Musical Instruments

[Ben Calwell]

Thank you all.

Nothing "special" with the plane of focus; a healthy front tilt, essentially along the top of the violin, and an aperture (22, I think) to bring the score in front into sharpness up to about the fourth staff from bottom.

I can add two notes that might be of interest to some. I used a single light source and got everything pretty much set up, but the sharpness of some of the shadows and the arrangement of light and dark wasn't quite what I wanted, even after hanging some sheets of diffusion gel to create some additional shadows. I took a large piece of patterned lace fabric and hung it in front of the light to break it up, which, with a little adjustment, made all the difference in that respect. Nice to have a powerful LED light for constant viewing ability, sharp shadows when wanted, and without the heat of halogens.

I'll post in The Setup ad Shot for anyone interested.

The second factor came in printing. I got to a print that pleased me pretty well on my standard paper, Ilford WTF, but I had brought my Fomatone to the darkroom also. Although in earlier testing the two papers had seemed to be very close in most of the scale, my first print of this image on the Foma immediately showed a significant difference in the rendering of the lower middle tones that I felt improved the composition. Back in the days of many papers, serious printers often tried various ones to see which best suited a given image. The choices are fewer now, of course, but this experience reaffirmed my decision to keep the two papers on hand.

That's beautiful, Philip. I sometimes use some sheer, lace curtains from our dining room to diffuse light and cast pleasing dapples of light on still life photos. I bought a Godox focusing LED light, but it's not very powerful for large format. My exposures, factoring in bellows draw and reciprocity, often run for multiple minutes. I don't really mind that though, as I like sitting there as the seconds count down, staring at my setup and wondering if the resulting image will look good or be a total disaster.
Anyway, nice work.

[Ulophot]

Thank you, Ben.

I purchased the SmallRig white-light unit when it was on sale. It's quite powerful. I'll probably sell my Lowell lights eventually, but the Tota-light is so compact it's an easy carry, and the price of the LED line is not in the budget now. I got the SmallRig primarily as a fill in natural light settings for portrait work on location.

[darr]

Very beautiful, Philip! Thank you for sharing such a lovely image and your words about it.

[phillipcarroll]

Even though my response is a bit belated, I wanted to thank you for starting this thread for musical instruments! Those pianos look awesome! Feel free to share more or chat about any other instruments. Speaking of instruments, I've always had this dream of learning to play the guitar. So, I've been on the lookout for good lessons and resources. That’s when I stumbled upon the Stay Tuned Guitar Blog and it's been a game-changer! They've got a ton of useful information, lessons, and tips on mastering guitar-playing skills. If you're as passionate about this instrument as I am, it’d be helpful for you, too!

[Kerosene Hat]

Slight crop from full-frame.
Wista VX, Caltar II-N 150, Tri-X, D-76 1:1, single light



2023 01 Washburn 355 4x5 TMY 40020230821_0001

[cgratham]

Practicing trying to learn studio lighting I pulled out the old banjo/uke.

Here's both headstock and soundboard (?) end.

Chris


_D718493.jpg by cgratham, on Flickr
_D718492.jpg by cgratham, on Flickr

[Merg Ross]

Slight crop from full-frame.
Wista VX, Caltar II-N 150, Tri-X, D-76 1:1, single light



2023 01 Washburn 355 4x5 TMY 40020230821_0001

A superb composition of form and function. Well done!

[Ulophot]

Chris, one of the best books on lighting I have ever read is Light: Science and Magic, now in 4th or 5th edition. You may find it useful for your self-education. Consider interlibrary loan if funds are an issue, or a used earlier edition.

[cgratham]

Chris, one of the best books on lighting I have ever read is Light: Science and Magic, now in 4th or 5th edition. You may find it useful for your self-education. Consider interlibrary loan if funds are an issue, or a used earlier edition.

Hi Philip,
Thanks for that recommendation. I'll search that book out. I like it just the title already.

Chris