Martin Acoustic Guitar -- New Photo

[Mike Buckley]

I posted the photo shown below in this new thread rather than the other thread for the same reason that I probably wouldn't hang this photo and the monochrome photo in the other thread close to each other on the same wall. Though the two images have obvious similarities, the compositions are different enough as I envisioned them that they command very different post-processing treatments.

If you're interested in seeing the detail captured in the wrapped guitar strings, click the image to display it at its largest size in the Litebox.

EDIT: A second image has been added later in the thread.

Setup
A small continuous-light lamp is on the right side. That light raking across the frets and the wrapping on the strings created the tiny shadows that resulted in the display of considerable detail. A white reflector underneath the scene brightens the two bottom strings.

[bje07]

I posted the photo shown below in this new thread rather than the other thread for the same reason that I probably wouldn't hang this photo and the monochrome photo in the other thread close to each other on the same wall. Though the two images have obvious similarities, the compositions are different enough as I envisioned them that they command very different post-processing treatments.

If you're interested in seeing the detail captured in the wrapped guitar strings, click the image to display it at its largest size in the Litebox.

Setup
A small continuous-light lamp is on the right side. A white reflector underneath the scene brightens the two bottom strings.

Clear, net, precis, the white dot adds to the image.
Continue to add your setup. I really like.
Bravo Mike.

[Donald]

Line, Shape, Tone and Texture. That's what it's all about. Here's the evidence.

Without explanation we can recognise what the object is, but it has all the elements of an abstract image. Try to not see a guitar and get your mind into just looking at the lines, shapes, tones and texture. It's a fascinating image.

[mugge]

Mike, knowing that the image is that of a guitar makes me marvel at the details. If I didn't know it was a guitar I would marvel at the lines textures and curves. Just my opinion.
Cheers Ole

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

There is one particular detail about which a lot if not most people would have understandably made a different decision than I made. I am curious to learn whether anyone mentions it.

[Rainforest]

+1 to the above. The dot makes it for me. Is it the black paper on the inside? It is just a bit shy on the top left?? I had to really look.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Susan!

Is it the black paper on the inside? It is just a bit shy on the top left?? I had to really look.

Nope, that's not the detail I'm thinking about.

I initially uploaded a flawed version of the image and have now replaced it with the corrected version. So, the detail you described is now fixed. Apologies that my error threw you off!

By the way, I didn't place anything inside the guitar in this image or any of the other images of it. Instead, I was able to light the guitar so very little light went inside, leaving the sound hole dark.

[Round Tuit]

Hi Mike,
My guess is that you left more room below the fret board than above. I think that most people, including myself, would have centered the guitar.

Stunning photo as we have come to expect from you.

André

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, André!

Great eye to catch the detail you mentioned but that's not the detail I'm thinking of. The detail you mentioned happened because I didn't have the plane of the guitar perfectly parallel with the plane of the camera sensor. (I have no idea how to precisely make that happen.) If I tilt the image to perfectly center the fret board, the frets are no longer vertical. The image could probably be twisted in Photoshop to attend to all of that but that's not a concern for me.

[Mike Buckley]

HINT: The detail André mentioned is similar in concept to the detail I have in mind.

[Round Tuit]

Let me try again. The white dot is not centered in the rectangle formed by the strings and the frets?

[Mike Buckley]

The white dot is not centered in the rectangle formed by the strings and the frets?

Yes, that's the detail I have in mind.

The reason the dot is not centered is because I chose a perspective that allows the viewer to see the tiny edge that is the side of the fret board (the upper side as displayed in the image). Displaying that edge adds another element that conveys three dimensions. That perspective threw the dot off-center.

I actually like that the dot is not centered. It motivates people who react to images as I do to question why the photographer didn't center it. (Is it an accidental mistake or intentional? If intentional, why?) The off-center characteristic also adds a small bit of interest and dynamic character to the image for me.

[Mike Buckley]

The owner of the guitar likes the above monochrome photo but he also likes that in the color image shown below the colors of the strings complement the colors of the wood. I was dissatisfied with the lack of definition of the detail in the wrapped strings in my first version of the color photo, so much so that I never showed it here. Once I realized how much the owner likes the basic concept, I made the image a second time with improved detail. That version is shown below.

Setup
The background is black presentation paper. Capture 1: Medium continuous-light lamp on the right side of the scene lights everything except the bottom two strings in the lower left quadrant of the scene. Capture 2: The same lamp lit those other two strings and that part of the image was then merged with the first capture.