Black Foam Core Projects

Ivar D. Larsen said:
I say this is truly art in photography the way I see it and painting with light can't suit the subject any better anywhere else than right here. Wonderfully done. I won't even try to copy this even If I could. And I can't. You should consider exhibit them in a gallery.
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I'm truly thankful for your incredibly generous comments, Ivar.

Tony
 
Pete Askew said:
More gorgeous work, Tony. Do you collect shells as well?
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Thanks very much, Pete. It's one of those situations where I didn't set out with the intention of collecting the shells. Living in a coastal community provides opportunities to browse local merchants on a nearby municipal wharf and I happened to think the shells would photograph well. Over the years I'd purchase one or two, photograph them, then place them on a shelf. Therefore, without being an avid collector I somehow ended up with a fine collection! Go figure!

One thing I do intentionally collect are books on the history of medicine, anatomy & physiology, which are my favorite subjects.

Tony
 
Wow! I am running out of compliments here, another beautiful set. Any chance you could write a tutorial, I would be fascinated to hear how you achieve that quality.
 
Dave Farnes said:
Wow! I am running out of compliments here, another beautiful set. Any chance you could write a tutorial, I would be fascinated to hear how you achieve that quality.
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Thanks very much, Dave. I'd be happy to provide a tutorial.

When projects like these turn out well, the photos can convey a sense of time consuming, technically demanding "studio" shots, suggesting the use of exotic lighting equipment. Yet in fact, these photos were taken on a card table. And the room needn't be terribly dark to create these types of images. Fast shutter speeds and high aperture values along with generous amounts of negative Exposure Compensation provide enough reduction in ambient light to make that so.

I use sheets of black foam core board, one of which has a small hole punched through it. I place the seashell directly on the foam core and I hand-hold a high lumen flashlight or a Clamp Light with Aluminum Reflector to light my seashells. For my "illuminated" seashell shots I place the shell over the hole in the foam core and light the shell from underneath. For this effect I use a LightPad. Of course, it works best with "thin-walled" shells. With my flower photos I can even preserve the flower, stem and all, by passing the stem through the hole, take the shot, then return the flower to the vase whence it came! I place the seashells on a small mirror, then the mirror on the foam core to achieve the wonderful reflection style images. Very challenging!

I use a tripod, select Macro Mode and frame the shot by means of the LCD. Enabling the 10 second self-timer allows me enough time to aim the light source and experiment with various angles until I see the desired effect I want in the LCD. If I'm using my Canon SX50 then I'll temporarily DEACTIVATE the Image-Stabilization, which is recommended in the manual when using a tripod. I just have to remember to activate it before I go back to my preferred bird photography!

The critical factor is simply finding the best angle from which to light the subject. For a polished seashell it can take a few attempts to minimize "hot spot" reflections on the shell from the light source. In my case, I don't want to work any harder than I have to in an effort to completely eliminate hot spots so I don't use shades or attempt to diffuse or bounce the light and I don't mind a little shine on the shell. I simply position the light source at the angle that produces the most dramatic effect. I find the most pleasing and dramatic results come from "side-lighting" the seashell. I rarely hold the light source directly above the seashell, for example. Also, finding the best angle helps prevent the black foam core from being easily detected. Even if the foam core appears in the initial capture, that can easily be corrected in post by decreasing the "Levels." This style of "side-lighting" of the subject is how I use natural sunlight to begin the process of creating my bird photographs that feature a black background. Working with early morning or late afternoon sunlight, in this case.

I use Photoshop Elements 12. During post-processing the tool I use the most is "Levels." I decrease the levels until the black foam core goes completely black. Occasionally, I'll need to select Auto Levels or adjust Shadows / Highlights to allow the image to really "pop." I don't do these black foam core projects too often so if the seashells have been on display and the foam core stored away, I make extra sure they're completely dust-free. Since these are lighted macro shots every flaw or speck of dust will be captured!

I'd always be happy to provide further instruction to you and anyone else interested in a project like this.

Best regards,
Tony
 
Thank you very much Tony. That is an interesting and informative piece, much appreciated. Levels is the tool I use most too, very useful.
 
A few more!

1. Illuminated
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2.
nautshellbritton2016-M.jpg

3.
2016cambridge%20%282%29-M.jpg

4.
mayshells.jpg%20%2819%29-M.jpg

5.
shellsbritton-M.jpg
 
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Pete Askew said:
Lovely work again, Tony. I think an illustrate walkthrough of your technique would be very interesting for the forum if you would be prepared to do one. What do you think?

Something like:

http://www.realphotographersforum.com/forum/threads/stackshot.21091/#post-163328 or

http://www.realphotographersforum.c...ng-macro-photography-using-a-copy-stand.4287/
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Hi Pete,

Please see what I've offered already by scrolling above to a response I've provided Dave. Let me know if I can further elaborate on this tutorial in any helpful manner.

Tony
 
Pete Askew said:
Hi Tony,

I wondered if maybe you could take a few pictures of the setup etc to illustrate the response and then we can create a thread in the technique forum for it. Maybe next time you are doing sone. What do you think?
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While I'll certainly consider that the next time I do this sort of project, in the meantime I believe everything I could possibly include in my explanation to Dave has conveyed the arrangement and equipment necessary to reproduce my results.

A photo guide would therefore, literally include a photo of a camera mounted on a tripod aimed at a seashell, which has been placed upon a sheet of black foam core board, which has been placed upon a card table along with a hand-held light aimed obliquely at the aforementioned seashell. :D

Tony
 
Pete Askew said:
Thanks, Tony and you know what Telly Savalas said...
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Yes, of course I do. Who can forget the moment when the inimitable Kojack, Tootsie Roll Pop in mouth, hurled this chilling recommendation to a ne'er-do-well, "In promulgating your esoteric cogitations or articulating your superficial sentimentalities, and amicable philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity. Who loves ya, baby? Let your conversational communications possess a compacted conciseness, a clarified comprehensibility, a coalescent cogency, and a concatenated consistency. Who loves ya, baby? Eschew obfuscation and all conglomeration of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement, and asinine affectations. Let your extemporaneous descantings and unpremeditated expatiations have intelligibility and voracious vivacity without rodomontade or thrasonical bombast. Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolificacy, and vain vapid verbosity. And lastly, who loves ya, baby?"

Tony
 
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