Friday, November 25, 2011

Getting There

I have a couple weeks still, but I wanted to get this test shot off quickly and see if this idea would even work. There are definitely things to be improved.

Getting There 

I think the hole cards need to be moved over a bit, and I might consider coming down to an even lower angle to the table.  The glare on the chips is bothersome, but might be somewhat unavoidable without drastically changing how I want this lit.  I also think some space needs to be put between the hole cards, the pot, and the board - perhaps both from pushing everything back and coming in closer with a wider angle.  Still, I think the shot can be made to work with a bit of effort.

What do you think?  Chances are good the final product will end up as my bounty for the WPBT.  If I don't get it finished before I leave, then I'll just have to send it to my nemesis. My nemesis of course being whoever dares knock me out. So, if you want a bounty you like, I suggest throwing some criticism my way.

2 comments:

OhCaptain said...

A little late, but camera a little lower and angled looking left to right a bit more. OR compress the depth of the shot, shoot it a little higher, but have everything moved in towards you. As for lighting, the chips may just be shiny, but tracing paper can make an awesome diffuser. I would definitely look at your levels. Your whites aren't white and everything seems cast in a shadow, despite the glare. I wouldn't show the two cards face down. They are distracting and strangle cut off. I know cards don't have joints, but if they did, I think you cropped at the joint.

Astin said...

Thanks for the advice. I'll try a few things when I'm next set up. As you can see, I put a tighter crop up in the next post.

White balance is okay, you might want to check your monitor calibration. If anything, it's a bit warm.

As for diffusing, I'm purposely shooting with a hard light here for strong shadows and textures. I have the front (cards) lit with a softbox, and the rest lit with a studio flash from above. The hard light is causing the reflection, but I want it lit from around that angle, so I could be in trouble there :)