M&M macro work ... C&C please!

[jedirunner]

So, it's not cool spiders or bugs. Not cool lighting effect of oil and water. Just some close-ups of m&ms. But it should work for now.

Please C&C. Be brutal. Be honest. What's good? What's bad? What needs to change? That's why I'm posting them in this forum. (I also posted with the story behind it in the Photographic Discussions forum -- but I needed some here for C&C).

1. My lighting sucked, so that's obviously gonna affect quality. (cheap pink tissue paper taped onto the front of cheap walmart lamps, and then height adjusted with stools, chairs, and toasters).


And here are some shots with the 7D
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Thanks!

Kevin

 

[TamiAz]

Very cool...Can't give you anymore than that since I'm new at all this. Did you create that picture with all the m&m's??

 

[o hey tyler]

IMO, the white balance appears to be too warm. I like the shots and the design you made though.

 

[cgipson1]

I posted in your other thread.. mainly about the shots being underexposed. But focus, and DOF is good. And you obviously had fun with your daughter!

 

[jedirunner]

Very cool...Can't give you anymore than that since I'm new at all this. Did you create that picture with all the m&m's??

Yep. 4 bags of valentine-themed m&ms. About $15. Then fun times.

IMO, the white balance appears to be too warm. I like the shots and the design you made though.

Yes, I agree. I put pink tissue paper over the cheap lights I had to avoid the bright white glare off the m&ms and tone it pink a bit for the "heartsy" theme. I may have overdone it.

I posted in your other thread.. mainly about the shots being underexposed. But focus, and DOF is good. And you obviously had fun with your daughter!

Yes, I agree on the underexposure. What should change in the lighting to make it work? I was fighting the lights which would just glare off the m&ms too much. Any ideas on what to do differently in lighting, given the cheap tools I have to work with at the moment? (positioning differently? aimed at the ceiling to diffuse and bounce back with less "harsh" directional light? Would that work?

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[cgipson1]

Yes, I agree on the underexposure. What should change in the lighting to make it work? I was fighting the lights which would just glare off the m&ms too much. Any ideas on what to do differently in lighting, given the cheap tools I have to work with at the moment? (positioning differently? aimed at the ceiling to diffuse and bounce back with less "harsh" directional light? Would that work?

Thanks,

Kevin

With what you have.. not much else could be done for the glare, except maybe increasing the size of your tissue paper modifier and moving it away from the lights a bit, which would have further decreased the available light. But exposure is controllable.. just increase it in the camera.. slower shutter speed, since you have it on a tripod.. or increase the ISO...

 

[jedirunner]

Yes, I agree on the underexposure. What should change in the lighting to make it work? I was fighting the lights which would just glare off the m&ms too much. Any ideas on what to do differently in lighting, given the cheap tools I have to work with at the moment? (positioning differently? aimed at the ceiling to diffuse and bounce back with less "harsh" directional light? Would that work?

Thanks,

Kevin

With what you have.. not much else could be done for the glare, except maybe increasing the size of your tissue paper modifier and moving it away from the lights a bit, which would have further decreased the available light. But exposure is controllable.. just increase it in the camera.. slower shutter speed, since you have it on a tripod.. or increase the ISO...

Of course! I should definitely have tried moving the paper further from the light to further diffuse. I was just reading about that the other day, too. Sigh. Well, at least now it will probably occur to me next time. I think she wants to do candy again tonight (the little conversation hearts), so maybe I'll take some m&ms down there and try putting a few together to see what I can do about the glare.

Thanks!

Kevin