There's a lighter light at the end of the tunnel
by Quigley

Comment by violinist123:
Better than the first try, certainly. Lighting it so you could make out some small amount of detail within the pipe itself would probably make this easier to interpret. Unfortunately 'modern' cameras just can't cope with such drastic differences between bright light and deep darkness.

The Singer Set Up
by Quigley

Comment by Quigley:
The flashlight to the left by the door is aimed behind the machine and the one to the right is aimed infront. Threr is one on the floor that I used to bounce off the reflector and light the top to reduce/eliminate the shadows.

The Singer Set Up
by Quigley

Comment by dtremain:
Your setup makes me smile. I love the creativity (and recognize a few of the pieces...) I think there's a great shot in there with that old Singer sewing machine... maybe several. You might want to try some macro shots, too. My gut feel is that you're working with too little light (I'm no expert, so your mileage may vary...). You may want to try more light, and if you need to, darken it a bit in PP. More light should give you more detail...

You might also try aiming the flashlight at the top reflector instead of directly at the machine.

Message edited by author 2007-09-15 13:46:13.

The Singer Set Up
by Quigley

Comment by cogerox:
A trip to Home Depot (or Lowe's - I'm not advertising here) will land you a few inexpensive "desk" lamps of varying heights and proportions. Nice to have variable wattage switches if you can get them, or make a dimmer box out of parts from the bins. If you'd like a better description of how to make one PM me and I'd be glad to explain. With several variable light sources you can set up the shot the way it will look best through your viewfinder.

Singer with new light
by Quigley

Comment by dtremain:
This lighting is better. You might try sitting in front of the machine, like you were going to use it. I so like all the old decorative patterns - especially on the base, and you almost have to shoot down on it to capture those. If you go any lower on perspective, the background comes into play as a major element of the photo.

You've lost the hand crank in this shot - a critical part of this machine's vintage.

Message edited by author 2007-09-15 13:48:07.

Singer with new light
by Quigley

Comment by violinist123:
I saw your lighting setup with the big reflectors. Can you post what exactly it is you are trying to acheive with your lighting setup for this shot?

Also I would get down and shoot this from the front or maybe just slightly above. Could also try shooting it from an angle to the right side to show off that dunkly looking back, but either way I would avoid top-down. It always looks like the person just walked up to something, pointed the camera down and clicked.

Turn Of The Century Singer
by Quigley

Comment by Quigley:
This is the hand crank style. The lighting was two flashlights and my silver reflecter. All held by me and I had to set the timer and. It was a shot that I was planning for a while and I should not have rushed it. I was dog tired from work and went to bed about a minute after I took this shot, so I'll reshoot this and post another for today, day 15.

Thank you for the comments they help so much. :-} MAX!

Turn Of The Century Singer
by Quigley

Comment by cogerox:
This is just like my mother's WHICH STILL WORKS. Don't make em like that anymore, eh? I agree with [user]//www.dpchallenge.com/profile.php?USER_ID=77196[/user]. Another low level light would bring out so much more in this shot.

Turn Of The Century Singer
by Quigley

Comment by JLC:
Fun shot. Those old sewing machines are great!

Turn Of The Century Singer
by Quigley

Comment by dtremain:
Um. Nice subject - this brings back some childhood memories. I find the image too dark overall - there are some gorgeous markings that blend too much into the background. Also, the lighting is uneven from left to right - I'd prefer a little more light at the left side of the photo. Is this a pedal model, or just hand crank?