Reflections: I have been working on a camera club challenge. I am concerned about the softness on the edges. I shot this on a tripod using only a softbox with a 18-135mm at 39mm, F9...

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I have been working on a camera club challenge. I am concerned about the softness on the edges. I shot this on a tripod using only a softbox with a 18-135mm at 39mm, F9, SS1/100, ISO 3200 (auto). I wanted everything to be sharp. The mirror frame is nice and sharp, its just the edges of the bowls. I did add a couple of texture layers but the softness was in the original before I added the texture. Would a smaller aperture (higher Fstop) help since I am shooting so close? Would I be better off using the 50mm f1.8 for this type of shot? Thanks!

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Plug various aperture settings in here, along with the other data, and compare the results:
https://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

It looks like you focused on the frame or reflection. Did you try a shot by focusing on the closest bowl?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If you're shooting a still-life from a tripod, you can use most any shutterspeed you want, such as one that would allow for a lower ISO. I'd say this image is stock image / holiday-card sharp. I wouldn't consider it 'soft' nor distracting, both when viewed full-screen and at the pixel-level.

There's a red spot that looks like a hot pixel in the mirror above the small bowl, near the frame. The white spot at the bottom of the frame in the middle is a unneeded distraction. There's a fleck of white in the mirror frame as it exits on the image right. I'd clone that to a consistent brown.

The EXIF is stripped from the processing. You might want to assure the IS off for the lens on the tripod. Maybe use a wired release or 2-sec delay if you get really slow on the shutter. It looks like a single AF point on the rim of the lower bowl at the mirror frame would be one point to focus. Or, slightly above at the thick wire holder for the smaller bowl. The f/9 seems like a good choice.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

Linda From Maine wrote:

Plug various aperture settings in here, along with the other data, and compare the results:
https://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

It looks like you focused on the frame or reflection. Did you try a shot by focusing on the closest bowl?

Thanks for the link Linda. I was focusing on the right side of the rim of the small bowl.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

CHG_CANON wrote:

If you're shooting a still-life from a tripod, you... (show quote)

Thank you Paul. I did use a wireless release and a single AF but forgot about turning of the IS. I appreciate the sharp eye. I debated about removing the spot on the right.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

There are also tools available for the phone, if you care to try them, that will predict DOF and focus range based on lens focal length and aperture and sensor size.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

When you photograph a subject in a mirror, the effective distance from the camera for focusing purposes is the apparent distance - in other words it's how far away it looks in the reflection, which is the distance from the camera to the mirror plus the distance from the mirror to the subject. The softest parts seem to be the closest edge of the actual large bowl and the farthest edge of the reflected large bowl. That suggests that the focus point was somewhere in between and those parts of the bowl plus the reflection were at the edge of the DOF. So yes, a smaller aperture would have helped.

You can get a focus lock on the reflection, and if you do the reflected subject will be in focus, but you need to be aware that anything closer (including the mirror itself and its frame) may not fall within the DOF. Think of a reflected subject as being as far away as it looks in the mirror.

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

I think you can improve the sharpness on the etching areas. I took your picture into photoshop mad a duplicate of the image open-end High Pass filter FILTERS>OTHER>HIGH PASS then set it to 1.8 made the layer Overlay. Now add a black mask and open the etching areas with a soft brush.
Normally I would open the whole picture but in this case the filter increases a lot of white specs that you will not want.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

JD750 wrote:

There are also tools available for the phone, if you care to try them, that will predict DOF and focus range based on lens focal length and aperture and sensor size.

Thanks JD. I will look it up.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

R.G. and Jim I went back and did a quick retake and I think I got it this time. It is not a great composition but everything on both bowls is in focus. I also used Jim's High Pass technique which is really cool. Thank you guys so much!

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

kenievans wrote:

R.G. and Jim I went back and did a quick retake and I think I got it this time. It is not a great composition but everything on both bowls is in focus. I also used Jim's High Pass technique which is really cool. Thank you guys so much!

Looking good.

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

Looks good. Personally I miss the bokeh but that might be a distraction for the camera club challenge.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

Jim-Pops wrote:

Looks good. Personally I miss the bokeh but that might be a distraction for the camera club challenge.

Thanks Jim. I can still add the bokeh for the challenge. The weekly challenges are open to whatever you want to do related to the theme. Unlike the monthly competitions which have to be PSA compliant, the challenges are not judged. They just create a slide show set to music and post it to the website. Lots of fun and creative stuff being done. I can add creative filters and textures to my competition entries but I have to create them and most PSA judges really frown upon them if they are too obvious, unless of course it is an abstract competition. I was getting pretty frustrated with just the competitions even though they were helping me be a better photographer. The challenges were added because of the lock down restrictions to give us something to do and share that exercises our creativity. I hope they keep doing them when the restrictions are lifted and we can start meeting again.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

kenievans wrote:

I have been working on a camera club challenge. I... (show quote)

There is not much I can add here. I liked the first image despite the slight softness. The suggestions made in the comments were really spot on in my opinion and you seem to have corrected the problem area in the re-shoot. I think that R.G.'s explanation about the relative distances in reflected images was really well thought out. I learned a lot from that post.
Erich