Light and shadow

[12345Michael54321]

Image is at http://www.time4email.com/lamp050306.jpg

I've reduced it to a 640x480 JPG of around 130 KB size, for the convenience of dial-up folks.

This is rather different from most of the photography I do, so I'd really appreciate feedback.
--
Michael

[12345Michael54321]

Almost forgot to post some relevant technical details -

Camera used: Canon EOS Digital Rebel (hacked firmware)
Lens used: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec.
Aperture: f/2.0
ISO: 100

Camera was handheld, even though I'm a huge believer in tripod use. But a tripod would've been somewhat inconvenient, as a large bed was in the way. And at 1/1600 sec. and a relatively short lens, camera shake just wasn't a significant issue.

f/2.0 was chosen specifically to obtain a somewhat limited (but not razor thin) depth of field. I made several other exposures, using differing aperture/shutter speed combinations, but prefer this one.

Image was converted from RAW to TIFF using Photoshop CS. Then slightly tweaked in Paint Shop Pro. (I prefer using PSP for some minor adjustments, although I suppose I could've managed just as well doing it all in Photoshop.) The resulting TIFF was finally converted down to a 640x480 JPG (90% quality setting) using IrfanView 3.91.

I've converted this image to black and white, as well. It works as a b&w picture, but I think it's slightly more effective in color.

[eljustino]

shadows on lamp work very nicely - exposure is excellent.

But the chair-back or whatever in the foreground spoils it for me, and it looks like you're trying to have a "composition" of some kind on the table. The problem is that the glass of water and pair of spectacles are unremarkably lit - no real gleam or anything from them.

But the basic idea is nice - In fact I'll attach something "light and shadow" I was trying to do myself just to add to the debate.

I'm amazed you managed to do this at ISO100 with such a short exposure - must have been very bright outside!!!

[12345Michael54321]

Thanks for your observations, eljustino. The foregound object is a bed, and I wanted it to be in shadow, but I accept that others might prefer it otherwise.

As for the water and spectacles, it was a challenge to get them illuminated sufficiently that they're easily recognizable, without having bright sunlight reflect off the water and glass so as to result in nasty, burned out highlights. At the time, it occured to me that perhaps I could bounce some light on them using a foil reflector, but I didn't have a reflector handy. Besides, lighting them more prominently would, I feared, draw emphasis and the viewer's attention away from the shadows on the shade and in the background, and thereby weaken the overall composition. The water glass and eyeglasses serve as minor supporting players, and not as co-stars, as it were.

As for 1/1600 sec. @ f/2 - that's not unusually bright. The Sunny f/16 rule would call for an exposure of about 1/60 sec. - 1/125 sec. @ f/16, in bright sunlight. That translates to 1/4000 - 1/8000 sec. @ f/2.0, which is actually a couple of stops faster than the 1/1600 sec. I employed.

Again, thanks for the critique.

[Aethyr]

I like it the ambiance you captured in the photo. Looking at it reminds me of childhood but I can't figure out why.