73. Craft - November 2-8, 2014
Kevin-
I apologize if this feels like a repeat. I had intended (again) to produce a photo of a friend working in his shop, hopefully a very Joe McNally-like image, but there was no way he could make it work with his schedule.
But I liked the non-WPOTM holiday portrait of friends that I took last week so much, that I decided to set up the box and the lighting again for the WPOTM image this week, choosing to let it be an example of photo craft (or perhaps the craft of the box if you prefer).
This time my subjects were Michelle, Squirt and me, and as it’s been quite a while since we had a proper “family” portrait, even a seasonal one like this, I wanted to go with it.
The major appliance box I got from Home Depot is wrapped with the same red seamless paper I had used for the Magazine Cover Photo week. The box didn’t have a top so I had to create one with some excess cardboard, then wrapped everything and add the ribbons and bow.
This was a four light set-up. A key light with a large gridded softbox, a fill light bounced off of a hinged 8’x8’ foam-core panel, plus a background light and a hair light.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted and remotely triggered (by me). 70-200mm f/2.8 lens set to 70mm. Exposure was 1/250th of a second (flash sync) at f/11. ISO 100. This photo only took about 15 minutes to shoot, but set-up and tear down took most of the day and night.
I apologize if this feels like a repeat. I had intended (again) to produce a photo of a friend working in his shop, hopefully a very Joe McNally-like image, but there was no way he could make it work with his schedule.
But I liked the non-WPOTM holiday portrait of friends that I took last week so much, that I decided to set up the box and the lighting again for the WPOTM image this week, choosing to let it be an example of photo craft (or perhaps the craft of the box if you prefer).
This time my subjects were Michelle, Squirt and me, and as it’s been quite a while since we had a proper “family” portrait, even a seasonal one like this, I wanted to go with it.
The major appliance box I got from Home Depot is wrapped with the same red seamless paper I had used for the Magazine Cover Photo week. The box didn’t have a top so I had to create one with some excess cardboard, then wrapped everything and add the ribbons and bow.
This was a four light set-up. A key light with a large gridded softbox, a fill light bounced off of a hinged 8’x8’ foam-core panel, plus a background light and a hair light.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted and remotely triggered (by me). 70-200mm f/2.8 lens set to 70mm. Exposure was 1/250th of a second (flash sync) at f/11. ISO 100. This photo only took about 15 minutes to shoot, but set-up and tear down took most of the day and night.
Byron-
I was debating , once again, on what to use as a subject. I considered photographing a former HTC Administrator. His name is Ron Kraft. Instead I decided to photograph a former HTC Instructor. I have always considered him a craftsman. I went to his house and he was plying is craft. He field is autobody. His name is Herb Swedeen. He took care of my Fiero's paint job. He was an instructor for Kevin's brother Brad. He does amazingly good work. On the day I stopped over he was working on the rear quarter panel of a pickup truck. The first person that attempted to fix the dent pounded it in too far. It was up to Herb to bring the metal back out and make it smooth. This photo shows him checking his work. I wanted to show some motion in an otherwise sharp photo. The shop lighting was fluorescent so I put a green filter on a flash unit. I bounced the flash off a nearby wall. I put the white balance in Auto because there are several colors of fluorescent light and I didn't want to interrupt him too long. Here are the other specifics- ISO 100, focal length 32mm, f/4.8 at 1/25 sec.
I was debating , once again, on what to use as a subject. I considered photographing a former HTC Administrator. His name is Ron Kraft. Instead I decided to photograph a former HTC Instructor. I have always considered him a craftsman. I went to his house and he was plying is craft. He field is autobody. His name is Herb Swedeen. He took care of my Fiero's paint job. He was an instructor for Kevin's brother Brad. He does amazingly good work. On the day I stopped over he was working on the rear quarter panel of a pickup truck. The first person that attempted to fix the dent pounded it in too far. It was up to Herb to bring the metal back out and make it smooth. This photo shows him checking his work. I wanted to show some motion in an otherwise sharp photo. The shop lighting was fluorescent so I put a green filter on a flash unit. I bounced the flash off a nearby wall. I put the white balance in Auto because there are several colors of fluorescent light and I didn't want to interrupt him too long. Here are the other specifics- ISO 100, focal length 32mm, f/4.8 at 1/25 sec.
Deron-
HINDENBURG MEETS THE TAKING OF OLIVE HILL.
Okay, this is my stupidest submission yet! Wasn't sure what I was going to do... and, gosh darn it, it shows!
