Recent Format Agnostic Professional Works

[David Eichler]

Thanks Antonio.  Manhattans are my drink!, well, actually, Distrito Federals are my drink but they look exactly like Manhattans and more people know what a Manhattan is, so ... 

I am finding product work to be quite interesting and a nice change. 

Here's about $125 worth of towels I'll be returning in a couple of days.

Very nice. Has the bright, cheery look I associate with this kind of a product shot. Well arranged and well lit.

[ACH DIGITAL]

Yes indeed cery nice, and if you see Joe, interiors photogrphy is a still life as well, so you are closer to it than it may seem.

[Martin Ranger]

Antonio, good thing I just had lunch. Your food really looks great.
Joe, stop trying to tempt me a way from work

Now, something completely different.



Fashion designer modeling her own creations. Minimalist set-up, no make-up, no lights, not re-arranging stuff. And no retouching. Mamiya C220, 105mm, Portra.

[ACH DIGITAL]

Uh Martin I used to have a Mamiya 220 loongg time ago. They are precious.

[JoeKitchen]

Another from my continuing excursion into still life.  Compliments of IKEA's return department.   

[Martin Ranger]

Uh Martin I used to have a Mamiya 220 loongg time ago. They are precious.

Antonio, I bought it on a whim, and found that I like it much more than I expected. So far I have resisted getting additional lenses, but knowing me there is only so long that I can resist.

[Rob C]

If the C220 is the one before the C330 or whatever, which I had only with a 180mm because I couldn't afford a 150mm for my 'blad at that time, then buy a 180mm: mine was a much nicer lens than the eventual 150mm Sonnar that I bought.

A warning: trying to use the red, moving indicator at the top of the screen with a long lens close up is a pain in the ass, and definite turn-off.

Below a shot, full-frame, with the 180mm Sekkor. Original on Ektachrome. Dupe made via D700.

The brolly was a real one, a large black gentleman's job with many interior coats of white emulsion. For years I used to bounce a Metz (or was it Braun?) F700 into it with a domestic bulb wired up as modelling light. It worked. Better, in fact, than my eventual real monoblocs because the shoulder unit flash had a much faster flash exposure.

Rob C

[drmike]

JoeKitchen colours and clarity are great but to my eyes it looks 'arranged' which I'm guessing isn't what you're aiming for.

Mike

[JoeKitchen]

JoeKitchen colours and clarity are great but to my eyes it looks 'arranged' which I'm guessing isn't what you're aiming for.

Mike

Not really sure what I am going for.  This is not my favorite one so far.  I am very much drawn to the edgier darker images, but not sure if that would work with everything. 

Still exploring I guess. 

[ACH DIGITAL]

Joe for what I see, it is a very well conceived commercial still life.

Just do it!

[drmike]

I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was commercial in which case it's very good as you can see and appreciate everything in the image. I thought it was a personal still life setup in which case maybe you'd inject a bit more of yourself - no offence intended but I'm not sure how else to express myself

Mike

[JoeKitchen]

Thanks Antonio and Mike.  I would like to produce 3 to 5 new images a week for this new portfolio.  Hope that is not pushing it. 

[Martin Ranger]

If the C220 is the one before the C330 or whatever, which I had only with a 180mm because I couldn't afford a 150mm for my 'blad at that time, then buy a 180mm: mine was a much nicer lens than the eventual 150mm Sonnar that I bought.

A warning: trying to use the red, moving indicator at the top of the screen with a long lens close up is a pain in the ass, and definite turn-off.

Rob, the C220 is same generation, but without all the mechanical connections (like the moving indicator), and hence less likely to break, or such is the idea. I'll try the 180mm. It seems this is a particularly nice focal length. Two my favorite (and very different) lenses are the Fuji 180mm 3.2 for the GX680, and the Zeiss 180mm for the Pentacon 6.

I am not hip enough for a 'blad

Also, keep posting your photos. I like seeing them, and "recent" is a relative concept

[Justinr]

This might be a little garish for the purists but it certainly makes an impact.

[Rob C]

Rob, the C220 is same generation, but without all the mechanical connections (like the moving indicator), and hence less likely to break, or such is the idea. I'll try the 180mm. It seems this is a particularly nice focal length. Two my favorite (and very different) lenses are the Fuji 180mm 3.2 for the GX680, and the Zeiss 180mm for the Pentacon 6.

I am not hip enough for a 'blad

Also, keep posting your photos. I like seeing them, and "recent" is a relative concept

Thanks Martin, for the comment on my pix.

Another thing with the Mamiya and the 180mm was that I used it for shooting close-ups of textile colour swatches for clothing manufactures. The big bellows extension allowed very good near-focus and that was another thing the 'blad did not. You had to buy extension tubes that cost a mint. I do know that once l lost the 180mm I never stopped  wishing that I still had it. When I bought the 150mm for 'blad their later 180mm didn't exist, much to my disgust when it was introduced. ;-(

Rob C

[JoeKitchen]

In the infamous words of Uncle Buck, "I'm on to cigars now!"  And yes, that is real smoke; no Photoshop tricks here.   

P.S.: so far I have shot all of these still lifes with my Arca RM3Di & Rodenstock 90mm, and I have been pleased with the system overall.  However, with the cigars, I really wish I had a M Line 2.  I really wanted to get one top label and one foot label in focus, but the R did not give me nearly enough swing. 

[BobDavid]

In the infamous words of Uncle Buck, "I'm on to cigars now!"  And yes, that is real smoke; no Photoshop tricks here.   

