DSS#49 Having Trouble

ckaspar

So I am having real trouble with this challenge and I think it is because I do not have a "macro mind" nor a macro lens. So far this is the best I can come up with. Please let me know what you think.

The Curious Camel

I don't think you need a macro.

Looks like you got really close to something with hair/fur?

peace, g

Velvet-Art

Is it Fur??

I dont have a macro lens either, I got some M42 stuff of e-bleh a while ago, you can pick up a lens, extension tubes and an adaptor for your Dslr for $30-40 including postage.

Alternatively if you happen to have a 50mm lens and a typical kit-type zoom lens, you can mount the zoom on the camera, and either handhold or tape the 50mm lens the wrong way round on the end of the zoom ( ie the front element of the zoom faces the front element of the 50mm lens and tape stops light leaking in the joint, and your subject is in front of the rear end of the 50mm lens ). Using that method you can get really large magnifications.


Tim

ckaspar

Ooop! I have an idea! I will post it later and see what you all think.

ckaspar

How is that instead?

TLVoDra

wth is this??? bottom of a running shoe?

JAG

second image has a lot more interest. Do you have a stonger light to use to get more contrast?

Paintguy

First thought was a shoe, but it is not dirty.. something requiring a textured edge & rubber for grip.. maybe the side of binoculars? I like the diagonal focus.

ckaspar

So...I took the likes and dislikes from my second post and re-shot this.



I don't have any other source of lighting so I just repositioned everything I could to try to introduce more contrast with the lighting I had. I hope this one is better as it is the one I posted for the challenge.

Thoughts?

P.S. It is not a shoe.

CaiusMartius

I actually like the lighting in the first version the best.

BinaryFx

ckaspar wrote:

So...I took the likes and dislikes from my second post and re-shot this.



I don't have any other source of lighting so I just repositioned everything I could to try to introduce more contrast with the lighting I had. I hope this one is better as it is the one I posted for the challenge.

Thoughts?

P.S. It is not a shoe.

ckaspar, I would like to see more contrast, which can be done in post.

I used the Photoshop shadow/highlight command to open things up a little bit in RGB. You may wish to stop at this point...

Next, I converted to custom CMYK using heavy GCR, which puts most of the detail in the K channel with supporting tints in the CMY. I then used straight line curves to lighten the CMY shadow points (so as not to plug up detail the next move), then used a big contrast enhancing "S" curve in the K channel. Finally I returned the file to RGB. CMYK has a nice way of isolating dark neutral detail in the K channel, which can be helpful when enhancing critical black details.

This may be too light and contrasty (posterized shadows on the left), if so, it is easy to blend the result at lower opacity over the original to your taste (or dodge/burn etc)!


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

AndMan

CaiusMartius wrote:

I actually like the lighting in the first version the best.

Paintguy

Ok... does it have something to do with an Apple product? I think I have it figured out.

Flyinggina

I like this. Definitely meets the "wth" test. I think you should do some more shooting of the subject. More contrast is a good idea, but I wouldn't overdo it. The shades of gray add to the mystery.

btw, for lighting you can use a table lamp, or a flashlight or just about any mobile steady light source creatively. If it is too bright, use something translucent to filter and diffuse the light. (Try different white balance settings on your camera if you aren't sure what "color" the light is or shoot RAW and adjust the wb in post.) Or use white paper as a reflector to get a bit more out of the natural light you have.

As Eugene Smith said: Available light is any d*** light you have.

Virginia

DsrtVW

I like the version you posted. But it never hurts to play around with different compositions and lighting. I had another title suggestion I will pm to you so I dont give it away.

travelways

CaiusMartius wrote:

I actually like the lighting in the first version the best.

...

ckaspar

Hey everyone, I appreciate the replies on my posts. I am new here as you can see but but these challenges have really taught me something very important. There is no "perfect picture". It might look perfect to somebody but someone else will have a critique of something that takes the perfect away. I am not just referring to my shots because I know they are far from perfect but I just mean in general.

For my shots, some folks liked the original shot, some liked the re-shot pic and others liked it after the contrast was adjusted in post processing. It is very intriguing for me as someone new to this site and photography. I have never been very creative in the past and these challenges are really challenging me to try to be creative. I am going to have to learn that I will not please everyone because everyone has a different eye for what they want to see. I am just going to have to keep posting pics on here for input from the rest of you to try to shape my eye into something that can see what you all like and don't like in general and work from there..

Thanks again for the comments. Keep 'em coming.

Kinkajou

I like the reshoot. It looks good!