translucent orange

Hi, I was trying to find a good place to ask this but couldnt find so thoughhjt i add my failed image and ask for critique and tips to improve on it. if admins find its in the wrong place, then pls move it for me to the correct place.

So what I have been trying to do is slap a slice of orange on a white semi transparant plaxi glass and lit with my 430 EX from below with natural light from the window on top.

it came out total crap I would say, the colors are all wrong, the trsanlucent effect is not what its supposed to be it should be orangy and shiny and ......detailed.....etc​.

well......I am here to ask the experts (and not so experts) how I could improve upon this?

Thank you very much

Marco

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Can you post some sample shots that you're getting? Seeing what sort of balance you're achieving and the end result will guide advice.

sorry the picture above is the only one i kept, this one was the best!

macobee wrote in post #6505065
sorry the picture above is the only one i kept, this one was the best!

If you want the rim to be brighter you'll need to have a stronger light source falling onto it, for a start...

Maybe an HDR style shot, blending two exposures - one lit from below to get the translucent effect you want, and one lit from above to light the rim.

Try shooting at f8 or f11 for starters to get the best sharpness. I think f20 will begin to introduce diffraction which will lower contrast and sharpness. As to lighting, if you light from below and above about equally I don't think that will get you the detail you are looking for. Try varying the intensities and angles of the up and down lights and just eyeball the effect to get what you want before you shoot it again.

Good tip. Try putting a white card above the shot for the flash underneath to kick some highlights into the orange pulp.
Better would be using a 2nd cheapo flash to skim across the surface of the pulp & also light the card. This stuff ain't all that hard. You just need to start visualizing what the light is doing & put it/them where you need light?