more portrait work

[pixmedic]

went in a slightly different direction with this one than I normally go.
I decided to back off the black background a bit, bring the entire machine into view, and leave the backdrop and platform visible. the problem with that, of course, is that every little spec is visible on the black fabric.

this is a Singer Featherweight model 221. circa 1954.
not really a machine im overly fond of, especially to photograph.
I find the folding table makes the machine appear very unbalanced in the frame.
I don't think I like this lighting setup as much as I do my black backgrounds, but this setup does give you a very good look at the machines details, so its a tradeoff of sorts.
eh, we'll call it a work in progress.

As with the last few machines,
shot in all natural light.
constant lighting provided by the sun, through window, camera right.

Singer model 221 Featherweight sewing machine by pixmedic, on Flickr

 

[pixmedic]

Anything? Should I go back to the way I shot the others? Or does this work?

 

[tirediron]

To be honest, I like the 255 black backgrounds of the others. The lighting on the machine is nice, but I prefer the other background look.

 

[pixmedic]

To be honest, I like the 255 black backgrounds of the others. The lighting on the machine is nice, but I prefer the other background look.

Yea, I prefer the other backgrounds as well. Maybe I'll just reshoot this one.
I did like how visible the machine was In this one.

 

[tirediron]

You could try a couple of white cards to move the light around a bit...

 

[Designer]

The window reflection is way more prominent in this shot. To the point of being intrusive.

 

[pixmedic]

The window reflection is way more prominent in this shot. To the point of being intrusive.

Yea...
I could go in with the adjustment brush and make some adjustments, but I'm starting to think this one is bound for the reshoot pile. Probably a lot less work and a better result with a reshoot.

 

[Derrel]

Needs just a little strip of dodging underneath, where the inner part of the "arch" meets the dark background, which is where the machine tends to blend to pretty close to the backdrop fabric's tonal value. Maybe you could position something like a wide, white foam board or a strip of aluminum foil off-camera, to create a very soft highlight there.

 

[pixmedic]

Needs just a little strip of dodging underneath, where the inner part of the "arch" meets the dark background, which is where the machine tends to blend to pretty close to the backdrop fabric's tonal value. Maybe you could position something like a wide, white foam board or a strip of aluminum foil off-camera, to create a very soft highlight there.

Maybe I'll break out the reflector next time.