Fly goes "oooooh" (lighting test)

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

Beatsy
Posts: 2105
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:10 am
Location: Malvern, UK

Fly goes "oooooh" (lighting test)

Post by Beatsy »

5x Mitty at 3.375x onto FF and cropped. FoV about 6mm. DMap stack of 150 images. Yet another test image, because...

I'm working on a set of "lightboxes" made from ping pong balls with backdrops and "shading" permanently built-in. The goal is to get a consistent look across different stacked images (rarely a feature of my images to date). This one was designed to be lit from the right, giving a deep black backdrop with moderate fill light elsewhere. This is straight out of camera/Zerene with no retouching or post processing other than crop and levels adjustment. Happy with that.

I'm working on one with much less fill light and a way to adjust the angular spread of the illumination next (regardless of the external light's spread). Should make for a more dramatic look with (hopefully) more shadows. To follow...

Image

ChrisR
Site Admin
Posts: 8668
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:58 am
Location: Near London, UK

Post by ChrisR »

Ooooooh.

I'm envisioning segment "peel" ( as in an orange) sections fixed with a pin so you can rotate them on the axis which goes through the pin...
Cylindrical would be easier than ball.

as in the coloured parts ..
http://www.threeboxes.com.au/wp-content ... /G1033.jpg
Make sense?
Chris R

Olympusman
Posts: 5090
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:31 pm

Fly

Post by Olympusman »

Exceptionally superb portrait, my man.

Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

Beatsy
Posts: 2105
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:10 am
Location: Malvern, UK

Post by Beatsy »

ChrisR wrote:...I'm envisioning segment "peel" ( as in an orange) sections fixed with a pin so you can rotate them on the axis which goes through the pin...
Well, I did go there briefly, but it's a bit fiddly with 40mm ping-pong balls. Not that I can't do fiddly, but it also proved difficult to make internal moving parts that don't show where they're not wanted when moved. That's why I'm going with mostly fixed setups. Light spot size adjustment will be a simple arrangement on the outer surface. The way it's going, it may just be bits of electricians tape in the end :)

Thanks for your comment too Mike.

Here's the next iteration. Lit from the right with no fill this time. Proper (soft) shadows with specular reflections still under control - at last! The coloured backdrop is a paper disk at the back, scribbled on with yellow and purple sharpies. Next task is making the shadows harder (reducing light spot size) and finding at what point the nasty highlights kick in.

Image

Saul
Posts: 1781
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:59 am
Location: Naperville, IL USA
Contact:

Post by Saul »

Splendid. Both of them . Any chance to see ping-pong ball diffuser with all bells & whistles ?
Saul
μ-stuff

Beatsy
Posts: 2105
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:10 am
Location: Malvern, UK

Post by Beatsy »

Saul wrote:Splendid. Both of them . Any chance to see ping-pong ball diffuser with all bells & whistles ?
Thanks. Probably belongs in techniques section - but here's some very quick snapshots. Have to admit, the "lightboxes" are almost embarassingly simple really.

the one used for the first image - lit only from the right.
Image

The one for the second one - also lit from the right
Image

And the second one in situ, minus light
Image

JH
Posts: 1307
Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2013 9:46 am
Location: Vallentuna, Stockholm, Sweden
Contact:

Post by JH »

Thanks for posting! Clever set up and a professional result.
Best regards Jörgen Hellberg
Jörgen Hellberg, my webbsite www.hellberg.photo

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Post by Troels »

The second portrait is just beautiful like a painting.
Thanks for sharing your techniques.
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic