• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Still life Challenge: Natural light, objects around you. Mine, "A Broken Cup"

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Still life Challenge: Natural light, objects around you. Mine, "A Broken Cup"

My wife's teacup threw itself off the counter near me! As fate would have it, the cup died on the granite floor.

So here it is: the best light was as the sun was going down.

_MG_5604_Broken_cup_OPF

Canon 5D ISO 125 f11.3, 1/10 sec Shown as photographed.

I hope you like it and you will share still life pictures you really are proud of, no matter what the format of camera or type of lens or medium, film, Polaroid, Platinum or digital!

Asher
 
Last edited:

Jack_Flesher

New member
Asher:

Great image! IMO the streak of light is crucial to the composition and the red lipstick(?) mark adds just the right splash of color. Superb capture, my compliments!

Cheers,
 

KrisCarnmarker

New member
I like it a lot Asher! Makes me think of a date gone bad :)

Did you leave the cup on the floor until the sun came down, or was this just after the accident?
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Great picture!

Firstly, I like this photo a lot and keep coming back to look at it.

But I don't think that this was just an accident. I am sure our good friend Asher has had a helping hand in making this accident happen <LOL>.

Asher, are you married to a geisha? The very neat and impressive lipstick marking on the cup reminds me of one. Anyway, the whole setting has a zen-like atmosphere if you ask me.

Cheers,
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Oops...

Cem,

Mrs Kelman est une Reine. Believe me! Asher is a real lucky man…

Hi Nicolas,

As you know very well (I hope) I have meant no disrespect with my Geisha comment, au contraire! It was just a joke. And there is nothing disrespectful about geishas as far as I am concerned anyway.

Cheers,
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
Cem!
I never thought that!
I could have not imagine that you could be disrespectful!

I just believe that Reine "fits" much better than Geisha as I do know the Lady…
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Firstly, I like this photo a lot and keep coming back to look at it.

But I don't think that this was just an accident. I am sure our good friend Asher has had a helping hand in making this accident happen <LOL>.

Asher, are you married to a geisha? The very neat and impressive lipstick marking on the cup reminds me of one. Anyway, the whole setting has a zen-like atmosphere if you ask me.

Cheers,

The truth is that I was talking to Mike Spinak when it the suicidal cup jumped without warning. It was just near my right elbow. The surprising thing was it was American and had no record of extremism, only the finest British teas! So there you are! You can't even trust your own teacup!

Yes my wife is very neat and wonderful. She couldn't believe that I was leaving the pieces for so long and I was getting close to being evicted.

My argument was that respect for the tragedy didn't cost anything and was far cheaper an entertainment for me than an H3 Hassleblad or a new mistress or even worse, gambling!

The compromize was that it had to go after 24 hours and at that time I packed up all the pieces into a Nepresso Milk Frother container for more photography when she is not in such a volatile mood.

Asher :)
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well we've had an update on the forensics of the suicidal cup. It turns out that it was actually from Thailand!

So, right now, they are tracing the contacts of the cup to see if it has been to Afghanistan or Germany. They won't tell me anything more as I myself don't have sufficient clearance!

All I can say, is good thing no one else was hurt!

Asher
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Actually....

...My argument was that respect for the tragedy didn't cost anything and was far cheaper an entertainment for me than an H3 Hassleblad or a new mistress or even worse, gambling!
Well AFAIK, you already have a mistress called OPF, you gamble daily with your life when you take pictures like this and I'm sure you've got concrete plans to get your hands on some serious MF gear sometime soon. So did I forget something? LOL!

Cheers,
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Coffee Cup, Reine, and this

Asher,

The Coffee Cup is a masterpiece. I can see your collection of bits waiting to come out for a series of these to be on display at the local coffee house. As to your lovely bride, Reine - does that mean Queen? Certainly she does deserve that title.

Since I really want to play with my photos instead of doing work for which I am likely to be paid, I accidently ran into this one of mine taken in May at my friends home in the San Juan Islands while we were sampling some good Bordeaux Wines before dinner - their house is all glass on the side facing the water and the light there beyond magnificent.

80065791.jpg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Now this is great lighting! Vewry soft and we have the interesting highlight twinkle in each grape, a catchlight relflection of the windows that makes the grapes alive as if they are tryingt to figure us out. No not that I'm more paranoic than usual, but those grapes do seem to be looking out the picture!

I like the picture as is. However, if I were exploring this subject, I'd look at the possiblity of including an equal stretch of table to the left, empty save for the elongated shadow telling us about the lighting, time of the day and extending the mood.

Now, welcome back! Did you BTW leave them uneaten?

Asher
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
No - all gone

Nope, I finished those grapes. Much healthier than the other canapes my friend was serving with the wine. And I was sitting on a stool - that is the kitchen counter. My camera was right there. No moving to even capture that. No PS, This is Grapes Au Naturel....
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Nope, I finished those grapes. Much healthier than the other canapes my friend was serving with the wine. And I was sitting on a stool - that is the kitchen counter. My camera was right there. No moving to even capture that. No PS, This is Grapes Au Naturel....

Hi Kathy,

One grape before you took your picture, you didn't realize you also took this one!

80065791_AK_2.jpg


Actually, to be honest, I cheated! Just a brief sketch to show my idea of using the shadows and going beyond the object to capture space.

Jusy a concept I thought I'd share. Another way at looking at the composition. I like the idea that we can go against the imagined requirement of close cropping. I myself think it may be overdone.

Asher
 
Last edited:

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Your rendition - Grapes ala Asher

There was probably a reason that I did not include more, like a companion's wine glass or some other kitchen acccessories (like a stove or pot in use) in the way, but, I like your rendition of this Asher....
 

Mike Spinak

pro member
Asher,

Wow, that's wonderful. Very well seen, well conceived, and well executed.

I should distract you to accident more often. ;)
______________________________________


Mrs Kelman est une Reine. Believe me! Asher is a real lucky man…

Wendy rocks. Asher is fortunate, indeed.
 

Mike Spinak

pro member
Kathy,

Nice lighting... beautiful study of the grapes.

This is outside of my area of expertise, but I do like Asher's sketch of Kathy's picture. It gives it more of a comfortable, unconstrained feeling, adds balance, and creates context.
 
Top