Need Some Feedback - How Best To Light This

[canonloader]

I just got a light tent and using two CFL Daylight corrected bulbs in reflectors, positioned at the same height as the piece inside the tent. Front was open, one light on each side, shining though the cloth in this first one.
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/large/wood-figure-01-05-10img_4992-010510.jpg

In this second shot, the right hand light was shining into the open front, onto the wood.
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/large/wood-figure-01-05-10img_4994-010510.jpg

I mean, they kind of look OK, but is there a better way to get a softer, all over lighting effect? Maybe close the front and shoot through the slit? I am brand new at this. :)

By the way, this is some old deadwood my brother found in the woods and cleaned up. He's been doing this for years and it's amazing what he finds out there. ;)

[joayne]

Nice sculpture Mitch..
I feel the second is a bit hot , but I'm waiting for some of the lighting pros to give comment.

[canonloader]

Thanks Joayne. It took him a year to finish this thing. It's quite the sculpture, about as tall as from my elbow to the center of my palm. [I guess I could measure it.] Turn it around, it's something completely different. :)

I have that sweep thing hanging in the bathroom, trying to get those wrinkles out. ;)

[Sean R.]

Well done, perhaps I have a weird imagination but that actually looks quite similar to a females midsection... was that his intention?

[rab3rd]

yeah, I think you have added some reflections in the second one by not defusing the light through the tent. It takes away some of the contrast that is showing the grain of the wood. I wood(snicker) say that a third light from the top and from the front would fill in some of the shadows created by the side lights. JMHO because I have about zero experience with "product" lighting/shooting.

[joayne]

Well done, perhaps I have a weird imagination but that actually looks quite similar to a females midsection... was that his intention?

I don't think it is your imagination at all...and I'd say more than a mid-section, pretty much an entire torso :)


Mitch, show us the other side :)

[canonloader]

Thanks Sean and Rab. It was not his intention, what you see is what he found in the forest. He never does anything to shape the wood, other than to strip the bark, sometimes he sands it down and oils it. It's just his afterwork hobby. It's like watching grass grow to see him work on one, it takes forever. :lol:

Joayne, I will get a shot of the back side in a bit. :)

I call this piece the Wood Sprites Armor. It looks like a breastplate to me, sort of. :)

[canonloader]

Joayne, here's a shot of the back side. :)

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/large/wood-figure-rear-01-05-10img_4999-010510.jpg

[rab3rd]

Gasp!....Your tent seems are showing.... LOL

[canonloader]

HAHA, yeah, that's my underwear stretched over it to dry. LOL

The sweep is hanging in the bathroom, trying to get the wrinkles out. :)

[joayne]

Hahahahahahaha !! :lol::lol: :rolleyes:

Good one Mitch!

Other than the undie seems, I like the shot of the backside :D

[canonloader]

Thanks Joayne, yes, it's totally different. I guess you could turn it around when the prudish crowd visits. :)

I did let that sweep hang for hours after steaming it, but it still has wrinkles, although not nearly as bad now. Not sure what to do with it cause it will wrinkle every time I put it away, no doubt.

[joayne]

I leave mine hanging in the closet until the next time, but I do give it a bit of a press as I have an iron :D

[canonloader]

My brother has a sort of commercial model steamer at work. He hasn't seen it for awhile, but will look for it today. If it's still there, he can bring it home to use. If not, I'm going to just dampen it and tumble it in the dryer for a few minutes. :)

But, even wrinkled, it's not that bad. I just did some more shots with the black sweep and it was easy to clone out any wrinkles.

By the way, He was impressed with the shots of his wood art.

And Spidy Tater...

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/general/tater-spidey-01-05-10img_5006-010510.jpg

[will-san]

Personally I think the tent is a mistake. I would try against a black back ground and play with some side lighting to bring out the shape.

[canonloader]

I will try against a black background and side lighting. But why do you think the tent is a mistake?

[canonloader]

Here's one on black velvet, in the tent. I kind of like this.

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/large/wood-figure-01-06-10img_5030-010610.jpg

[will-san]

Mistake is not fair. there are no mistakes in art. I just think the tent has a little bit of an "Id like to sell this on ebay" kinda vibe.

I used to light a lot of dance and your piece has a very human torso quality. The tent flattens things out, I think this would benefit from a little Chiaroscuro.

I like the black background!

[canonloader]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the E-Bay photo stuff. I am strapped for cash for a little while now, but I want to get a graduated sweep background. I have seen some example shots with one and it takes a flat image and adds depth to it. I was thinking there must be some way to do that with just lighting, but I haven't found a way yet.

But so far, the tent has been a real learning experience for me. I have learned more about lighting in the last couple days than I ever did before. I'm really enjoying working with it. :)

[will-san]

Well since your subject is not moving you can try some longer exposures and play with some of the lights you have around the house.

Try a desk light as a 3/4 back light up high and then a regular household lamp as a sort of front fill. I expect you will get something kinda like this which might look nice on that piece.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3626164164_3df3d69de5.jpg

[canonloader]

I am dedicating most of tomorrow to positioning lights and see where the shadows may fall. I have two more reflectors, but do not have stands for those two, just clamps. So far, it is filling my day and I'm finding it interesting. :)

i'll post what I get tomorrow.

[canonloader]

Well, Ho Hum. I have tried to get a gradient shadow on the sweep, with the darker part toward the upper rear. From what I have seen of examples where people use a real paper or cloth gradient, it goes a long way towards removing the flatness of the images. It seems to add depth and separation of the background from the object in focus. I was partly successful, but it's still just light afterall.

Here is one of the wood lady I just finished.
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/tent/large/wood-figure-01-07-10img_5049-010710.jpg

[joayne]

I think it is nicely lit, Mitch.
You can really see the grain and "pock" marks in the wood.. giving it depth and texture.

Well Done, Buddy!

[canonloader]

It did come out nice, but I will have to order some gradient sweep paper backgrounds. Working with light on a digital sensor is just not the same. I may play in CS3 later and try and make a gradient background in a lyaer, but I have never liked the little speckles that it leaves around the edges. I've never been able to get them all out. :)

I can tell you though, you never had to worry so much about light when shooting birds. LOL.

[joayne]

Be sure to expand and feather your selection. I usually make a selection, create a new layer, but cutting the selection, then work on it as a separate layer to change color or make a gradient.

I'm sure more professional PSer's will jump on this suggestion in a negative way :o

[canonloader]

Expand and feather? Do that to the background, or the wood, after making the selection? I mean, which one is the selection? :)

[joayne]

So many ways to skin a cat... :D

I would select the white background with the wand tool, go to select, Modify, Expand, Modify, Feather, 2px.
Then, Layer, New, Layer via Cut

Now you can fool around with it on it's own layer. Now it should be a native .psd file. If you flatten it at some point you can get it back to a .jpg

[joayne]

Well, now actually, it didn't work for me :o

[joayne]

Get some gradient paper LOL, I can get it to work, but the paper will make it look much better.
I did get it work, but it is a bit cheesy and I think too much work. As I only have the lowRez shot, it is pretty jaggy.
Better to shoot it the right way IMO. It is such a pretty piece, it deserves better treatment :D

[canonloader]

I would select and just delete the white. Then make a new layer below the wood and fill it with a gradient. That part is easy, but I have never gotten complex edges to remove the white perfectly. all it take is one pixel of the wrong color to make it stand out. I will try it later though. Too tired right now. :)

[canonloader]

Yeah, I will be getting paper. A vanishing gradient that goes out of focus does a fine job of separating the subject.