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Firstly I'd like to thank Doug (Potatis) for continuing to help me learning basic PP techniques via MSN. Here are my results so far with a makeshift studio in my lounge room. I'm not completely happy with my work yet, but for a first try they are better then I expected, real lighting would of done wonders... anyways that is enough ramble... here are the shots.

Feedback of any sort are welcome.










(Don't like this one)

Just a fraction dark, Craig but I know when you are finished they'll be very stunning!

Bugger, I really have to get my LCD calibrated, this is driving me nuts!
Grrr... thanks for the feedback doug.

Delicious! Are you telling how you shot this?

Cheers
Steffen.

Steffen wrote:Delicious! Are you telling how you shot this?

Cheers
Steffen.

My guess is that an Aeroplane was involved

leek wrote:My guess is that an Aeroplane was involved

 LOL! Not economy class, though, that's for sure!

Try to get the reflections to match #5, and more sharpening.

leek wrote:

Steffen wrote:Delicious! Are you telling how you shot this?

Cheers
Steffen.

My guess is that an Aeroplane was involved

Jelly good!

Very good Craig - keep an eye on your colour balance, especially in the first two shots.

gstark wrote:Jelly good!

Possible. I thought those were liquids, and all the up-side-downing was done in PS...

Anyway, I'd like to know about lighting, background, etc...

Cheers
Steffen.

exactly what post processing is involved craig?
the first one is most vibrant
and you seem to be improving and learning very fast as your tackling all areas of photography at an alarming rate, keep your momentum and zeal up for another year and your sure to be kick ass.

Excellent Craig I wish that I had someone to teach me.

those that can teach are not far away...........

Yes I should have rephrased that BP, I would love to have the opportunity to learn from you guys, and perhaps we can arrange something in the new year.

Ok well the setup was done with commonly found household objects.

First the staging area, it was using a common clothes airer and a very large speaker, combined with a black sheet. The airer acted as a back drop while the speak acted a a miniuature table (lower the necessary I found out later). I then borrow a pane of glass of a glass table to act as a reflective surface. I also used a car sun visor to act as a reflector, and also a DYI reflector made out of a fruit bowl and alluminium foil, I hooked both reflectors up to 2x 25 watt reading lamps (all I had on hand). The Jelly I made myself added colouring to get the deep purple and also the clear yellowy orange, the others were straight from the packet, (Aeroplane Jelly in most cases, homebrand in the other). The glass ware was a range of Bohemia Lead Crystal and other assorted wedding gifts

PP wise, all I've done is up the contrast, some I have used 2 layers and the erase tool so I have vibrant colour, but not so blow highlights..
Then I resize them and Smart sharpen them, apparently they may need a second sharpen to bring out the crystall a little more.

Thanks for the comments

Craig, you've done well. Not only with the images but with the home grown apparatus. What's the desk fan for? Or was it just a bystander?

Heh, I could have sworn the upside-down stuff was a PS montage...

I guess the most important lesson for me to learn from your excercise was that my mindset is still firmly 35mm. I wouldn't have dreamed of using 25W bulbs for lighting, though with digital this isn't an issue at all...

Thanks for the inspiration!

Cheers
Steffen.

johnd wrote:Craig, you've done well. Not only with the images but with the home grown apparatus. What's the desk fan for? Or was it just a bystander?

Hehehe, well firstly to keep me cool, but my Model Darth Tater, I used the fan a few times to get his cap to flow and wave around him, didn't quiet get the affect I was after, but it bloody hard to hold the can and hit the shutter release... but it was FUN!!!

Heh, I could have sworn the upside-down stuff was a PS montage...

No worries, I'll take it as a compliment, when I had the idea I really wanted to try with the glasses inverted and it worked better then even I expected.. I have a few other angles which I may try to PP and see how they come up.

I still have my jelly glasses and the studio setup, anyone have any suggests on variations I could shoot ? Otherwise I'll reclaim my loungeroom and dismantle my mini-studio.