Kettle & Mug Take 2

[Round Tuit]

As the advertisers say "New and improved"



C & C always welcomed.

[DanK]

I like it. Any comments in what you did differently?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Round Tuit]

I like it. Any comments in what you did differently?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

First and most important, I made sure that the photo was in focus by turning off the stabilization on the lens. Secondly, I replaced the white reflector on the camera right side by a second softbox. Thirdly, I rotated slightly the mug and the kettle to create a better definition of the handles. I strategically place black foam cores around the setup to eliminate spurious reflections on the mug from the table and the wall. Finally, I spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning up dust particles all over the mirror.

[DanK]

Thanks. I'm trying to overcome inertia in order to start working on things like this, and your procedures are helpful.

BTW, I stumbled on a procedure for removing lots of dust spots. I was interested in it because I do a little restoration of very old photos, which typically have lots of small white spots. Warning: it's complicated, and I honestly don't know what it's doing. I managed to get it to work once, but it failed the second time I tried.

https://robertb.smugmug.com/Other/Quickly-Remove-Many-Small

[Round Tuit]

Thanks. I'm trying to overcome inertia in order to start working on things like this, and your procedures are helpful.

BTW, I stumbled on a procedure for removing lots of dust spots. I was interested in it because I do a little restoration of very old photos, which typically have lots of small white spots. Warning: it's complicated, and I honestly don't know what it's doing. I managed to get it to work once, but it failed the second time I tried.

https://robertb.smugmug.com/Other/Quickly-Remove-Many-Small

Thanks for the link.

I've had a look at the procedure. I think that it would be very sensitive to the radius selected for the filters since any spot that is the size of the radius or larger would not be affected at all. The effectiveness of the removal is also dependent on the contrast between the spot and its immediate background. The greater the contrast the more effective the removal will be. The blurred layer used as a source for patching the spots could also affect the quality of the removal but I don't think that it should be a problem most of the time.

I hope to be able to test the procedure sometimes today.

[DanK]

Thanks for the link.

I've had a look at the procedure. I think that it would be very sensitive to the radius selected for the filters since any spot that is the size of the radius or larger would not be affected at all. The effectiveness of the removal is also dependent on the contrast between the spot and its immediate background. The greater the contrast the more effective the removal will be. The blurred layer used as a source for patching the spots could also affect the quality of the removal but I don't think that it should be a problem most of the time.

I hope to be able to test the procedure sometimes today.

That makes sense. I'll be eager to know what you find.

Re the still life: are you using softboxes with strobes or with continuous lighting? I'm interested in upgrading the lighting I use for studio macros, but the range of options is truly daunting, so I'm curious what you are using.

[Round Tuit]

That makes sense. I'll be eager to know what you find.

Re the still life: are you using softboxes with strobes or with continuous lighting? I'm interested in upgrading the lighting I use for studio macros, but the range of options is truly daunting, so I'm curious what you are using.

I am using what is probably the cheapest light set that you could find. It has two light stands, two softboxes approximately 18" x 28", two LED dimmable lights offering 3 colour temperatures (2800K, 5700K and one somewhere in between) and two remote controls for the lights. The two light stands are flimsy but they work with the softboxes. The entire kit, including a carrying bag, costs around $100 US. If you google "MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit" you should find it.

The kit is definitely not professional quality. In fact it is quite flimsy but works surprisingly well.

[DanK]

I am using what is probably the cheapest light set that you could find. It has two light stands, two softboxes approximately 18" x 28", two LED dimmable lights offering 3 colour temperatures (2800K, 5700K and one somewhere in between) and two remote controls for the lights. The two light stands are flimsy but they work with the softboxes. The entire kit, including a carrying bag, costs around $100 US. If you google "MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit" you should find it.

The kit is definitely not professional quality. In fact it is quite flimsy but works surprisingly well.

That's reassuring. My setup is similar. I bought two hairlights for about $100 each. I use one with an umbrella and the other with diffusion (but not a softbox) and a dimmer. On rare occasions I add a small LED light. I'm currently using halogen bulbs but will replace them with LEDs at some point.