I used two martini glasses and a mixing tumbler for a glass project in the studio. After some unsatisfying attempts to get a shot on the table top, I moved the whole set to the floor and took the tumbler out.


The glasses sat on "napkins," actually squares of watercolor inkjet paper, on top of a piece of foam core painted matte black. Glass beads and a little water were placed in the glasses.
I used two tungsten hot lights with diffusion panels on either side. The lights were positioned slightly above the set. A small gold reflector was placed below the camera.
I also added some magnetic poetry words, slightly out of focus in the final chromes. Sharp focus on the words was unnecessary.
The Polaroid was shot at f22 2/3 and 1".
I shot the chromes all at 1", bracketing two at f22, 16 2/3, and 22 1/3. The depth of field changes slightly. The words become more and less legible.
I left the words out of the first chrome to see what that would look like.

After seeing the final chromes, I would have preferred a single word, as in the Polaroid, rather than the several I used.

Labels: studio glass project black

This weekend I spray painted a piece of foam core to prepare for a new studio project, lighting glass. One side got glossy black, one matte, just in case.
The glossy side was highly reflective when it was wet and gave off a strange textural reflection. I really like the look and will explore it more.

Tomorrow I'll be creating a bar with one side or the other, whichever looks best. I'll use a couple of the neglected martini glasses we got for the wedding. I don't think they've ever been used.
I'll probably shoot it from above. The foam core pieces are pretty small. But I may be able to use one of the studio curtains to give it a black backdrop. I did something similar while thinking about it yesterday.

If our curtains weren't so faded, I think that would look great. I like the bounce flash, the back of a torn print is rubberbanded around the flash. I think I oversharpened too. We'll have to do it again and I'll use the dark cloth for the whole background. And get Allison bored again. She is a great model.

Labels: studio glass project black planning

The Every Day project is going well. I've managed to make a picture every day since the new year.


They are not always high quality, and especially not always "work," but I like the activity. Thinking about what picture I'm going to make each day helps me to focus. Maybe by the end of the year, I'll be making higher quality images each day.

Labels: every day, flickr, project

Yesterday I used the Calumet monorail 4x5 to shoot a tabletop still life. I have not had a lot of studio work experience, but I like the way this turned out and am excited to learn more. 1/2 second at f/22, Type 55. One hot light, above left.
This can help me to improve my backyard portraits series.

Labels: class, polaroid, project, still life, studio

This is my first post to my new blog about photography. It will serve as a visual and idea journal for my work. I'll also write about what I like.