Photos [P] Forks and Balls

Not as painful as the title makes it sound.

Been playing with my laptop screen as a slightly alternative light source over the weekend and have come up with the below. The bottom one is already in the POTM, but thought I'd stick 'em out here anyway.

#1 - Orbicularly


#2 - Rainbow Forks


#3 - Forking Reflections



I'm not as pleased as I could be with the first one (the orbs) but it was a bloody nightmare trying to shoot them. Being spherical mirrors they just reflect everything. Ended up making a make-shift tent-like structure from black bedsheets held up by tripods, lamps, shelves. Very Heath Robinson. If you view that one large on Flickr what you see reflected is my tripod legs holding up the bed sheet.

 

Love the balls

But I'd clone out the 3 white reflective white specks under them

 

Love the balls. Needs more of them perhaps as another shot.

 

For the curious here's some setup shots.

This was taken during experimentation for the forks:



And through the viewfinder:




My ghetto black room for the orbs:



What's inside, with the sheet pulled back:


There's an off camera flash actually at the back there somewhere. I needed it at the back to try and highlight the outline of the orbs and bounce it off the sheet roof to actually give them some definition, but couldn't have it in direct line of shooting else it would blow out in the background and prevent getting the pure blacks I needed.


TTVF, taken through the 20D with my Ixus.



The TTVF shots look quite different because I had to turn on the lights to take them. In reality the shots were taken in total darkness.

 

That's so much effort. I tie a bear to a light with a shoe string and you make an entire darkroom

 

Awesome stuff!

 

Rich: Yeah, this is about all I've gotten done all day though. Took some bloody time getting it right, I tell you.
And I'd love to have more, but I've only got the two. They're actually Chinese exercise balls.

Yoda: Yeah, I'm unsure about them specs. On one hand I agree with you, but on the other I think it offers a tiny amount of definition to the reflection in an otherwise void.

 

Those balls are ace, I've got a couple lurking around here somewhere. However, I must admit I prefer the sharpness and vibrant colour of the forks.

 

Wooooooww....
That's sooooooo awssooooommm!!!

 

that's awesome man. just a quick q - what's that thing on your hotshoe? it doesn't look like a canon flash transmitter.

(and i see you changed your avatar. cliche )

 

Thanks everyone.

@Fod:
That be a "Canon Off-camera Shoe Cord 2 Remote flash cable". I've added some distance to mine by splicing in a 10ft section of cat 6 because, as stock, the cable's a fairly useless 12" of curly cord that's so tight it just pulls over the tripod once you get past 8" away.

I'd like an ST-E2 transmitter but with the difference in price between that and a 430EX not all that great, I might get one of them instead and use my 580EX as a non-firing transmitter when I need to and have two flashes for when I don't.

And yeah, the av's a bit meh but I was bored of the old one and all I could come up with last night.

 

The forks look wicked, although I am curious, how did you manage to get the base to be black if you were shooting onto the screen? (if you get what I am saying).

 

That's the magic bit.

Anyone know, or make a good guess?

 

aha looking at your mock up shot, you've got some black paper sliding under that glass SO i assume, shooting at an angle that makes that look like its all the way under the forks when in actual fact it is half way and the way you have cropped it or shot it has not included the screen, hows that?

 

Great pics

I'd suggest you're shooting them on polarised glass or something like that.

 

The black card was put in place because I was getting weird double reflections, but isn't responsible for the black flooring.

ỒĊBłůē's closer.

 

ooo hadn't thought of that, a two way mirror perhaps?....no that wouldn't be right looking at the setup pic...hmmmm i'm becoming unstuck with my lack of knowledge lol

 

Those are stunning pictures. I think the forks is my choice for the POTM competition.

 

You used a polarising filter then?

 

Polariser + laptop screen = black, that is very ingenius, nice pics