Old Glass #2
by thrumyiis

Comment by Ann:
Progress, yes. Definitely better. I like how the vertical lines of the bottles and the vertical lines on the wall work together. The objects also seem much more naturally placed on the chest than they did on the fuzzy thing. The patterns showing through the bottles, especially the rusty plate thing, are possibly a bit distracting. And you need a bit more light and contrast, especially on the bottle on the right, although this is better than the last one. Maybe try a large piece of white paper on the right side, just outside the shot, to reflect the light coming from the left back into the shot.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by bassbone:
Not much to add to what ursula has said...

I wonder about the choice of angle of the shot. Most still life shots that seem to work great are more 'horizontal' in structure rather than at a downward angle like this.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by ursula:
Interesting combination of disparate textures to create a rather unique still life. I like the idea, but it seems to me that you almost have 3 separate subjects in this work, the bottles, the blade, the skin. To my mind, that's 2 too many. I think your intention is to show off the bottles while using the blade/skin as supporting elements. I think you need to somehow emphasize that the bottles are your subject, with better light and a better compo, and use the qualities of the blade/skin to complement the bottles, not compete with them.

All that said, it is a neat idea, very much worth further exploration! Still life photography is difficult. It requires good setups and a keen sense of design, and excellent light. It doesn't usually have much " story" to rely on, so visual beauty, the design, becomes your story, and your lighting sets the mood. It's not an easy field, but it is very controllable, thus it can be achieved without depending so much on the elements or the moment or all the other "situation" dependent genres.

Anyway. Long speech. Hope this is a bit helpful.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by tvsometime:
Fascinating shapes and shades of unexpected color.

Message edited by author 2013-01-13 21:22:39.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by Abra:
A very interesting image and I̢۪m sure very difficult to photo. I also feel it̢۪s a bit tight near the top of the bottles. I do like the old cutting disc used as a stand as it compliments the age of the bottles but I̢۪m not sure as the use of fir as it competes without sticking to your theme (in my opinion). I wonder if a lighter and vertical backdrop may have brought out the bottles even more.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by Ann:
A very interesting subject. How did you light this? Window light? You might look at the book "Light, Science and Magic." That book is the bible on lighting, and has an entire chapter dedicated to lighting glass. The book is about using studio lights, but it teaches enough lighting principles that you can adapt it to use any lighting you have, including natural light. Well worth reading.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by HarveyG:
As soon as I read "Rosella" I knew you were from Aus!
I recall going to old dumps and searching with my family for bottles there in the 70's. Not the smelly dumps, the old mining town dumps long forgotten by modern dwellers.

I like the unusual mix of rusted cutting blade and cow skin BG. Perhaps a bit more light through the bottles and an increase in tonality/contrast overall would make it "pop" more. Playing with the light on the writing relief of the bottles would make that stand out and be the main subject of interest. The other items, disc and pelt vie for attention with the bottles.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by bsluijk:
Nice bottles, good subject to work on. The combination of white and dark backgrounds behind the bottles makes them a little more difficult to see.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by MacDonald:
Great color and textures in the rusty metal - good job lighting the glass too.

Old Glass..
by thrumyiis

Comment by nam:
I enjoy the unusual textural contrasts here.