My second pic

[Partinobodycular]

This is my second attempt at taking a photograph. It took me a long time to do. I had to go buy a white sheet at the thrift store, and then paint it for a backdrop. I'm fairly pleased with the lighting, but there's something about the shot that I don't like. I think the composition isn't quite right, but I was limited as far as space and props went.

It lacks a lot of detail. I had to use an 8 second exposure to get the lighting like I wanted it.

Any ideas about how I can improve this shot?

 

[Speckles]

I like it. A very Indiana Jones feel. I am no expert, butI would have cropped in the right side a tad. I don't know why, but it feels off to me over there. But, what do I know? lmao I dig the shot!

 

[480sparky67 66]

The straw hat seems out-of-place for me.... doesn't fit the 'period' you're going for.

 

[Aze]

play with your angles more, the picture feels very head on, almost too organized, with the period items you have, a messy disorganized outpost seems more appropriate. The setup is great though, you've got some awesome items that work well together, it really evokes a powerful mood.

 

[Partinobodycular]

Speckles, you're absolutely spot on. The lantern should be on the third, and I knew that, but if I cropped off much more, then there wouldn't be much of the other books left, and they would have become sort of irrelevant. Maybe I should have left them out of the shot altogether. I thought that a pair of old wire rim glasses might look good lying by the book, but alas, I don't have any. So I just went with what I had. Basically this picture has all the old stuff I have in it.

 

[Partinobodycular]

You're probably right, but these are pretty much all the "old" stuff I have. The hat was old, and the right color, so I put it in there. Wasn't really going for a period, other than old, and earthy.

 

[Partinobodycular]

Aze, I didn't think of that. But I was a bit restricted as far as room goes. This is set up on our coffee table and it's only about three feet around, that's why it looks so crammed together. It was tough just getting enough room to set up the lights and camera. I have to be creative. But I could have positioned them better, you're right. I'm just learning all this stuff, so thanks for pointing these things out.

 

[CCericola]

I think your problem is that everything is the same tone. They are so close together in color that there is not enough contrast to make things interesting. The photo is very flat.

 

[Ryan L]

curious what kind of paint you used? Did you sponge it on?

 

[Davor]

Your composition does not feel natural, everything looks too organized. I think if you shot this at a more up angle and used a hat that was not a straw but a solid brown color and the lantern was running would add much more drama to this theme you are going for.

 

[Partinobodycular]

I think your problem is that everything is the same tone. They are so close together in color that there is not enough contrast to make things interesting. The photo is very flat.

Yeah, sorta came out that way. I was originally hoping to light it so that the background would be quite dark, and just the objects were illuminated, but I couldn't seem to get it to come out right. So I just went with what I could get to look halfway decent.

 

[Partinobodycular]

Your composition does not feel natural, everything looks too organized. I think if you shot this at a more up angle and used a hat that was not a straw but a solid brown color and the lantern was running would add much more drama to this theme you are going for.

Yeah that does sound better. The lantern has no wick. it's quite old and rusty, and doesn't work. I actually tried putting a candle in the scene, and lighting it with that, but I couldn't get the scene lighted well enough without the candle being way over exposed, so I gave up on that idea. That's the only old hat I had available. I borrowed it from my sister. It's not quite right for the scene, but you go with what you've got. I think if I had gotten the composition and lighting better, I could overlook the fact that the hat isn't quite right.

P.S I tend to be overly picky, so things do tend to look too organized.

 

[Davor]

I think if the book was in the place where the hat is so it looks like someone was reading it and the hat was on the side and those small books where kind of scattered on the table would work much more natural.

 

[Partinobodycular]

curious what kind of paint you used? Did you sponge it on?

That was my first try at making a backdrop. I think that it came out pretty good. I used a white sheet and latex house paint. We had some old cans of leftover paint. Fortunately we had the right colors, brown, yellow and black. First I painted the sheet with just the brown, cut 50/50 with water. Then I did a rag technique with some black, brown and a little yellow mixed together, and that looked terrible. So then I took the brown and made two mixtures, one brown with black, and one brown with yellow. I cut them about 3 to 1 with water and did a wash technique. That came out looking pretty good because it left just enough of the terrible dark rag attempt show through. So it looks fairly soft, but with just enough dark highlights showing through to give it some character, although you can't really see them in this photo.

 

[Partinobodycular]

Okay, I tried to absorb all of the input that you kind folks gave me regarding my first try. Then I went back and started over, trying to keep each of your points in mind. So I changed the composition. I got rid of the hat. I added color. I tried to photograph it at more of an angle. And this is what I came up with. I do actually like it better.

Anything else that I should work on?

Oh, and I took the picture from a bit lower. But I couldn't actually light the lantern, someday I'd like to try that shot though.