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Double Shot
Double Shot
giantmike


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Double Take IV (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-50D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Location: Madison, WI
Date: Apr 3, 2012
Aperture: 4.5
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/100
Date Uploaded: Apr 3, 2012

 Nearly forgot about this challenge until the night before when I was making espresso for me and my wife. I had both handles of the mugs pointed the same way, so I grabbed some quick shots before they got cold. The 2 minute attempt returned horrible results (big surprise) so I returned to a espresso setup the night after.

At first, I tried a top down approach. There was a certain balance to the photo which was nice, but not awesome. So after spending some time editing that shot, I went back to my setup and was about to take it down when I noticed how this looked from a tilted angle. I changed the camera position, but left the lighting practically the same. This result was much nicer (as agreed upon by my wife), and my entry was born.

Lighting for this was a bit contrived. I had a flash firing through an umbrella from camera right. It was just a bit higher than the scene, pointed slightly down, and raking the light across the back of the mugs. Another flash was setup with a DIY snoot attached, almost directly in front of the camera, and right above the mugs. It was pointed at a 5-in-1 reflector with the silver side pointed towards the front of the cups. This second flash was much lower power to help increase the dramatization of the shadows.

Post Processing;
* Topaz Adjust - started with the French Countryside preset to add coffee colored warmth and softness
* Crop
* Increase saturation with lower vibrancy
* S-curve with a bit extra for the highlights
* Burn a couple of the brighter beans to make them blend in more
* Export as TIFF
* Resize
* Sharpen Edges
* Save as JPEG

Statistics
Place: 63 out of 126
Avg (all users): 5.5379
Avg (commenters): 6.4000
Avg (participants): 5.3710
Avg (non-participants): 5.6627
Views since voting: 504
Views during voting: 226
Votes: 145
Comments: 6
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Canon EOS-80D
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM
 04/11/2012 06:31:00 AM
Good design factors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Sony SLT-A33
Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM
04/10/2012 11:53:42 AM
Loved the thumbnail, but I think when I opened it, I wished for the two cups to be in sharper focus. Nice image overall though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM for Canon
 04/06/2012 01:09:15 AM
Crop takes away wish I could have a tight crop but get to see both cups and saucers
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/04/2012 03:01:08 PM
It's a matter of taste, but I think I would have liked this photo more with the coffee beans also in focus
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D Mark II
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
 04/04/2012 11:53:25 AM
Sometimes I feel like I need a double shot! I love the coffee beans added... gives the photo an extra boost. Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D80
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX
 04/04/2012 01:43:02 AM
Love the composition. Is it just my monitor or the colour of the coffee looks a bit un-naturally yellowish?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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