Possibly my best large format image to date? or maybe not?

[Ed Bray]

Orchids against cut black slate:

Whilst the weather was a bit gloomy and I had little else to do I set myself an exercise to photograph my Wife's White and Lemon Orchids against some Cut Black Slate which I had had cut a while ago to use as a background.

The main aim of the exercise was to use the front swing and tilt of my Canham MQC 5x7 to enable me to bring most if not all the flower heads into focus. As these heads were stacked both right and left and up and down it seemed the perfect type of subject.

The image was shot on Adox CHS25 5x7 film using a Schneider 240mm f5.6 Symmar-S lens which was set at f29 (I had to lose 1/3 stop to allow for reciprocity failure). I also had to allow 2½ stops for the bellows extension which then gave me an exposure time of 60 seconds.

The film was rotary processed using a Jobo Print Drum with Pyrocat HD at 24° C for 8 minutes and then fixed using some home-made TF-3 Alkaline fixer before washing and drying.

When dried the film was scanned using my V750 scanner at 1200dpi and then some localised exposure control was carried out using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 before finally cropping to square (I think it better suits that format so technically a 5"x 5" image), resizing and sharpening in Photoshop CS5.

Criticism welcomed, I could do with some pointers, this stuff is all still quite new to me.


Orchids against cut black slate 5x7 by Ed Bray, on Flickr

[Kirk Gittings]

Very nice image. It looks to me based on some of my own experience using SFXP (on light subject matter against a darker background) that it has created some unnatural halos around the flowers on the right side.

[Ed Bray]

Thanks Kirk, I'll have a look at the halos.

[Vaughn]

Often one's "best" image is not all that incredible of an image in itself, but when all the pieces seem to come together and one realizes that one has had a major growth-spurt.

The square does work well. However I feel that the balance of the image does not necessarily match the subject. The flowers seem to be falling towards the source of light from the lower right. My eye does not want to stay on the flowers and revolve around in the frame -- instead my eyes want to slide off downwards the lower right and off the image. But this is just me -- others might find this not to be true.

[Ed Bray]

Thank you for your comments, I did not mean to imply that it was the equal of others large format images, just that it was my best image.

I see what you mean about the lighter corner which would have been better if it had been darker and acted more as a stop like the other three corners.

[Vaughn]

Thank you for your comments, I did not mean to imply that it was the equal of others large format images, just that it was my best image.

I see what you mean about the lighter corner which would have been better if it had been darker and acted more as a stop like the other three corners.

I have a couple prints I like very much -- but perhaps not my finest, but they represent some type of break-through for me.

You might also consider the direction the light is coming from, and how that affects how one sees and interprets an image. Light coming from below the subject 'feels' very different from the more 'natural' lighting from above the subject.

Vaughn

[Steven Tribe]

Apart from the image's qualities, it is great you give a complete technical description!
I have been nervous about using single colour orchids, but yours have lots of interesting petal surfaces.

[Ed Bray]

I have a couple prints I like very much -- but perhaps not my finest, but they represent some type of break-through for me.

You might also consider the direction the light is coming from, and how that affects how one sees and interprets an image. Light coming from below the subject 'feels' very different from the more 'natural' lighting from above the subject.

Vaughn

Thanks again Vaughn, the light was coming from slightly above and to the right of the Orchids from a bay window. This can be clearly seen in the shadows from the centre parts of all the Orchids.

Apart from the image's qualities, it is great you give a complete technical description!
I have been nervous about using single colour orchids, but yours have lots of interesting petal surfaces.

That was partly my intention by using the strong side lighting. Thanks for your comments.

[Ed Bray]

After taking onboard some of the comments above I have rehashed the image.


Orchids Slate Revisited by Ed Bray, on Flickr

[Kirk Gittings]

Superb!