May Flowers

The sun was shining today and there are lots of beautiful flowers and blooming trees on campus. I took the opportunity to take a few shots. Here are my favorites.

Product Photography

For my class our final assignment is product photography. Its been a lot more challenging than I thought it would be and I've spent a lot of time taking, looking at and tweaking my photos. The examples I chose here have been cropped, straightened and brightened a bit to get the end result. Though I am not greatly skilled with Photoshop and Lightroom, I am gaining a better understanding of some of the tools and also an appreciation of how it can make a good photograph even better. These are some of my favorite shots that I took for the assignment-- not sure which I am going to turn -- I need 4 -- but I feel like I have some good things to turn in

The first product is a bottle of baiju that I got when I went to China. I tried a number of different set ups with it ....

This is simple over head lighting

This was on a tea set box -- I liked the red but felt it needed more 

This one I plan to turn in -- we added hair sticks a tea cup and the scroll in the background to add interest. This is side lighting --soft box on the right and a foam board reflector on the lsft and then a little soft light on the scroll

same shot as above but I had moved the reflector and tried a different angle

tried a vertical shot. I liked just the hint of the tea cup on the left -- these shots still are using the soft box and the foam board reflector -- I am just shooting from the left now instead of from the right

same set up as the previous shot but I took it horizontal. I like having the hair sticks and full cup there -- I still might crop the right a tad 

I got a little closer and let a little more shadow fall on the bottle -- not sure I like it as much as the one above 

The second product that I chose to do was my tea set (which I also got in China). I tried a million different set ups and angles before I managed to get these. 

This was shot with just a soft box -- off to the left but pretty close to the set. I was shooting from the left corner. I did add vibrance to these to get the nice shiny green

I liked this set up but the tea pot is a bit out of focus and I think that since you can read Wudang tea on the green container -- it draws your focus to the tea rather than the set. Its also interesting how increasing the vibrancy in this one made the background blue  

I didn't put as much vibrancy in this one and I like the silvery feel on it also by tipping the tea container it helps to draw your focus to the center and the teapot 

this shot is very similar to the one above -- I did add more vibrancy and more loose tea to the right hand side and zoomed out a touch 

Again a little more blue -- but it worked for me in this one. I also tried to create a little more depth bu standing up the cup in the back and moving the tea canister to the left -- keeps you looking a bit longer I think 

I tried yet another different set up. I thought I would raise the pot and it reminded me of a display in a jewelry store window. -- and also the pot is on its pedalstal and the cups are waiting for its wisdom -- or something silly like that

And the final set up that I tried -- moved the cups even closer to the pot and moved the tea canister to the left and sprinkled some flower tea on the right for a splash of extra color and texture

Just a tighter shot of the one above 

I have learned a ton over the last week working with products and though it is hard work -- now that I've had a chance to step back from the and color correct a bit, I'm satisfied with the overall result. Choose the absolute final four is going to be tricky and I might leave a few extras just to talk about my experience. I have definitely gained a lot of respect for photographers who shoot products for a living. Its certainly not easy ...

Bryan Park in Richmond Virginia

Its been a while since I've posted but I've been a little busy attending a conference with my Altrusa sisters, taking some portraits and with life in general. During the conference which was last weekend in Richmond Virginia, we did a service project cleaning leaves and branches from azalea bushes in Bryan Park. It was a beautiful day and the red buds were in bloom. There were also some geese on a pond which I swear were posing just for me ...

Those who know me know I love the water so I of course was drawn to this part of the par. We were told it was 400 + acres

Love the reflection in the water

 See the geese were posing for me 

I think they like the redbuds too ..

Great day for a swim 

And now for my three favorite shots from the day -- as I said they were posing but I can't believe that I got the third one 

.....

This goose is going in my portfolio :) 

 I loved the redbuds and the willow by the pond 

and had to have my friend Diane take this photo of me

Definitely a spot I want to revisit

There were lots of split rail fences along the way 

Some pine and forsythia too 

One of the white azaleas just starting to  bloom 

and  a red one too. 

I had so much fun in Richmond and in the park. Thanks for taking the time to see it with me . 

Practice with a warming filter

On the advice of my professor, I have been getting new filters to try different things with my camera as I learn more about lighting and different settings. I just got a warming filter which is supposed to add some color/ vibrance to a photo is the lighting is dull. It also will bring out colors in a sunset etc. I took the outdoor photos when I was walking home between 6:30 and 7:30 this evening.  The roses are on my desk and I just wanted to see how different the filter would make them look.  The photos have NOT been enhanced with anything but the filter...

 Signs of spring. I believe these are daffodil stalks but I loved the yellow. This was taken with my 50 mm lens and the warming filter. It definitely made the yellow pop

Since orange is my favorite color I had to take a picture of the orange bike. Love how bright the filter made it ...

I was also playing with how close I could get to small items with my 50 mm lens. Love how the filter makes the leaves and the wall in the background stand out (even though I had a shallow depth of field) 

Love how the filter separated the rusty color on the flower and the dark red of the leaves

Another sign of spring that I could not resist -- so pretty 

 Amazing how bright the purple stripes and the orange center are

I had to try with the sun going down. There was not a lot of color yet, but its cool how smokey the filter made the sun -- and I love the birds in the sky 

And lastly to give a real point of comparison with the warming filter Roses. The first 2 pictures were taken on Saturday without the filter. The bottom 3 were taken tonight with the filter. Check out the yellow especially.