Shooting for Shadows
Nov 10, 2018 22:45:05 #
Working with speed lights, trial & error for strong shadows.
Nov 11, 2018 04:15:15 #
Jim-Pops wrote:
Working with speed lights, trial & error for strong shadows.
An interesting effect. I would say the shadow underneath the bike weakens the overall effect.
Nov 11, 2018 07:41:09 #
Cool image Jim !!! I like the effect and probably (for more experimentation) would move the bike/clock away from the wall to allow for a broader shadow. I'm sure you have other shots for your trial and error experiment. Just out of curiosity, how large is the subject? Would you mount this on a wall or place it on a desk? Seems as tho I have seen something similar, but don't remember where or when.
Dave
Dave
Nov 11, 2018 08:03:21 #
R.G. wrote:
An interesting effect. I would say the shadow underneath the bike weakens the overall effect.
Thanks for stopping by R.G. If I take the shadow out at the base of the bike it looks like it is floating. You start seeing the floating effect at the kick stand. Not sure why I don't have a base shadow at that point as the bike rest on it.
Appreciate your comments always welcome.
Jim
Nov 11, 2018 08:11:08 #
A fantastic piece to work with. I shot the shadow of an old bike hanging from a ceiling in a museum exhibit, so I get R.G.'s mentioning the floor as perhaps a negative aspect. Just depends on what you want to accomplish, such as if this is this more a technical test. Would be fun to see different angles and longer shadows.
Nov 11, 2018 08:13:17 #
Dave Chinn wrote:
Cool image Jim !!! I like the effect and probably (for more experimentation) would move the bike/clock away from the wall to allow for a broader shadow. I'm sure you have other shots for your trial and error experiment. Just out of curiosity, how large is the subject? Would you mount this on a wall or place it on a desk? Seems as tho I have seen something similar, but don't remember where or when.
Dave
Dave
I tried to move it away from the wall but the shadow was dissipating too fast. Increasing or decreasing the light didn't seem to help. I was trying to get long shadows but this item doesn't seem to lend itself for that, might be wire frame is too thin. Got it at Walmart, in their home decorating section, it's about 10 inches wide. I have the bike/clock sitting atop a speaker in our living room.
Always look forward to your comments Dave, thank you.
Jim
Nov 11, 2018 08:20:02 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
A fantastic piece to work with. I shot the shadow of an old bike hanging from a ceiling in a museum exhibit, so I get R.G.'s mentioning the floor as perhaps a negative aspect. Just depends on what you want to accomplish, such as if this is this more a technical test. Would be fun to see different angles and longer shadows.
Good Morning Linda, I have about 30 picture with different angles, lights far, and near, brighter and dimmer power flash. This is the best one I got. I think the frame wire being so thin has limited me getting the long shadows I hoped for.
Nov 11, 2018 10:01:17 #
Love the creative work you put into this--first steps to a final achievement perhaps?
Nov 11, 2018 10:09:34 #
artBob wrote:
Love the creative work you put into this--first steps to a final achievement perhaps?
Thanks Bob, It put me on a path trying to get longer shadows of known objects. Projects to play around with this winter.
Nov 11, 2018 10:16:15 #
Definitely a good start, Jim. Did you use any light modifiers on the strobe?
--Bob
--Bob
Jim-Pops wrote:
Working with speed lights, trial & error for strong shadows.
Nov 11, 2018 11:37:58 #
Jim-Pops wrote:
.....Increasing or decreasing the light didn't seem to help.....
Your ideal light source would be a single point source so you want to come as close to that as possible. A bare bulb or flash without a reflector or diffuser (and not too close) would come close to that, and you don't want large amounts of bounce off of the ceiling or walls. If you raised the level of the light source slightly you would get the shadow of the wheels coming right back to the wheels themselves, which would help to ground them.
Nov 11, 2018 12:16:15 #
Very neat effect. Was the clock used to show how long it took to get it exactly how you wanted it to look. 
Nov 11, 2018 12:17:39 #
rmalarz wrote:
Definitely a good start, Jim. Did you use any light modifiers on the strobe?
--Bob
--Bob
I started with modifiers. A very large one at first, negative. Then moved it overhead at a small angle with smaller softbox, nothing. Then moved to a speed light at 8:oo position and started getting some results. Had a small cover defuser on and that didn't work so good. Then went bare and that is what you are seeing. I got a glair on the clock face so I took another shot from the right, stacked in photoshop and masked removing the glair.
Nov 11, 2018 12:22:05 #
R.G. wrote:
Your ideal light source would be a single point source so you want to come as close to that as possible. A bare bulb or flash without a reflector or diffuser (and not too close) would come close to that, and you don't want large amounts of bounce off of the ceiling or walls. If you raised the level of the light source slightly you would get the shadow of the wheels coming right back to the wheels themselves, which would help to ground them.
You'r right the bounce was bad, so I use black display board all around except the camera opening. I also use black drape material and covered over the entire top. I didn't think about raising the light source I kept moving the camera up and down.
Nov 11, 2018 12:28:06 #
NJFrank wrote:
Very neat effect. Was the clock used to show how long it took to get it exactly how you wanted it to look.
I did look at the clock when I finished the whole thing took me about 2 hours including set up and Photoshop clean up work. I added the pale blue at the end in Photoshop with a photo filter with mask over clock face.
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