Vitamin D-3

[Mike Buckley]

I've got several images that I've cataloged as white-on-white, but until making this photo I had never made an image that is both truly white-on-white and only white-on-white. If both the subject and background were the same tones of white, you would not be able to distinguish one from the other. So, the definition I'm using of a white-on-white image is when the subject is slightly darker than the background (and in this case also the tabletop).

I take one of these Vitamin D-3 pills with my daily breakfast. I think my doctor prescribed them because she couldn't stand the idea of someone my age not taking any pills.

Setup
The tabletop and background are a single sheet of translucent vellum. Small continuous-light lamps on both sides fitted with a diffusion filter make the background the brightest area of the scene. Flags next to each lamp prevent too much light from spilling onto the objects, allowing them to remain darker than the background. A medium continuous-light lamp in the left front area mostly brightens the tabletop and front of the bottle cap to help define its shape. Its light also overpowered the light spilling onto the objects and the shadows created by the other two lamps, which then created shadow tones on the right side of the objects to help define their shape.

[Round Tuit]

Mike,
Your control of the light and your attention to details never cease to amaze me. Out of curiosity, how did you make the little heart shaped shadow in the mouth of the bottle?

...I think my doctor prescribed them because she couldn't stand the idea of someone my age not taking any pills. ...

I have the same problem with my doctor. I just keep ignoring her

André

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, André!

Out of curiosity, how did you make the little heart shaped shadow in the mouth of the bottle?

That's actually the weakest part of the image for me. There are two pills positioned on the lip of the bottle and I lost the definition between the two of them. That was part of my self-imposed challenge, to keep two white pills on a white bottle on a white tabletop all separated from each other. Everything about that worked except the separation between the two pills.

[Rita]

I think this is a well executed image, even considering what you feel is the weakest part of the image. To get the varying whites captured so well is a job well done.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Rita!

[Jim A]

Your patience has been well rewarded, Mike. Great shot, might have a try at this myself, when I have learnt a lot more and hopefully am more knowledgeable.

[rpcrowe]

Very nice capture of the whites... Good lighting!

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Jim and Richard!

[mugge]

Mike, I like how you have controlled the shadows under the pills.
Cheers Ole

[bje07]

Excellent work on shadows and highlights.
For sure you don't need vitamins for your shots, except if you stay too long in the dark of your studio

[Manfred M]

Great shot Mike. The next time someone asks for a good example of a high key image, please put this one up!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Manfred! However...

The next time someone asks for a good example of a high key image, please put this one up!

Invariably, someone would say it's not a good example because there are no black tones. Others would say my method of exposing the image was improper. There seems to be no widely regarded authoritative source and no consensus about definitions and best practices of making high key and low key images. I've given up on participating in discussions about all of that. That explains why I didn't use the term, high key, in my posts or thread title.

So, when the situation occurs, I'll post the image and PM you so you can explain why you believe it's a good example of a high key image. Seriously!

For the record, I'm providing the two histograms below. The first one is of the capture SOOC and the second one is of the final, desaturated image. I'll let everyone decide for themselves whether this is a high key image.


SOOC




Final, desaturated image

[Manfred M]

There seem to be some limited, very dark shadows under some of the pills.

I agree that the definition of high key is hard to pin down as some people tend to take the classical approach where the lighting is quite flat and the shadows not all that prevalent. Some of the more modern views suggest a well exposed, primarily light tone subject.

You seem to meet both these definitions with this image.