Still Life

I worked with metallic objects to create the still lifes in various backgrounds. I used a salt LED lamp, which has warm and diffused light, and complemented this with cooler light from a headlamp and flashlight, and when available, natural light. All are taken with a 35 mm lens.

ISO 640  f 9.5  1/3s 35 mm

Pyrite in Marshfield Wisconsin on November 24, 2024

I photographed this large piece of pyrite (33 pounds) on both black and white backgrounds, and I tried various material for the black.  I aimed for the background to disappear.  the white background reflected more light onto the facets of the pyrite, but the background itself appeared underexposed and uneven in post production. 

ISO  3200 f 13  1s  35 mm

Bronze with gold leaf Buddha statue in Marshfield Wisconsin on November 24, 2024

This Buddha status weighs about 50 pounds and was nearly as big as the backgrounds I had on hand, so photographing the entire Buddha was challenging. But the hand gesture, called a mudra, is the main feature of this Buddha statue.  This image depicts the Vitarka Mudra, which symbolizes the Buddha’s first teaching after he became enlightened.  I positioned the lighting to emphasize the hands.  The temples are usually filled with candles, and the lighting here intentionally gives that impression. 

ISO 1000  f 5.6  1s 35mm

Gold rings with gems in Marshfield Wisconsin on November 24, 2024

These rings were very challenging on white background, the black background is visible but this is best the I could achieve with editing.  Focus was very challenging to get the detail perfectly.

Reflections : This was a fun and challenging assignment. I went through various backgrounds, and I now appreciate the challenge of finding and photographing backgrounds that call no attention to themselves. After shooting a series in white backgrounds, I decided to try black as the light background was too close in hue and saturation as the metal objects, particularly with the warm light I was using. I ended up using a heavy vinyl material with a matte blackboard finish, black wrapping paper, and a black cloth. None were ideal, but the fabric ended up being the best as it absorbed light. The wrapping paper was shiny and I could not eliminate the reflection of light. The matte vinyl finish had folds that I could not smooth out, and it was a bit reflective. The fabric absorbed the most light and thus was the least reflective (but the pyrite did reflect from its facets in some photos, interestingly).

I wanted to experiment with a salt lamp that has warm, diffused light, as it would bring out the natural tones of the objects. I used a couple of other handheld light sources, a camping headlight and a small flashlight. These were not idea as the flashlight was spotty and uneven, and the headlamp tended to dim just before taking a photo. I ordered some inexpensive light boxes to use for future work. Importantly, these are self standing so I won’t need to balance one on my knee with my elbow, hold another in the air, and push the shutter release. Finally I tried light painting with the pyrite, I love this idea. Those photos did not make the final cut, but I am curious about trying a more narrow beamed light for this.

What would I do differently ? More background options for one. I would like to try matte paper and other materials. I am going to get the folds out of the blackboard fabric and give it a try and use less direct lighting (the flashlight caused reflection), and I think it could work well. I considered velvet for this work, but I figured the texture would show. I’ll try it as well.

The lights were such a determining factor in making these images that I am curious to try other light sources, including a narrow beam for the light painting, maybe a laser ? Ultraviolet ?

Below are images that were interesting for learning :

I like the sheen on the gold leaf finish, but the hands are not emphasized, which is the point of the framing here.  I could use less direct light to get something between this one and the photo above, which does not highlight the finish as much. 

Here is the ring set on a white background. I like the composition, but the background is so close in color, and I could not make it white or lighter in LRC. Maybe I can try another approach to white balance. 

I liked this version of the Buddha, but there is a light patch on the chest and the hands are let well lit, thus I chose the one above.