Tone - an "artsy fartsy" shot

[AlbertoDeRoma]

I've been shooting (and becoming familiar) with my new (to me) Leica Digilux 2 for the last couple of weeks.

When I look at the resulting pictures and compare them to some of the photos I've taken in the past with different cameras, the thing I like the most about the DL2 photos it is the "tonality" (if that's the right term) of the colors (and B&W shades.)

As an amateur guitar player (and, ahem, audiophile) I've always paid attention to acoustic tone and now, it appears, I've come to appreciate visual tonality.

To celebrate, I took a picture of my vintage Fender Stratocaster with emphasis on its two Tone knobs. The goal was to come up with a visual equivalent of the Strat tone I like and try to get - a combination of "bite" and "attack" (sharpness), with a bit of a rough edge (graininess) and an overall early-Van-Halen "brown tone".

The "infinite pool" effect of the guitar body disappearing into total darkness was intentional - to reflect the relatively fast decay of the tone and to visualize how when the Strat comes in the mix it really stands out. The effect and was made easier, and more natural, by the Strat's sunburst pain which gets gradually darker at the edges.

The greenish tint on the pick-guard is natural (original Strat pick-guards have a beautiful greenish tint) as is the brownish/yellowish color of the knobs.

I am pretty happy with the results. Comments and suggestions are always welcome of course.

Alberto

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Sorry to say that the photo doesn't do much for me. I see a possibility for a great one there but am not sure where.

On the other hand, I loved your text. I have no problem understanding what you are talking about.

As a photographer who has done a lot of B&W I love tones, a good range of pure ones.

As a sometimes recording engineer, again, I love tones. Pure tones.

And the better the instrument, whether musical or photographic, the better the tones that can be had.
:thumbup:

 

[AlbertoDeRoma]

Sorry to say that the photo doesn't do much for me. I see a possibility for a great one there but am not sure where.

On the other hand, I loved your text. I have no problem understanding what you are talking about.

...

Thank you for the honest feedback c.c.

I know exactly what you are saying about the possibility for great shot but that it's not quite there yet; that's why I said "I am pretty happy" and not "thrilled" with the results.

I believe that a vintage strat - with plenty of authentic wear from me and its previous owners should offer a lot of opportunities and angles for great pictures. I'll have to dig deeper and try different angles to capture it.

Alberto

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Glad you understood what I was saying.

Sometimes you need to separate the different things you are trying to do to get one to work. How does one portray a pure musical tone?

So, maybe, you just want to portray the guitar and forget what it says about music. Just a thought. If you can do both, great, but I, personally, don't know how to do it.

And I'll be more than happy if you can show me how to do it. Serious.