the detail.

Setup
The fresh raw egg is on a thin piece of glass suspended 5 1/2 inches above black foam core. The background is also black foam core. A medium continuous-light lamp is on the left side. A white wall is on the right side reflecting a smalll amount of light back toward the subject.

[flashback]

I don't believe I've seen anything quite like this before, unless one considers images of a typical spiral galaxy. Or just consider the (lost) potential of the egg itself, equally mind boggling.

This most definitely needs to be viewed in lightbox full magnification. Possibly consider converting this to B&W, I think in doing so, while it may not be readily identified for what it is, it will certainly be thought provoking. This is awesome (I eliminated a number of profane eggspletives (a result of my intense pleasure in this image) in my comment)!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Jack!

I never considered converting it to monochrome until I saw your suggestion. After trying it, it didn't work for me. That probably speaks volumes about my attitude rather than the viability of your suggestion; when I so strongly envision an image before making it as happened with this one, time will probably be required before I can seriously be open-minded to other fundamentally different possibilities. That's the true downside and the only one of strongly envisioning an image long before releasing the shutter.

eggspletives

You just had to get that in. Your sin is forgiven but not forgotten.

[flashback]

Mike, I did give it a try in B&W...maybe it's a matter of perspective but it works for me. That said, as is it is readily identifiable for what it is and that in itself is a good thing. So no matter it's still a really cool, most interesting shot.
(I appreciate your forgiveness and understand about you not forgetting about it. I offer no eggscuses)

[Mike Buckley]

Jack,

When you converted to monochrome, was it immediately identifiable as an egg in your mind? Sorry that that's probably an unfair question considering that you first saw the image in color and had benefit of the text explaining (notice that I avoided using the obvious pun) how the image was made. Even so, I am curious about that aspect of your initial reaction to the monochrome version.

[flashback]

Mike,
When I first say your image, I was immediately taken with its resemblance to an image of a spiral galaxy and of course my mind then went to B&W. So of course, I had to try and see what your image looked like as a B&W. For me it works in B&W but I readily agree that it may not be to everyone's taste. Simultaneously my mind also went to the whole world-in-an-egg thing so for me there's a kind of philosophical overview.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[Dave A]

Very nice Mike.

Dave

[Rita]

Very cool.

[bnnrcn]

I haven't seen such an egg image before, very creative !

PS. Excuse me Mike.. May be I'm so sleepy that my brain doesn't work properly. How did you get the reflection? I'm looking at the image again and again but I can't figure it out

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

How did you get the reflection?

The egg is on a thin piece of transparent glass. The glass is reflecting the egg.

[bnnrcn]

I'm looking at the image again in the morning after sleeping very well.I'm still a bit confused about the reflection of the yolk being so perfect. I think it is because the egg white is transparent , it allows the yolk to create a good reflection with the whole size. If it was a cooked egg, then the white of the egg would look really white and wouldn't allow the yolk to give such a good reflection.May be we would be seeing only a part of the yolk as reflection then. Am I right Mike ? This image really confused me when I thought about it thoroughly It is a super image though

Thank you, everyone!



The egg is on a thin piece of transparent glass. The glass is reflecting the egg.

[Dave Humphries]

I think a monochrome version, presented at an angle to the frame - and with less illumination effect on the right hand side of the periphery - could be (briefly) mistaken for a planet with a ring system.

[John 2]

All these people cracking egg jokes Mike is just some folks coming out of their shells. That is very inventive. My only added thought is that you could have given it a traditional planetary tilt.

[Mike Buckley]

Continued thanks to everyone!

If it was a cooked egg, then the white of the egg would look really white and wouldn't allow the yolk to give such a good reflection.May be we would be seeing only a part of the yolk as reflection then. Am I right Mike ?

I'm really bad at understanding reflections but I think you are correct if I understand you correctly. My way of explaining perhaps the same thing you already explained is that the advantage of the raw, transparent egg white is that we are looking through it and can see the yolk. That makes it possible to see roughly the entire circle of yolk (the top, the middle as seen through the egg white, and the reflection). If the egg was cooked, we would see the top and reflection of the yolk but those two parts would be separated by the opaque egg white.

All these people cracking egg jokes Mike is just some folks coming out of their shells.

It's nice to know there is a positive spin that puts them in a good light.

My only added thought is that you could have given it a traditional planetary tilt.

I have considered that possibility but haven't gotten around to making it happen. That's because I'm still so consumed with the memory of working so hard to make sure the piece of glass was not tilted. Otherwise the egg would have slid off it and made a mess of my makeshift studio. This image is cropped only a very little at the sides (actually only at the right side), so I would have to expand the canvas and fill the newly created area with the black background before adding the tilt.

[bnnrcn]

Yes, you explained it better than me

I'm really bad at understanding reflections but I think you are correct if I understand you correctly. My way of explaining perhaps the same thing you already explained is that the advantage of the raw, transparent egg white is that we are looking through it and can see the yolk. That makes it possible to see roughly the entire circle of yolk (the top, the middle as seen through the egg white, and the reflection). If the egg was cooked, we would see the top and reflection of the yolk but those two parts would be separated by the opaque egg white.

[mknittle]

I'm looking at the image again in the morning after sleeping very well.I'm still a bit confused about the reflection of the yolk being so perfect. I think it is because the egg white is transparent , it allows the yolk to create a good reflection with the whole size. If it was a cooked egg, then the white of the egg would look really white and wouldn't allow the yolk to give such a good reflection.May be we would be seeing only a part of the yolk as reflection then. Am I right Mike ? This image really confused me when I thought about it thoroughly It is a super image though

Binnur I think you are correct. I have been playing with reflections and you quite often get a better reflection of the top of an object than you would think. Give it a try it can be a lot of fun.

[Mike Buckley]

you quite often get a better reflection of the top of an object than you would think.

The ability to create a scene that includes the top of an object and its reflection has to do with the height of the object and the amount of reflective material in front of it; the taller the object, the more reflective material is required. As for getting both the top of the object and its reflection in focus, the taller the object, the larger the depth of field that is required.