First brainwave on #14

pyry

I've been feeling completely, utterly, clueless about #14. I don't think I've ever done a still life knowing I was making a still life.

However a light bulb went off just now:

The Greats


It's still strictly not an exercise in still life, because the theme I shot that for is Music - from the current Mini

Do you think it fits this theme too?
Because I'm in trouble if it doesn't...

pyroPrints.com

i like it, though i think you can develop the idea more

richtersl

It's perfect for the mini.

But for "Still Life", I agree with Pyro that you can develop the idea more.

divamum

I like it but...

Square? How'd you do that without cropping?

And I see no reason why it wouldn't be a still life... is there one?

pyry

richtersl wrote:

It's perfect for the mini.

But for "Still Life", I agree with Pyro that you can develop the idea more.

Develop it in what direction?

divamum wrote:

Square? How'd you do that without cropping?

It is cropped

richtersl

Not to get overly anal about this, but are we allowed to crop for the Still Life challenge?

I would try setting up props around the record player to create a 60's/70's retro scene that includes the record player in the scene as opposed to making it the focal point. But take what I say with a grain of salt. Pyro might be able to provide better insight, though.

pyry

richtersl wrote:

Not to get overly anal about this, but are we allowed to crop for the Still Life challenge?

aa. That thing has everything Lightroom can throw at it on it... Yours truly needs to re-read the rules...

pyroPrints.com

richtersl wrote:

Not to get overly anal about this, but are we allowed to crop for the Still Life challenge?

I would try setting up props around the record player to create a 60's/70's retro scene that includes the record player in the scene as opposed to making it the focal point. But take what I say with a grain of salt. Pyro might be able to provide better insight, though.

yeah it's pretty much JPEG out of the camera, or raw w/no adjustments post shutter click.

anyhow, if it was me i'd add some more objects into the scene (headphones, etc)

pyry

pyroPrints.com wrote:

yeah it's pretty much JPEG out of the camera, or raw w/no adjustments post shutter click.

anyhow, if it was me i'd add some more objects into the scene (headphones, etc)

Headphones in the picture would imply that no-one is listening, can't have that

Anyhoo, re-shoot:




And brainwave #2

Can't get the needle to stay on


(comp's a bit off, need to work on the comp)

MarkR

1st one is a bit yellow. Custom white balance time!

KevXman

MarkR wrote:

1st one is a bit yellow. Custom white balance time!

Ditto. I thought your first shot was great except the cropping faux pax. Is the original uncropped one not useable? If not, match it in a reshoot. I also like how the Sgt. Pepper's album is recognizable in the background.

— Kevin

pyry

MarkR wrote:

1st one is a bit yellow. Custom white balance time!

It's not a bit yellow, it looks like it's gone through a whole vat of orange. I kinda thought it actually fits along with the slightly faded contrast.

pyry

Alright alright, getting called out on the WB thing immediately, twice, says it doesn't do the job. I kinda guessed that

One more version:




Is anybody else starting to miss the good old raw workflow?

divamum

pyry wrote:

Alright alright, getting called out on the WB thing immediately, twice, says it doesn't do the job. I kinda guessed that

>....<

Is anybody else starting to miss the good old raw workflow? <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/rolleyes1.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Do I really have to confess how many shots I took of coffee beans? Don't make me do it..... you'll all laugh at me ....... :crazy

I like this newest one best BUT... any chance of eeeevvveerrr so slightly less blur on "Beatles" and increasing the dof just a tiny bit? I find myself going STRAIGHT to that to try and read it, so I'm actually looking at the point of blur before the point of focus (presumably because it's letters)

pyry

divamum wrote:

Do I really have to confess how many shots I took of coffee beans? Don't make me do it..... you'll all laugh at me ....... :crazy

I like this newest one best BUT... any chance of eeeevvveerrr so slightly less blur on "Beatles" and increasing the dof just a tiny bit? I find myself going STRAIGHT to that to try and read it, so I'm actually looking at the point of blur before the point of focus (presumably because it's letters)

I'll take plenty as an answer
For me it's not the amount of shots needed, it's the re-shoots - for stuff that I could fix with a couple of sliders...

I'll take your suggestion into consideration, it's a good one at that. But for now I've listened to enough of Mr. Kite's benefits.

divamum

pyry wrote:

For me it's not the amount of shots needed, it's the re-shoots - for stuff that I could fix with a couple of sliders...

Actually, that's ultimately what wound up causing me to take so many shots: framing without being able to crop. Sure I used a lot of shots to work out the lighting and the wb issues since I was learning as I go (I know now 1. how to set a manual WB and 2. how to use a cardboard tabletop lightbox!) but it was the "simple" aspect of framing that's been driving me NUTS - if I could have cropped I bet it would have been 1/3 the number of clicks! Trying to center up the lettering on the newspaper header while keeping the parts of the page I didn't want in the picture out of the frame, keeping the bottom of the "cup" level and all of it complicated by the 95% (or whatever it is) viewfinder area leading me astray (not including the times I would bump the beans and have to realign the cup!) meant there was always something that wasn't quite right, so I wound up shooting, checking and when I realised the framing wasn't quite right shooting again.... and again.... and again... I can still see where it's not quiittteee what I would have easily done by cropping, but at some point you have to just go with the best of what you've got!

pyry

divamum wrote:

framing wasn't quite right shooting again.... and again.... and again... I can still see where it's not quiittteee what I...

I hear ya. Luckily for me, vinyls have B-sides, so several turns of Day in the life and a very nearly hashed pot of porridge later:



Set, shoot, curse. Re-set, re-shoot, recurse...

I'm calling this done. Thanks for all the input
Cup of tea, put the camera back to normal...

KevXman

pyry wrote:

I hear ya. Luckily for me, vinyls have B-sides, so several turns of Day in the life and a very nearly hashed pot of porridge later:



Set, shoot, curse. Re-set, re-shoot, recurse...

I'm calling this done. Thanks for all the input
Cup of tea, put the camera back to normal...

That's the one!

— Kevin

divamum

KevXman wrote:

That's the one!

— Kevin

thumb

pyry

KevXman wrote:

That's the one!

— Kevin

divamum wrote:

thumb

Thanks!

Call me silly, but I have to say it felt quite good setting the camera back into raw, auto WB and my normal parameter set

Benjer

nice job pyry! but i wonder if...

just kidding. this is definitely the best one, and I applaud your resoluteness. I'd like to be able to say "done" on any of my projects. Last count I had a million and twenty three unfinished works...

Benjer

pyry

Benjer wrote:

nice job pyry! but i wonder if...

just kidding. this is definitely the best one, and I applaud your resoluteness. I'd like to be able to say "done" on any of my projects. Last count I had a million and twenty three unfinished works...

Benjer

Do you have one those shirts that say "I never finish anyth" ?

There is a point in the workflow, where the image improves most by stepping back and pouring yourself a serving of your favourite beverage (learned that from Llywellyn - hi Kerry! )