i can't shoot this darn clock!

[philip_b]

Mother's Dry Cleaning by philografy, on Flickr

We have this clock hanging in our kitchen. Every few days I try to shoot it, but I can't seem to get one I am happy with. This is my best attempt so far.

Here are my questions...

1) Does the fact that the entire clock face is not shown detract from the image? What about the hands? Should I at least have the entirety of the hands?

2) The second hand is bent. I have debated straightening it... but I feel like maybe the bent hand adds character. What do you think?

3) I like this angle, from below, but I can't seem to get it shot this way without blowing out the glossy finish on the right hand side of the clock (the light source in here is above and to the right.) Is that distracting? On the one hand I think it is, but on the other it almost seems to add something since the image is over-contrasted to begin with. (Is over-contrasted a word?)

4) Is there a way to scale the image down and avoid the aliasing on the hands? I am using gimp, and when I scale I choose the "sinc lanczos3" method.


Thanks for any advice and/or other comments!


Exif data etc:

Camera Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/3.2
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400
Lens Canon 50mm AF II 1.8 Nifty Fifty

[MadasonBlue]

I'm new to photography so I'm not sure how much my opinion is worth, but I really like this angle. I don't think it's necessary to get the whole of anything in a shot every time. There is something interesting to find in every part of a whole, right?

If you want to get rid of the glare on the left side, you could try putting something white and kind of transparent in front of the light source (piece of paper, a sheet or pillowcase, some kind of thin fabric); that might diffuse the light a little and make the glare less apparent. I'm not sure whether or not it even detracts from the quality, but it's worth giving it a shot and seeing which one you like more.

[tomdinning]

Do you know how many ways you can photograph a clock?
Probably more that the seconds that clock will tick.
Before you put the camera to your eye again, spend a week looking at the clock and finding out what it is you wan to capture. What is it that fascinates you. Find the picture in your head first. Then find out how to take it. Kep experimenting in your head. Lay awake at night photographing it in your head. When you have done that, take some pictures. Experiment. Be daring. Stop at nothing.
If this is such an important part of the kitchen, it might be worth considering including some other objets from the kitchen, like someones hand covered in food changing the time or a piece of spaghetti hanging from the minute hand.
Have a look at photo's of clocks as well. See what is done. Clocks with hands are usually photographed displaying a certain time. Find out what that is and see why.
Clocks are cool. They are worth the 'time' so to speak.
The one you have posted shows a good use of lighting. Go with that and build on it.

[oceanillusion42]

The glare on the left side isn't necessarily a bad think, I just think it's too much... its blown out. Try to soften that light up a bit so you get a bit of glare, but not so intense. Also consider the shadows that the hands are casting on the face of the clock...

[philip_b]

Great tips guys! Thanks so much. Definitely have some stuff to work on and think about.