Poppy revisited, AGAIN - Opinions requested...

[wlewisiii]

The final one is interesting. While I still like the first film shot best, this is very good as well. I especially like the interplay of light and shadow to the right on the surface. Almost whispey in places, like smoke or fog - I like that.

What light source are you using? Also, since you're complaining about the focus, what point are you attempting to be focused on? Exposure info?

Also, I'm not sure how big this item is but would something like a small wood block (like a child's alphabet block) hold it up? With a dark colored cloth draped over it?

Thanks for posting this, I feel I'm learning too.

William

[Scott]

Okay, messed around quite a bit with the 20D and Sigma macro this morning.  Varied the lighting (which, BTW, is a flashlight - the seedpod's less than an inch long), composition, background, etc.  Also decided that I was using the wrong half of the seedpod - the other is more sleek and bird skull-like.  Also was MIA, but found it behind the wine rack.

So, after much effort, playing with exposure (this was heavily under-exposed), and doing some desaturation and levels tweaking, I ended up with this:


This is more along the lines of what I was hoping for.  The focus is sharp through some of the inner structure, giving a good feel of the texture.  There's a lot of contrast, but it's not a battle between completely blown highlights and full-on black.  I'm happy with this now, and, I think, done with it.

So, whatchall think?

[wlewisiii]

Scott, that's a wonderful shot and I can see where you're trying to go with it. That said, i wonder how much at this point is going to be an aesthetic thing - what you want to see vs what I or anyone else would want to see. I still, slightly, prefer the original image - because _I_ enjoy the clash of the brights and darks. I can, also, see why you're trying to do something else and that's why this version is so wonderful as well.

Good work & thanks again for sharing it with us.

William

[sandeha]

Comparing the LF shots has reminded me of another problem that I've come across, and I wonder if you've got that flashlight on clamped to a stand or handheld.  The issues of where the light falls and how the focus fades out need to be considered together and need to work together rather than against each other.

I'm not suggesting that the brightest light should necessarily be on the point of sharpest focus as that is just one possible direction to take.  My point is that the relationship between light and focus should make sense, so that the viewer is aided in making sense of the composition and its forms.  The three shots differ in this, and perhaps that is why it has proved such a challenge.

I also think there's too much empty space.  A severe crop of the last one that maintains the same format and proportion, (and careful Curves to ensure nothing is blown out) might bring out both the detail and the contrasting texture more successfully. 

[Scott]

Sandeha -

Re: empty space, I tend to get as close as humanly possible to small things when I shoot them.  I intentionally kept some white space on this, mainly to bring more attention to the detail in the seed pod (no texture vs. highly textured).  Guess it fails in that?

Lighting this has proven to be much more difficult than I'd have guessed.  I hate artificial lighting.  Most of my still lifes are shot with morning sun streaming through a window.  Trying to do it with lights is a lot tougher to maintain.  Specifically, does the last one succeed or fail in the lighting?  I was spending a lot of time watching where shadows fell...

Think I need a break from this "studio" type of shooting.  I need to get outside and shoot something in the sun.  Or clouds.  Whatever.

Scott

[sandeha]

As far as the backdrop goes the sweeping pool of light that heads down to the right is really nice, but in my view it's lost a bit by the much greater area of flat grey that surrounds it.  That's one reason I suggested a crop, as I think you only need enough of the grey area to emphasise the brighter pool.

I've been using homemade softboxes for flashguns for years as they are simple to move around and the lightspread can be as much or as little as you want if your flash sync speed is 1/60 or higher.  Don't like point sources too much.  Sometimes I'll fire a dozen digital shots before breaking out the film, 'cos once it's as good as can be on the digicam it can only be richer on film.