P.S.: so far I have shot all of these still lifes with my Arca RM3Di & Rodenstock 90mm, and I have been pleased with the system overall.  However, with the cigars, I really wish I had a M Line 2.  I really wanted to get one top label and one foot label in focus, but the R did not give me nearly enough swing.

Joe, your lighting is looking pretty good. But I find my eye wondering too much in your recent batch of still lifes. My two cents: 1) use selective focus and lighting to separate ground from figure. Look at ads in upscale magazines for inspiration. 2) Simplify. The smoke in the cigar shot is extraneous; the bourbon bottle looks great, especially the way it reflects off the table, and the subtle warm swath of light in the background does a nice job of creating depth. However, the cigar cutter, martini glasses, and wine bottles are distracting. Also, I think the bourbon in the glass looks a bit watered down. Try using a fake ice cube--or forget the ice cube and shoot the bourbon straight up.

The lighting in your kitchen scenes is looking good. Your pictures will look more pleasing if you create some distance between your subjects and backgrounds.Experiment with selective focus. It's okay to let parts of the scene (foreground, midground, and background) blur out. And as far as flower arrangements go, I suggest spending a week just shooting nothing but flowers in glass vases. That will most certainly be a painful exercise, but I think you'll acquire a lot of skill from it.

A view camera is your best option for tabletop photography. You've alredy got a great lens and  a decent back, so why not buy a used studio 4 X 5 camera (not a Sinar F or a lightweight Arca) something modest like a Horseman to get your feet wet.

Please don't take my advice as criticism. Tabletop photography is extremely difficult, however it can be quite fun and challenging. You may want to use modeling clay, armature wire, tiny blocks, wires, clamps and tape to finesse the positions of your props. Amazing how tilting a reflective object a few degrees in any direction can make a good picture even better.

Good luck and keep shooting.

[David Eichler]

In the infamous words of Uncle Buck, "I'm on to cigars now!"  And yes, that is real smoke; no Photoshop tricks here.   

P.S.: so far I have shot all of these still lifes with my Arca RM3Di & Rodenstock 90mm, and I have been pleased with the system overall.  However, with the cigars, I really wish I had a M Line 2.  I really wanted to get one top label and one foot label in focus, but the R did not give me nearly enough swing.

Like the whiskey photo a lot: lighting, concept and composition. I find the cigars photo less compelling. Bob's critique makes sense to me.

[razrblck]

Thanks for sharing your pictures Joe, I really like them! And thanks Bob for the tips, I'm always learning something new in here or getting inspired to do better and more!

[JoeKitchen]

Joe, your lighting is looking pretty good. But I find my eye wondering too much in your recent batch of still lifes. My two cents: 1) use selective focus and lighting to separate ground from figure. Look at ads in upscale magazines for inspiration. 2) Simplify. The smoke in the cigar shot is extraneous; the bourbon bottle looks great, especially the way it reflects off the table, and the subtle warm swath of light in the background does a nice job of creating depth. However, the cigar cutter, martini glasses, and wine bottles are distracting. Also, I think the bourbon in the glass looks a bit watered down. Try using a fake ice cube--or forget the ice cube and shoot the bourbon straight up.

The lighting in your kitchen scenes is looking good. Your pictures will look more pleasing if you create some distance between your subjects and backgrounds.Experiment with selective focus. It's okay to let parts of the scene (foreground, midground, and background) blur out. And as far as flower arrangements go, I suggest spending a week just shooting nothing but flowers in glass vases. That will most certainly be a painful exercise, but I think you'll acquire a lot of skill from it.

A view camera is your best option for tabletop photography. You've alredy got a great lens and  a decent back, so why not buy a used studio 4 X 5 camera (not a Sinar F or a lightweight Arca) something modest like a Horseman to get your feet wet.

Please don't take my advice as criticism. Tabletop photography is extremely difficult, however it can be quite fun and challenging. You may want to use modeling clay, armature wire, tiny blocks, wires, clamps and tape to finesse the positions of your props. Amazing how tilting a reflective object a few degrees in any direction can make a good picture even better.

Good luck and keep shooting.

You don't like the smoke?  Awww ... I am not so sure I agree.  I did one without the smoke and felt it was missing something.  Although this image is still quite fresh, so in a couple of weeks I may feel differently. 

For the bourbon shot, I do agree the martini glass is distracting and that the bourbon in the glass looks watered down.  I did capture one with fake ice cubes where it looks richer.  I may remove the martini glass and swap the ice cubes.  I do like the cigar though; I picked that specific cigar because I was told it would pair well with that specific bourbon.  The idea was to create a bourbon/cigar pairing that would make sense while focusing more on the bourbon.  I tried 3 cigars, but it did not look right; a single cigar was not enough, so I added the cutter.  Maybe it works, maybe not; I am pretty new to this, so ...

I know when I started shooting architectural, many images I felt at the time looked good I can't stand having my name associated with now. 

I do appreciate the comments; you seem very experienced with this genre and it is good feedback so far.  Although, I may need some more pushing to dedicate a week of shooting to just flowers. 

As far as using a view camera, I would love one but all in good time.  The R system works well for now and is a better option then any SLR.  I don't want to get a cheap Horseman (or whatever) since I would need to un-mount my 90mm and through off its calibration to the R system. 

My fiancé is a food and beverage photographer and needs to maintain prospects too occasionally.  Right now she is using an IQ260 on a DF+, leveling, shooting wide and cropping in, which is not an ideal situation either.  We have agreed to eventually split the cost of an M Line 2 and keep it as a studio camera.  Maybe in a year I will have some paid still life shoots under my belt and then we will move up to the M system.