What am I not getting? (Page 3): Tilde nailed it. Everything is in the same plane, and too tightly together. You could play with exposure, too. Take three shots, normal, over and...

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

Tilde nailed it. Everything is in the same plane, and too tightly together. You could play with exposure, too. Take three shots, normal, over and under, and see how the changed lighting alters the results. And you really don't want that electric outlet showing. Crop it or clone it out, or move everything so it doesn't show up. You might also set up your camera so the wall is at an angle, rather than shooting straight at it.

The great thing about digital is that the cost of making mistakes is so darn chaep!

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

RMM wrote:

Tilde nailed it. Everything is in the same plane, ... (show quote)

right so go make as many as you need/want and in the end you will learn something of value......so, you have nothing to lose.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

llindstrand wrote:

I edited your image in Photoshop using shadows and highlights. That gets rid of the real dark shadow and you can still adjust to get the desired amount. I will send it if you want.

Sure. I'd like to see it.

billyzee Loc: Austin

tainkc wrote:

This is very frustrating. I thought that I had a great idea. I put this stuff together thinking that it would be cool. I liked the lighting but I would have liked less shadows. And to me, like me, it's kind of boring. I know the 60's were good to me but do I really lack that much imagination? I need to learn- quick! Statistically I only have about 20 years left. Please assist me.

That's a beautiful countertop and backsplash but the wrong location for the subjects in this still life. I used an off white drop cloth for one that I tried a while back and it wasn't too bad. Maybe try again on a table cloth or something similar. Might want get some fresh bananas.

billyzee Loc: Austin

tainkc wrote:

This is very frustrating. I thought that I had a great idea. I put this stuff together thinking that it would be cool. I liked the lighting but I would have liked less shadows. And to me, like me, it's kind of boring. I know the 60's were good to me but do I really lack that much imagination? I need to learn- quick! Statistically I only have about 20 years left. Please assist me.

That's a beautiful countertop and backsplash but the wrong location for the subjects in this still life. I used an off white drop cloth for one that I tried a while back and it wasn't too bad. Maybe try again on a table cloth or something similar. Might want get some fresh bananas.

llindstrand Loc: Seattle Metro

To: tanikc

I adjusted the shadows and highlights on the first image to decrease the shadows. I then tried a couple of other effects that give a totally different perspective. The first is conversion to Sepia and the second is a graduated filter that pulls the eye down towards the fruit on the counter. Let me know what you think and I'll be glad to try some other things if you want.

Reduced Shadows

Sepia

Graduated filter

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

Keep experimenting. I don't think the sepia did anything for this.

birdie

I have a quickly renovated version, not for the idea of pp but for the vision of something a little different for a set-up This was a 10 minute job so don't critique it. Just think Yeah! nah! or well, maybe if I did it....... Do you want to see it? again the choices are Yeah, nah

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

llindstrand wrote:

To: tanikc

I adjusted the shadows and highlights on the first image to decrease the shadows. I then tried a couple of other effects that give a totally different perspective. The first is conversion to Sepia and the second is a graduated filter that pulls the eye down towards the fruit on the counter. Let me know what you think and I'll be glad to try some other things if you want.

The sepia did nothing for me but I did like the red.

Mtnclimbers Loc: Summit County, Colorado

LWH wrote:

To lessen the shadows: 1) move the subject out from the wall, and 2) use a larger aperture to reduce the DOF, which will keep your subject in sharp focus but blur the background.

Great Comment...

llindstrand Loc: Seattle Metro

I'm glad one tweaked your interest. Both taking and editing the image are much a personal determination and what one likes another doesn't. In digital there are so many possibilities as to special editing techniques. If you have any further questions, please let me know.

English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL

Actually what really does not work is the composition itself, not the rest. Monotone is not an issue but a plus. (I remember shooting a white egg on white background so)...

You are dealing with fruits and instead of keeping with them you add three rather strange ceramic balls. What is the idea behind that?

The 'imperfect bananas' work well with the pineapple but the rest? Honestly? You are creating a life and death situation that rarely works.

English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL

Shadow question... Use a reflector or a white sheet on a ladder to lighten the shadows (if that is your major problem). Due to the texture/geometry of the wall, the positioning distance is just right. It creates a sharp contrast with the rounded forms of everything else.

Still, the ceramic bugs the heck out me!!! :shock:

birdie

English_Wolf wrote:

Shadow question... Use a reflector or a white sheet on a ladder to lighten the shadows (if that is your major problem). Due to the texture/geometry of the wall, the positioning distance is just right. It creates a sharp contrast with the rounded forms of everything else.

Still, the ceramic bugs the heck out me!!! :shock:

Just getting started, that could be a grape fruit and a big green apple. I think what he is concerned about is the composition, the shape size, color do they relate to each other in good ways.. He used what was handy in the kitchen, Just trying to make something work. Once he gets the shadow /light / background / size/ shape issues worked out, the rest will come. Then is the time to think about do pottery balls really work there . For some it will,(pottery and tile) for you it won't. As was already stated shooting is cheap these days. Driving to the store for just the right fruits before you know what you need could be expensive and time consuming. He was motivated to do it then. He did it! good! that's the first step. More steps will follow.

English_Wolf Loc: Near Pensacola, FL

birdie wrote:

Just getting started, that could be a grape fruit and a big green apple. I think what he is concerned about is the composition, the shape size, color do they relate to each other in good ways.

Well, if this the concern, sorry but it is a total miss. Ceramic is out of proportion with pineapple and eats half of it for starter. I stand by statement: bad mix of objects creates most of the trouble here. Going to the store is not that expensive, regardless of how one looks at it, after all, this will be food on the table.

This person ask for an input and here it is: get rid of the obnoxious ceramic and try with something else. A red apple, green apple and yellow apple by example but that would be too many of the same thing so let's replace the yellow apple with a large grape fruit, the green one with an avocado. None will overwhelm the pineapple not the bananas.

Then again, it is a question of vision so... Anyone's guess may or may not work. There is a need for equilibrium, nothing else. Here, there is none. I am not going to sugar coat this.

idea? color/composition = vision You just cannot compromise if you want to do something right.