Camel Head

[407370]

Hi All,

My objective with this project was to get the best possible pic of a very small Camel Head, about the size of a mans thumbnail.
So I set myself up with a Godox V1 Speedlight fitted with a bounce card and got this:

Blown Highlights everywhere. Not a good start .

So I got a wee bit more focussed on lighting and eventually came up with this:

Diffused onto the white ceiling and a A4 White paper as a scrim. Note Pro level folded paper to get the lens height correct

This produced the following:

Yup I missed the ears DUUUUHHH!!!!!

So I fiddled with camera settings. The Nikon focus shift function is very sensitive and I did not make allowances for this so I thought I went overboard by have 110 images with a distance between the focus shifts of "6". Turns out it was just enough:

I had a total of 7 attempts at various settings and used up a load of hard drive space:

I will only keep the 7 / 38 folders and delete the rest.

All comments gratefully received.

CHEERS
JBO

 

[coastman6]

I actually quite like the original, but agree some of the highlights are blown, but saying that, I think the final version is very Grey, for want of a better description, I think a cross between the two might work.
Just my opinion, as you have more patience than me in producing a nice macro image.

 

[407370]

I actually quite like the original, but agree some of the highlights are blown, but saying that, I think the final version is very Grey, for want of a better description, I think a cross between the two might work.
Just my opinion, as you have more patience than me in producing a nice macro image.

Yep the overall grey look is a compromise with keeping highlights under control.

Next time i will try different lighting.

CHEERS
JBO

 

[Golem]

Hi All,

My objective with this project was to get the best possible pic of a very small Camel Head, about the size of a mans thumbnail.
So I set myself up with a Godox V1 Speedlight fitted with a bounce card and got this:


View attachment 275548

Blown Highlights everywhere. Not a good start .

So I got a wee bit more focussed on lighting and eventually came up with this:

View attachment 275549

Diffused onto the white ceiling and a A4 White paper as a scrim. Note Pro level folded paper to get the lens height correct

This produced the following:
View attachment 275550

Yup I missed the ears DUUUUHHH!!!!!

So I fiddled with camera settings. The Nikon focus shift function is very sensitive and I did not make allowances for this so I thought I went overboard by have 110 images with a distance between the focus shifts of "6". Turns out it was just enough:
View attachment 275551

I had a total of 7 attempts at various settings and used up a load of hard drive space:
View attachment 275552

I will only keep the 7 / 38 folders and delete the rest.

All comments gratefully received.

CHEERS
JBO

Essentially you have encountered, and shared, the fact that with shiny metal objects you dont light the object, you light its environment, since the object is seen mostly as multiple reflections of that environment. IOW, the camel is just a very convoluted mirror.

If you wish to add some modeling to your camel, just introduce some dark objects into that environment such that its no longer entirely surrounded by 100% uniform whiteness.

 

[jeffashman]

I like the first one! Very nicely done!