Happy New Year and the Apples

50mm, ISO 400 1/15 at f/6.3

It’s at ISO 400 because that’s how the camera was set last time I used it. Some say it’s a good idea to use the only big difference between film and digital and set the camera to use variable ISO, automatically. Me I say phooey: do everything manually. But ISO shouldn’t make much difference in controllable lighting and with a static subject, right?

The camera is on a tripod, and the white sheets are for effect as well as to reflect more light. The gallery lights are on full, and there’s a white ceiling and a silver reflector camera left. It’s underexposed.

Also 50mm, ISO 400 1/15 at f/6.3

Attempting to get edgy with the framing, and have managed to place self between the subject and some of the light. Also, it’s soft. Soft at 1/15th means the focus is off, or in the wrong place, or both. Pinkiness in these is about getting the white balance out. Twenty or so of those little halogen light bulbs: do they count as fluorescent, incandescent, or daylight? If there are other bulbs too, it’s a mixture. It’s still underexposed, and pink.

85mm, ISO 400 1/100 at f/1.8

Camera further back using the longer focal length lens, so I’m not standing in the light, and at f/1.8 a narrow depth of field, with focus on the rim of the eye socket. There’s another reflector camera right: a piece of white card. Exposure is getting there, but the white is still very muddy.

Oops, shutter misfire. Same camera settings as above, but with hotshoe gizmo and synch cable attached to 400kw studio flash on full power. It’s what happens when the flash doesn’t synch, ie the light flashes at a different speed than the shutter.

85mm, ISO 400 1/250 at f/16

Synching at 1/250th. Blue fringing and cyan whites in background since again, with flash firing, the white balance is out. Can be corrected in post-, of course.

85mm, ISO 400 1/250 at f/16

Looking for sharpness now, and compositional shapes. Negative space here is to think about placement of other objects.

85mm, ISO 400 1/250 at f/16

White balance set at flash. If you’re using slide film, get tungsten.

85mm, ISO 100 1/250 at f/16

Magenta cast now. Still slightly underexposed.

85mm, ISO 400 1/250 at f/16

Better composition, still too much magenta. Too many shadows, and could find a more attractive or stylish bowl. Or no bowl. Miles away from being interesting, still.

Still life.

Assembled things need to say something. Traditional still life paintings of the schools of the Renaissance for instance, were laden and overladen with meaning. Objets as signifiers of the seasons, as metonyms for individuals, or for states, possibly literacy tools like barber poles and in-jokes and visual puns.

Death of an old year, whole-ness and abundance of a new? Maybe. Some chocolate euros, shards of broken glass and a few shrivelled rose petals didn’t get into these practice shots.

More tomorrow, in the beautiful soft light from a northern window, on a day full of snow. On film. Determined to get a few good ones for hand printing, or for making polaroid lifts. Will share.

Hope you’re all finally recovered. Slainte and namaste!

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