Rack of Lamb - Take 3

[Mike Buckley]

I prefer this version of the raw, frozen rack of lamb compared to the similar composition made in black-and-white in Take 2. Though this version doesn't display the translucent characteristic of the thin areas of the meat, I believe it displays the frost and ice better (more realistically). It also nicely displays the texture in the alternating ridges of meat and bone.

Please click the photo to display it at a large size.

Setup
The background is the rear side of red inlaid art paper. A medium continuous-light lamp is on the right side.

[Shadowman]

Dynamic colors, yet very ordinary composition. I prefer the previous two as art objects, this one is more of an example which could be used for a recipe.

[bnnrcn]

I think I prefer the B&W version Mike. This one looks so real that I feel kind of uncomfortable

[AlwaysOnAuto]

This shows what, for me at least, was lacking in the second shot.
Can you combine the translucent shot with this?

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone! Interesting reactions!

This one looks so real that I feel kind of uncomfortable

Quite a compliment! It makes me feel uncomfortable too. One reason is that food frozen in a typical residential freezer takes on a dried look even though it will be very moist once it's thawed. The dry appearance while it remains frozen is very unappealing.

Can you combine the translucent shot with this?

I know it can be done at least to the extent of rendering the bones somewhat translucent. Rendering the texture and shape of the meat while also making it translucent will be a challenge. The more the near side is lit from that side, the less translucent it will appear because the near-side light will overpower the amount of light shining through from behind. The less the near side is lit from that side, the less texture will be shown. One method might be to make a composite of two photos, one made to emphasize the translucent characteristic and the other one made like the one above.

Seems like a good project for tomorrow. I'll get back to you. One nice aspect of photographing frozen food is that it's always around to photograph.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Your other image was OK, but I was thinking the front side needed a little something more to it. That's why I was asking what the shooting parameters were.
In my mind I was thinking, ok, long exposure to get the front, then BANG with the flash from the back to get the light back there.
I look forward to your next one.

[Mike Buckley]

In my mind I was thinking, ok, long exposure to get the front, then BANG with the flash from the back to get the light back there.

That's how I made Take 2. However, I was going for as much translucence as possible in the meat, so I used full power in the flash. Perhaps using less power will render a reasonable compromise that shows both translucence and detail.

I gather that it is not lost on you that your screen name and interest in exposure details pose an interesting contradiction, to say the least.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Yeah, about my name, well, what can I say. I relied on 'auto' for most of my early shooting as I didn't have the experience of shooting much film in my early days. Now that I'm a lot older I can't afford the film, but have discovered shooting with a Nex-7 and adapted lenses, which to me is close enough and allows me to experiment a lot cheaper too.

[Dave A]

Nice rack.........show the detail very well.

Dave