High Key-Low Key

[Trojansoc]

Interesting new challenge. I got out my homemade light tent for my first shots of 2009. The first of these will be familiar to anyone with a gamer in the house.

Paul

[Trojansoc]

The second is an old phone that immediately caught my attention when I read this challenge.

Both shots were shot on manual using a tungsten light balance to compensate for spotlights diffused through the sides of the light tent. Front lighting was with Pentax AF540 FGZ flash on PTTL mode. Camera: Pentax K20d with Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 lens @ 29mm. Shot at ISO 250, f/8.0, 1/5 sec.

Happy new year to all forum friends !

Paul

[calr]

Both shots are overexposed. You didn't say whether you use manual or auto exposure. I suspect it was manual. In the second shot, the edges of the ball blend into the background. In the first, everything appears too light. If you used manual exposure, I would try stopping down the lens by one f-stop and see how it compares. Alternatively, you might try reducing the flash power by 1 f-step (flash compensation, if you have it).

Try some of these changes and show us the difference.

Cal

[Trojansoc]

Cal, see what you think on these. The controller shot was simply toned down a little in post-processing.

[Trojansoc]

On the soccer ball phone, I started with a different original, one taken at 1/6 of a second instead of 1/5. Then I post-processed to highlight the differences in the foreground and background.

Paul

[Alan T]

calr wrote:

Both shots are overexposed....

Surely, Cal, the definition of 'overexposure' within this difficult challenge you have set us is entirely personal and arbitrary. It depends on just which close shades of white or black we decide to differentiate.

We are attempting to match tones we saw in a scene to very subtle shades we can reproduce, of white to very light grey, or black to very dark grey. There's going to be scope for lots of argument here over exactly where to put each level on the density curve.

Perhaps you should ask us to declare what we're trying to show? Or have I misunderstood the 'challenge'?

[Mugmar]

I must say the I like the first shotof the controllers better. The color in the second one takes away from the hi-key feeling.

The soccer phone shots are both good. The second has a little more detail, but there is nothing to distract from the first one. There is still a good separation between the white of the ball and the wall.

Mugmar

[calr]

Alan, the intent of the challenge is to show bright or dark scenes in which the subject is distinct from the background. The photos should not be over or under exposed.

Cal