Pirate's Booty

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

EDIT: Please vote if you look. Commenting would be cool too, but votes are very important.

Ok, so I'm working with some Still Life shots and planning to enter one of these 4 images into a contest on Friday (print contest, so I pretty much have today to decide).

Please give me some C&C on these - I will be printing at 11x14, which is why they are cropped to that ratio. I can re-shoot, but that is really pushing the time I have left.

Thanks in advance!

1.

2.

3.

4.

DonRicklin · June 25, 2008

It is nice to have a sense of the pirates chest, like in this one.

Good luck.

Don

Frog Lady · June 25, 2008

DonRicklin wrote:

It is nice to have a sense of the pirates chest

Don

My vote went to the one w/ the coin/jewels obviously spilling out of the chest.

good luck.

C.

cmorganphotography · June 25, 2008

I'm the jerk that voted reshoot, and THEN I read you have today to decide. I think you should reshoot anyway and here's why:
1) The Red bracelets are not really treasure and distract.
2)The gems don't flash or glimmer, so I think they needed more direct light to cast some prisms.
3) The coins and chest look dull too... really I think it needed more light overhead in a wash, a spot dead on with maybe a barn door to center it o nthe gems and a black velvet or velveteen background/floor or in a rich colour like green or red or gold.
A really nice cheat with still life is that it doesn't ahve to be all real. Putting some gold metallic material or any fabric really, under the coins and "treasure" would have made it look more full and gave more levels. If you could put a mirror or a shiny surface i nthe bottom of the treasure that would add more dimension too.

Now that's over, the good stuff!
I really, really like this idea and I might give it a try myself [must go toy shopping!

]
The gems you have are really pretty and placed well.
I love that there is different treasure like the necklaces and gems besides just gold coins.
I like the angles you chose and they all convey "hey lookat my booty, argh!"
Since I have to choose one I choose the second picture because the reflection of the coins i nthe blue gem is really nice, the green gem has a sparkle!, and I get the sense of the spilling chest and frame is filled nicely.

Good luck!

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

I'm the jerk that voted reshoot, and THEN I read you have today to decide. I think you should reshoot anyway and here's why:

Thanks to everyone who has commented and voted so far. Even the Jerk

Seriously though, cmorgan, you give a lot of great ideas that I hadn't thought of. Of course I can't go out and buy a light kit to reshoot, but I'll see what I can do with what I have.

Hadn't thought of using any other dropp other than black. Mirrors is a great idea too. There are 800 gold coins in that box, with a miirror it would look like 1600!

I wish there was more time, but of course I can still do things and try things. I am not a practiced still life photog, so this is something new for me and very interesting. So many things to try and learn here.

cmason · June 25, 2008

Try taking your set outside, and use a white piece of paper or foamcore to reflect light, that will get those gems sparkling...

dd_create · June 25, 2008

Hi Lisa,
Good work. I love forth one specially "Jewelry in the box". I can see the details and the reflective image in diamond.

Dilesh

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

dd_create wrote:

Hi Lisa,
Good work. I love forth one specially "Jewelry in the box". I can see the details and the reflective image in diamond.
Dilesh

Thanks dilesh and officially welcome to Dgrin!

Now get back to work. :whip

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

cmason wrote:

Try taking your set outside, and use a white piece of paper or foamcore to reflect light, that will get those gems sparkling...

That's a great idea, there just isn't any sunshine at 9pm :cry

Wish I had a weekend day left before the contest but alas I do not.

cmorganphotography · June 25, 2008

I only have four not-at-all for photography lights, so I hear ya. And I have some cheats.
You could use a window seat with some sheers over it or use the curtains to selectively light the gems, coins, etc. Or just find a table or something adn elevate your "play area" to the light.

You could spill the pirate booty on a beach or the grass near a tree to get that sense of outdoors/adventure like the pirates of yore. The bonus is rain or shine you'll have plenty of good light and a mirror or the white foam core will reflect some good light onto it. The sun is your friend when you don't have gear. A rainy day with spilled pirate booty would tell an intersting story in a picture... especially with a sword laid down near the chest! Or a falled eye patch or a pirate hat!
Never... ever underestimate fabric! Fabric is everyone's friend. Colour, texture, size, volume, diffusion, mood, even some reflection can be had in massive quantities from fabric. Halloween costumes for kids on super sale after Halloween is just perfect for stuff like this. Think of it like you are dressing a stage for a play. You need curtains and props and set lighting and you have to build the houses and roads.
It's an adventure.
The best thing about all this is you get to be a kid again. SO have fun!

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

I only have four not-at-all for photography lights, so I hear ya. And I have some cheats.
You could use a window seat with some sheers over it or use the curtains to selectively light the gems, coins, etc. Or just find a table or something adn elevate your "play area" to the light.
You could spill the pirate booty on a beach or the grass near a tree to get that sense of outdoors/adventure like the pirates of yore. The bonus is rain or shine you'll have plenty of good light and a mirror or the white foam core will reflect some good light onto it. The sun is your friend when you don't have gear. A rainy day with spilled pirate booty would tell an intersting story in a picture... especially with a sword laid down near the chest! Or a falled eye patch or a pirate hat!
Never... ever underestimate fabric! Fabric is everyone's friend. Colour, texture, size, volume, diffusion, mood, even some reflection can be had in massive quantities from fabric. Halloween costumes for kids on super sale after Halloween is just perfect for stuff like this. Think of it like you are dressing a stage for a play. You need curtains and props and set lighting and you have to build the houses and roads.
It's an adventure.
The best thing about all this is you get to be a kid again. SO have fun!

