ASSIGNMENT 4 FINAL SUBMISSON

Final submitted images

FORM

1 TUNGSTEN LIGHT LEFT SIDE WITH DIFFUSER

90 DEGREES

1 GOLD REFLECTOR FRONT SIDE LEFT
1 BLACK CARD RIGHT SIDE TO BLOCK
OUT EXTERNAL LEFT DAY LIGHT

F25 1/250 SEC

This shell is actually flat on both sides as it has been cut in half.
I supported the back of the shell with a stand.

Original planned set up
set up one, diffused side light with white reflector
on shade side. Look at the level of shadow and

alter reflector accordingly.

I followed my original plan but changed the diffuser to gold
to enhance the colour of the shell but to also reduce some glare
that I was getting off the shell shinny surface. The white reflector
was a little bright in places and the silver was too strong
and reduced the contrast between light and dark. I added
the dark diffuser on the shaded site as there was an external
window on the left side of the object which was also reducing
the contrast levels. I think this image represents form as it
shows the contrast of light and dark and gives the shell dimension
which shows the object as rounded rather than flat.

COMMENTS
I would improve the FORM image by not cropping

the image as close in the camera. I would have liked
to have some space around the subject to show the
shape more clearly.


SHAPE A

f14 1/60 sync

ONE STUDIO FLASH

 BEHINDSUBJECT

DIFFUSED THROUGH

A LIGHT TENT

WHITE REFLECTIVE STAND

1 SILVER REFLECTOR

FRONT UNDER SUBJECT

Original  planned set up

Key lamp set behind the object
with no light on to the front of the
object to create rim lighting or
silhouette

I was difficult to achieve the original plan
as the subject is transparent. I therefore
modified the plan to show the shape
of the object against the white background
by lighting it from behind but using the
transparency of the object to reveal its
shape. I placed a studio light directly
behind a light tent to create a transparent
shell shape. I also placed the shell onto
a shiny white surface to bounce more
light onto the front of the shell. I finally
placed a reflector under the camera
a reflected light onto the face of the
shell.
COMMENTS

For SHAPE A I would have liked to have shown
a dark subject against a light background and
show the shape as a silhouette using the rim
lighting technique used in this image.
I had to adapt to a new plan
as the object is transparent

SHAPE B

ONE STUDIO FLASH, BACK RIGHT.

NO DIFFUSER

45 DEGREES

ONE SILVER REFLECTOR FRONT

LEFT NEXT TO THE SUBJECT

F13 1/60 sec sync.

Original planned set up.

Second set up use light box with black

background, cutaway to reveal the shape of
the subject. Use tungsten set up and
adjust white balance accordingly.

I tried the original set up but again it
did not work as the object is transparent.
Whilst doing some of the exercises on
hard lighting set up I noticed that you
could create harsh shadows which were
a reflected shape of the object. I felt
this was a good way to depict the
" shape" of the object.
I set the object on a clear stand  so that
I could create a shadow separate from the
object, I then placed the camera over the
object to capture the full shadow and not
show the stand under the object. I set the
camera to sync speed then experimented
with exposure settings. I actually used the
histogram on the camera to measure
exposure levels. I also then added in
a silver reflector close to the left side
of the object  to add light to the shell
and to also reduce the shadows on
the shell.

COMMENTS

I am happy with SHAPE B as planned

to show shape using a shadow to
depict the shape of the subject.



COLOUR A

ONE FLASH DIFFUSED OVER

ONE SOFT BOX LIGHT TENT

GOLD REFLECTOR FRONT LEFT

F10 1/60 sec sync.

Original Planned set up

full studio set up white background

full diffused light. Try to intensify to
gold tones of the shell.

I set up the lighting as planned
but changed the backdrop colour
to black to fully show the intensity
of the colour of the object.

I think the softness of the lighting
shows the full colour of the object
and is not burnt out as full
undiffuesd lighting does.

COMMENTS

Using a soft diffused lighting
technique has allowed me to capture
the colour of the shell without burning
out the detail.
I had tried a few matching coloured
back grounds and also on white
I think the dark contrast shows
the colour of the subject better
as it a total contrast.

COLOUR B

NATURAL LIGHT BEHIND AND LEFT

OF THE OBJECT

1 GOLD REFLECTOR  FRONT BELOW

OBJECT.

F4.5 1.3 SEC

I wanted to use ambient light as a light source

for this assignment.

From doing the exercises on the use of reflectors I

had planned to use the gold reflector to bounce

light onto the subject to ensure that the subject

was fully exposed but also to enhance the colour.

I placed the reflector under the subject and tilted it

towards the object and reflected the full light back

onto the shell. This enhanced the gold colour of the

shell and also lit the front of the subject to ensure

all the detail was captured.