I employed a bit of arts and CRAFTs on this one. On Thursday, I took a picture of me screaming like a banshee, printed it out, then mounted it to a foam core board and cut me out. On Friday, I did the same thing with a refueling tanker from March Air Base, which I had taken a few months back. I then stuck the airCRAFT in a hole, pre-dug by Boomer, and started a fire. With me in the foreground running from the fiery crash, I took the photo. I wish I had the time to do it over and shoot it in daylight, but you can never plan when the next plane is going to crash.
HINDENBURG MEETS THE TAKING OF OLIVE HILL.
Okay, this is my stupidest submission yet! Wasn't sure what I was going to do... and, gosh darn it, it shows!
I employed a bit of arts and CRAFTs on this one. On Thursday, I took a picture of me screaming like a banshee, printed it out, then mounted it to a foam core board and cut me out. On Friday, I did the same thing with a refueling tanker from March Air Base, which I had taken a few months back. I then stuck the airCRAFT in a hole, pre-dug by Boomer, and started a fire. With me in the foreground running from the fiery crash, I took the photo. I wish I had the time to do it over and shoot it in daylight, but you can never plan when the next plane is going to crash.
Paul-
I know it’s not true of course, but I sometimes think everyone within the circle of my acquaintances has taken stained glass class at one time or another. Maybe it was macramé in the 70’s, ballroom dancing in the 80’s, and how to build a shelter to prepare for Y2K in the 90’s. I don’t know. To each his own. Whatever the case, I worked in stained glass in the early 2000’s and had a lot of fun with it. (Also some burned finger tips and a few cuts.) For me it was a craft because I was only merely competent at it. Marc Chagall probably had a different perspective on his work. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to hang two of my pieces from a dangerously rickety framework I attached--yes, yes, with duct tape--to my copy stand, try some lighting variations and see how the whole thing came out. This is the result. I have one light back and to the left, one nearly side-on to the right, and have a light table throwing up a little illumination from below. I really like the way some of the colors and textures came out…less thrilled with others. My original plan for this theme was to go downtown to one of several “craft” breweries and shoot some of the fermentation apparatus, but I was a little pressed for time so I went with this. (Besides, I don’t know a pilger from a pogo stick, or a stout from a stork.)
Our story so far…
It was crystal clear (and all too transparent) that he had a paned face and glassy eyes from looking at Windows all day. Still, he managed to get off a few shots using his tripod-mounted Olympus E-500 with a 14-45mm lens set to ISO 800, EV -7, a shutter speed of 1/80 sec, at f9.
I know it’s not true of course, but I sometimes think everyone within the circle of my acquaintances has taken stained glass class at one time or another. Maybe it was macramé in the 70’s, ballroom dancing in the 80’s, and how to build a shelter to prepare for Y2K in the 90’s. I don’t know. To each his own. Whatever the case, I worked in stained glass in the early 2000’s and had a lot of fun with it. (Also some burned finger tips and a few cuts.) For me it was a craft because I was only merely competent at it. Marc Chagall probably had a different perspective on his work. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to hang two of my pieces from a dangerously rickety framework I attached--yes, yes, with duct tape--to my copy stand, try some lighting variations and see how the whole thing came out. This is the result. I have one light back and to the left, one nearly side-on to the right, and have a light table throwing up a little illumination from below. I really like the way some of the colors and textures came out…less thrilled with others. My original plan for this theme was to go downtown to one of several “craft” breweries and shoot some of the fermentation apparatus, but I was a little pressed for time so I went with this. (Besides, I don’t know a pilger from a pogo stick, or a stout from a stork.)
Our story so far…
It was crystal clear (and all too transparent) that he had a paned face and glassy eyes from looking at Windows all day. Still, he managed to get off a few shots using his tripod-mounted Olympus E-500 with a 14-45mm lens set to ISO 800, EV -7, a shutter speed of 1/80 sec, at f9.
Jerry-
My official craft photo is of my wife doing some knitting. The knitting photo was with my trusty D5200 with 16-85mm set to about 80mm, f8 at 1/15 (handheld, thank goodness for VR), iso 800, lit with a Lowel V-light bounced into an umbrella.
My official craft photo is of my wife doing some knitting. The knitting photo was with my trusty D5200 with 16-85mm set to about 80mm, f8 at 1/15 (handheld, thank goodness for VR), iso 800, lit with a Lowel V-light bounced into an umbrella.