More great ideas, thanks! Hmm.... a beach in las vegas, that is a tough one. Trees yes, we have lots of palm trees!

So true about the costumes, never thought of that one either. Those fabrics are great! I actually have a few photos with a sword but nothing looked right, the sword just distracted from the treasure, maybe the wrong kind of sword or something. I definately think that I'll revisit this idea with some outdoor shots at some point (when it isn't 113 degrees out). I've got lots of reflectors and also foam core, so i'm all set for reflecting some lights.

cmorganphotography · June 25, 2008

I'm a child at heart, so forgive me my inane babbling and overgiddiness for projects.
Have you thoughts about using a product hotbox? You can make one by assembling a box of white foamcore with an open front and use two cheapie heat lamps [think lizard heat lamps, pet stores, hardware stores, etc] pointed inside?
It's Las Vegas you have a desert around you. You have piratastic written all over your backyard. WHen I think pirate sword I think shamshir or Scimitar, the curved kind with a fancy hilt and a red piece of cloth tied around it and dangling down.

darkdragon · June 25, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

I'm a child at heart, so forgive me my inane babbling and overgiddiness for projects.
Have you thoughts about using a product hotbox? You can make one by assembling a box of white foamcore with an open front and use two cheapie heat lamps [think lizard heat lamps, pet stores, hardware stores, etc] pointed inside?
It's Las Vegas you have a desert around you. You have piratastic written all over your backyard. WHen I think pirate sword I think shamshir or Scimitar, the curved kind with a fancy hilt and a red piece of cloth tied around it and dangling down.

I don't think i want to do a product hotbox with this. it would have to be huge and I dont want to lug something like that to the park (or whatever) and set it up. i have to do all this by myself and what if the wind came up? yikes.

yeah, I did use the wrong sword. I should have used a Scimitar but I used a standard shortsword -

duh. no wonder all the sword images looked off to me.

cmorganphotography · June 27, 2008

What were the results?

Oh, and play DnD and you'll learn weaponry soon enough.

darkdragon · June 27, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

What were the results?

Oh, and play DnD and you'll learn weaponry soon enough.

yeah, I played for 10 years

, just was thinking of "treasure" when i got the sword...more like dragon treasure rather than pirate treasure.

went with image #4, the contest is tonight! Will post results no matter how embarrassing.

cmorganphotography · June 27, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

yeah, I played for 10 years ,

Then you know the glory of the 10 ft pole and the mourning star. Answer me this, gnomes or dwarves?

darkdragon · June 27, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

Then you know the glory of the 10 ft pole and the mourning star. Answer me this, gnomes or dwarves?

gnomes! (kenders!)

cmorganphotography · June 27, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

gnomes! (kenders!)

This is war.

darkdragon · June 27, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

This is war.

bring it on:duel
:smack

cmorganphotography · June 27, 2008

Dwarves vs Gnomes is my favourite all time DnD bicker topic. What are they really? The short human looking characters in the arcana. Who cares? Why fight over it. The majority of people like gnomes because they are relatively nice. They don't smell or drink [a lot] and aren't vulgar warlike people who would sooner trample your head than help you up. Tiz why I hate them. Dwarves rule!

It's a very silly thing to bicker over. Can't we all just get along.

HALFLINGS on the other hand are subhuman. Scum. No one likes them. Those detestalble little jibbers... oh how I hate them...

darkdragon · June 27, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

Dwarves vs Gnomes is my favourite all time DnD bicker topic. What are they really? The short human looking characters in the arcana. Who cares? Why fight over it. The majority of people like gnomes because they are relatively nice. They don't smell or drink [a lot] and aren't vulgar warlike people who would sooner trample your head than help you up. Tiz why I hate them. Dwarves rule!

I like gnomes because they experiment and make crazy gadgets.

HALFLINGS on the other hand are subhuman. Scum. No one likes them. Those detestalble little jibbers... oh how I hate them...

halflings are great!

cmorganphotography · June 27, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

I think
halflings are great!

Why.... you!:rutt

darkdragon · June 29, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

Why.... you!:rutt

:fish

anyway....only gotthird place. the judges thought it was too busy :cry

cmorganphotography · June 29, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

:fish

anyway....only gotthird place. the judges thought it was too busy :cry

You'll kick butt next time.
In the meantime you can kick a gnome!

Once i get a better lens we can have our own competition. I'll shoot some booty and you shoot your booty and the best booty wins!
:ivar How many applied?

darkdragon · June 29, 2008

cmorganphotography wrote:

You'll kick butt next time.
In the meantime you can kick a gnome!
Once i get a better lens we can have our own competition. I'll shoot some booty and you shoot your booty and the best booty wins!
:ivar How many applied?

hahaha.

i really cant remember how many entries there were in that category, probably 5. 99 total entries, i took home a 1sr, a 2nd and a 3rd place ribbon out of 3 entries

cmorganphotography · June 29, 2008

darkdragon wrote:

hahaha.

i really cant remember how many entries there were in that category, probably 5. 99 total entries, i took home a 1sr, a 2nd and a 3rd place ribbon out of 3 entries

All the ribbons in the world aren't going to save you from liking gnomes and halflings, Missy!

Good for you. I don't even bother entering contests. Don't think I'm quite there yet but I'm scraping around trying to sell stuff. Buy some prints!

I need to expand my network again, I think. Business is hard, but I knew that.:D
Booty is a good word. Booty!

Pirate's Booty

What Should I Enter? 14 votes

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