I used a wider aperture setting to be able to

capture the limited avail light and reduce the

exposure time. I also wanted the image to be

softer .

Using the gold reflector with the natural

light has also enhanced the colour of the
subject. I would improve this image
by lighting the image by photographing
one stop over or re processing in
photoshop as it could be a shade
lighter.


TEXTURE  A

ONE TUNGSTEN LIGHT LEFT SIDE

NO DIFFUSER 90 DEGREES

ONE SILVER REFLECTOR

BACK LEFT

F20 1/8 SEC



Original planned set up

Set up one, soft light from the side, look at where

you place the camera angle. maybe consider close
up cut into the frame. Look at using a white or
silver reflector.


After experimenting with diffused lighting
from the side I felt that the shadows were
too soft and so did not show the true texture
of the object. I also felt that using a white
diffuser also reduced the shadows so choose
to change the lighting set up to be harsh
lighting to create deep shadows in the shells
grooves. The set up was in a room that had
a big window on the right side of the object
this was creating too much light on the right
side so I added a black card to the right
side to create a deep shadow in the grooves
to enhance the textures.

I used a fixed  tungsten light on the
left side. I moved the light around to
the correct angle to create highlights on
the ridges of the shell pattern.of light and dark.

I then experimented with exposure time and

choose to the exposure level which was one

stop under the my original setting.

I added a silver reflector to the back of the left

side to add light to the rim of the shell as it

was too dark and it also create a sense of

depth to the image as it showed the difference

between the inner and outer shells.

COMMENTS

TEXTURE A image is my favourite

of this set and is a true reflection
of my planned image. The contrast
lighting captures the deep shadows
in the texture of the shells surface.

TEXTURE B

LOW NATURAL AMBIENT LIGHT

RIGHT SIDE OF SUBJECT

ONE BLACK CARD LEFT SIDE

OF OBJECT

F5.6 1/6 SEC

MONOCHROME PROCESSING

I wanted to try to capture capture

the texture effect of both the shell

and the slate surface I was photographing

it on.

I placed a black card over the window

to block out the light coming from the

left side of the subject to create contrast

of both light and dark and create some

shadows to highlight the textures.

I also experimented with exposure levels

as I was concerned about not over exposing

the shell surface which was reflecting the

low evening sunlight.

I processed the image as monochrome as

I think it ascetically shows the texture

levels better.

COMMENTS

I would improve TEXTURE B by

trying to reduce the light reflected
from the window onto the shells
surface. I think this area of
overexposure detracts from the
final image. I had planned to
try to capture the texture on the
surface on the shiny side of the
shell too. In the dark areas of the
shell's surface you can see the
structure of the surface area. The
hot spot on the shells add highlights
but looses the detail. I would improve
this image by moving the object further
away from the light source and maybe
reflecting the light onto the surface to
reduce glare and contrast in exposure.

 IRIDESCENT SURFACE

ONE STUDIO FLASH , DIFFUSION

UMBRELLA RIGHT FRONT

ABOVE SUBJECT 45 DEGREES

ONE SILVER REFLECTOR

FRONT LEFT

F14 1/60SYNC

I wanted to show the unique qualities

of this Nautilus shell which is its shape,

texture and iridescent surface. I

have shown the lighting for shape

and texture but had not captured

its sheen.

I also set the shell on a mirrored base

not only for an create effect but

also to reflect more light onto the

subject.

I place the light in front of the object

to enhance the shine of the shell but also

to reduce any shadow or contrast on the

shell. It was important to capture all the

detail and colour and not light and dark

areas on the image. I also enhanced this

by adding a sliver reflector to the front

right side and reflected back onto the

shell to capture the full iridescence

shine on the final image.

I experimented with exposure as

the object has some areas that

capture light more than others I

did not want to burn these sections

out on the final print. I chose an average

exposure between the light and darker

areas. This image was taken on synced

flash.

COMMENTS

I think the last image in this

series

IRIDESCENT
SURFACE
captures both the shiny shell
surface but also shows off the
shells colour and its iridescence
quality. I would improve this
image but either lighting in
photoshop or taken the image
again one stop over the ideal
exposure setting.

COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS

I tried to cover many different lighting techniques

when covering this assignment. I used a variety

of lighting sources such as natural, studio flash and

tungsten lights. I also used both diffused and reflected

lighting accessories such as mirrors, reflectors, light tents

and white umbrellas.

Before I undertook each image I planned the lighting

set up and effect on the shell, but had to adapt

at times as the subject was transparent under

some lighting conditions. The shell also has

a shiny surface so had to adapt the exposure

levels to ensure areas of the images were not

over exposed.

I think each image captures the properties of the

subject that I am trying to capture but each image

could be improved.