St David's Day - take two - Daffodils with a twist

[Kaye Leggett]

Somehow I just wasn't happy with the previous St David's day image March - Project 12 - St David's Day - it was OK but I'm aiming for more than OK this year.

So.....I had two flowers which no longer had stems so chucked them in one of the glasses I had been using as props so they wouldn't die. Then thinking, as you do over a couple of hours, I thought - I wonder whether I could make an image using the glass and the flowers. The inspiration came from previous month's fun with wine bottles (Mr Buckley - see what you have done? it's catching !) and also from going to the occasional restaurant which has flowers on the table which are 'arranged' with a contemporary twist.

So this is daffodils (in aid of St. David's Day) arranged with a twist.

C&C very welcome

[Shadowman]

Nice shot, is it me or do you have a Dutch tilt going on here?

[mugge]

Good idea, nice colours. Watch the horizontal.
Cheers Ole

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks for commenting - I've now uploaded a straightened image.

[NorthernFocus]

Interesting concept, Kaye. I like it. My only suggestion is that it seems "backwards" in that the brighter side of the subject is near the edge of frame rather than centered. But that's just a comment from a casual observer as this type of shot is way outside of my experience.

[Wavelength]

A classic example that human creativity finds no boundaries.... and you selected the best possible color for the background.... and fantastic lighting....

[Geoff F]

Very nice idea well photographed. My only thoughts are, do you need to have a cap on the jar so the flowers appear constrained. Almost a 'pickled flowers' appearance?

[John 2]

I like that. A nice bit of original thinking, well executed. Thoughtful idea Kaye.

[Urbanflyer]

love the concept and the execution!

[bnnrcn]

Hi Kaye I really like the color of the BG and the tabletop, they suit the flowers and the glass very well. There is one thing that makes me curious though. Although the light comes from the left , the flowers on the left are in shadow but the flowers on the right are bright . So, I can't understand why

[Kaye Leggett]

Thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement

Geoff, sadly I don't have a lid but it's a nice idea. A friend bought me these 'recycled' glasses for a laugh as champagne flutes. I've also used them as candle holders and now as a vase.

Binnur - the continuous light is from the right - I used a white reflector on the left to bounce it back. I've been reading Mike Buckley's set ups again !

Onwards to April................

[Rebel]

Nice image Kaye, and I love the glass

[Mike Buckley]

This is such a nice image that I'm gonna claim it as my own. Seriously, if this was my image it would be on my next order for note cards.

I'm sure lots of people would enjoy seeing the details of your setup. I'm especially wondering what you used for the tabletop.

Though I've seen the other comments, I wouldn't change a thing except for one very minor detail that is too late to change: Notice that the horizon is a little closer to the bottom of the frame on the right side than on the left side.

The only way to solve that issue in the future is to ensure that the camera is level and that the horizon's plane is parallel to the sensor's plane before you capture the image. I begin my making the camera level first using the built-in electronic level. I use Live View zoomed to the largest magnification to manually focus on the horizon even if the final image is to display an out of focus horizon. My Nikon camera displays a red rectangle in that situation. I place that rectangle on the far left side of the frame with one of the horizontal lines in that rectangle on or at the horizon line. I then move the red rectangle to the far right side of the frame. If the position of the red horizontal line relative to the horizon is the same as the left side, you know everything is set (but only if you have first made the camera level); if the relative position is different from the other side, you know you have to adjust either the camera or the tabletop. If your tabletop is on a stand rather than part of a piece of furniture, it's a lot easier to adjust the tabletop.

Naturally, there are times that you will want the horizon line to be on a completely different plane than the camera's sensor. Doing so can make for a very dramatic image. However, if you do create that angle, make sure you make the angle large enough that it's an obvious part of your design, unlike in this image when it is such a slight angle that it looks like a mistake to my eyes, albeit in this case a minor mistake. If your background and tabletop were two completely different colors, the mistake would be more obvious, though to me it would still seem like a mistake.

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks Matt and Mike. Matt we have glasses with handles too for beer - maybe I'll use them for April !!
Mike your input is invaluable - I had completely overlooked the horizon, will now put in mental checklist before pressing the shutter. The set up; The background and table top are two pieces of flexiglass, both white. One is slightly more opaque than the other and has less shine, but otherwise are identical - I purchased a batch of colours/opacities earlier in the year as minimum order levels made it economic to do so. One continuous small led light from the right (I only have one - note to self need to acquire more of these - urgh birthday not for ages !!) with a white reflector on the left.

And now I am going to print a couple of note cards - Happy Easter................

[Mike Buckley]

What made the two pieces of white plexiglass appear green?

[Kaye Leggett]

What made the two pieces of white plexiglass appear green?

I'm slowing learning the effect of the total environment on colour and lighting. The green I 'think' comes from a/ the backs of the daffodils as there is a little bit of stalk on each one and b/ the room I took these images in have green walls so even though the only lighting was the LED some of the green is there.

My next challenge is to make them look white.

[Mike Buckley]

Based on your description of the setup, my assumption is that the green walls are being reflected in the background and the background is being reflected in the tabletop.

You mentioned that the only lighting was the LED. Was there no sunlight in the room? To put it another way, were the walls in the room lit only by the LED?

[Kaye Leggett]

Based on your description of the setup, my assumption is that the green walls are being reflected in the background and the background is being reflected in the tabletop.

You mentioned that the only lighting was the LED. Was there no sunlight in the room? To put it another way, were the walls in the room lit only by the LED?

No, no sunlight - it was evening, so pretty dark.

[ST1]

Sorry I'm late arriving on this thread, given all the prior responses I'll just say well done Kaye you've captured an unusual subject well

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks Peter.