Still Life: "Fruit in Etched Glass Bowl"

[the foto fanatic]

Click for larger image:



Subject strongly backlit with natural lighting through curtains used as diffuser.

Three flashes: main flash (SB-800) bounced off ceiling; one SB-200 bounced off white reflector under bowl, one SB-200 for cross-lighting to highlight the etching.

Difficult job to show both the translucent quality of the glass and also the etching!

Some PP work to even background; some increased saturation for the fruit.

I'd be pleased to hear any feedback.

[gstark]

Trevor,

Although my monitor is uncalibrated, the colours in this, and the lighting, look to be spot on.

Well done.

[big pix]

I think you need a bigger bowl....... or cut back on your fruit........ nice colour

[the foto fanatic]

I think you need a bigger bowl....... or cut back on your fruit........ nice colour

Yes, we have no bananas! I have a version just for you Bernie:

[Manta]

I like it Trevor and feel it achieves what you set out to do. Good work.

[big pix]

I think you need a bigger bowl....... or cut back on your fruit........ nice colour

Yes, we have no bananas! I have a version just for you Bernie:

oh noooo......bananas for me

[Bindii]

I like it... its simple and effective... the lighting is spot on too...

[the foto fanatic]

Thanks Gary, Simon & Sue.

I have just been informed by my chief critic that she prefers #2 to the first one I posted.

Does anyone else have thoughts on which of the two images is the better?

Thanks

[big pix]

I also like the second, not as crowded,........ but have you tried taking out the background and replace it with a blue grad and a bit of a foward shadow to give more depth...... easy

[gstark]

#2 is too tightly cropped for my taste. It's like to see a bit of space, especially at the top, where the oranges are just fitting in the image.

[rflower]

I prefer the 2nd.

In the 1st, I don't think there is enough room in the bowl for the bananas, and it looks unbalanced somehow

There is something I prefer with the second bowl as well, but I cannot put my finger on that either. I do agree with Gary though, that the crop on the second is too close to the top.

[the foto fanatic]

#2 is too tightly cropped for my taste. It's like to see a bit of space, especially at the top, where the oranges are just fitting in the image.

Thanks Gary & rflower - easily achieved:

[rflower]

I am having some issues seeing your pictures the first time I view them (Using Firefox)... I have to Right click on the broken image, click View Image, and then change the link to -O instead of -M on the end. Not sure if it is just me having the problems though.

I like the last crop better, but still feel it could be improved slightly. I would like to see more of a square crop, with a similar space on the Top and left and Right of the image. At the moment, it seems to be pushed over to one side, with lots of open dead space on the left.

[the foto fanatic]

I like the last crop better, but still feel it could be improved slightly. I would like to see more of a square crop, with a similar space on the Top and left and Right of the image. At the moment, it seems to be pushed over to one side, with lots of open dead space on the left.

Thanks Russell. I made a square crop at the same time (see below) but the original intention was to use the image as a screen saver, hence the 16:10 ratio.

I'm not sure what the issue is with not seeing the image. I use Firefox too, and I'm not seeing any problems. Perhaps it's at the Smugmug end.

[gstark]

Trevor,

I'm also experiencing issues seeing these images. The last one you posted is showing fine, but the one before it is AWOL.

FF on a Macbook.

[big pix]

here is a little help....... let me know if you want it taken down..... but a quick play.......

[the foto fanatic]

Although I don't mind the graduation, I prefer the original background colour, possibly because it's the way I set it up.

I don't like the PP'd reflection at all.

What do others think?

[DebT]

They all display nice colour and lght , prefer it without the bananas and like the square crop
- if i was printing for the wall I like the last one best a bit more arty and interesting , but wouldn't work for a screen saver
Deb T

[sirhc55]

Trevor - the first pic posted is IMO the best - but - although the exposure for the glass bowl appears to be spot on, the fruit is not. The sharpness in the bowl is apparent but in the fruit it has disappeared (I know coz’ I checked ). The colour in the banana appears as muddy brown with a touch of yellow (on a calibrated monitor). The whole image can be improved in layers adjustment but in doing so the shadow of the fruit inside the bowl turns blue - which is indicative of the refractive index of the glass. A nicely posed photo that I believe can be improved on.

[the foto fanatic]

Trevor - the first pic posted is IMO the best - but - although the exposure for the glass bowl appears to be spot on, the fruit is not. The sharpness in the bowl is apparent but in the fruit it has disappeared (I know coz’ I checked ). The colour in the banana appears as muddy brown with a touch of yellow (on a calibrated monitor). The whole image can be improved in layers adjustment but in doing so the shadow of the fruit inside the bowl turns blue - which is indicative of the refractive index of the glass. A nicely posed photo that I believe can be improved on.

Hi Chris
Thanks for the feedback. I am interested in what you are saying, but I am not sure I fully understand.

Do you think that the exposure is wrong, or the colour (or both). You have mentioned sharpness too, but I am assuming that you didn't mean focus.

I am interested in improving the image, and comparing the oranges in the first pic with the later shot (without the bananas), I thought that I might have too much saturation in the first. Could this be what you are indicating?

Thanks for the thoughtful comments.

[sirhc55]

Trevor - I must say first up, that whatever anyone does to a photo in the way of PP, is not so much indicative of talent but more of taste.

The first image is the one you posted.

The second image has had the following done.
1 - Levels layer adjustment to remove the cyan in the white of the background.

2 - 1.49 gamma correction

3 - Shadow/highlight adjusment

4 - Reduction of blue in the internal shadow

5 - Smart sharpen

[the foto fanatic]

Chris

I have no problems with the image you posted - thanks for taking the time to do so.

I agree with your comments about PP also - it is totally subjective.

A few notes on my original image, just for interest:
- the background wasn't white, it was that cyan colour, but in uneven tonings which I homogenised. There was natural light coming through this backdrop, which in hindsight has had an effect on the colour of the fruit and the glass bowl
- there is another green apple in the bowl at the back, and it is partly responsible for the colour of the internal shadow you refer to
- I think I deliberately underexposed the mid-tones in an adjustment layer to saturate the colours in the fruit. What you have done is more representative of the fruit's actual colours, particularly the bananas.
- Lastly, I think the glass looks better in your treatment rather than the cooler tones in mine, which came from the backdrop I used.