Fiery Reflection

[sassy_boy]

Hello guys,

I have this shot of a candle lit in our dining table. I closed all the lights to make the candle the only light source. This shot might have been done before, but I really liked how my version of it turned out. Here's the shot -->



Camera: Nikon D3000
Camera Lens: 18-55mm AF-S DX f/3.5 - 5.6G VR Kit Lens
Exposure: 2.5 sec at f/13
Focal Length: 55mm
ISO: 100
Flash: Did not fire

It took me a while to get this exact shot because with some of my photos, there is this persistent ghost appearance of the flame elsewhere in the photo. Anyways, what do you think of the photo? Is there anything that I can add to make it more interesting? Thanks!

[tingeliM]

I would lose the "Sassyboy_Photography" completely or at least make it less distracting (smaller, cleaner font and maybe some light gray color? or some color that matches the photo?).
I'm not a fan of watermarking and yours makes this photo look cheap.
Otherwise the photo is very beautiful! Perfect contrast and focus. I love it ^__^

[sassy_boy]

Originally Posted by tingeliM

I'm not a fan of watermarking and yours makes this photo look cheap. Otherwise the photo is very beautiful! Perfect contrast and focus. I love it ^__^

Hey! Thanks for your feedback. I placed the watermark ... uh... just because I thought it was what everybody does.. Hehe. Being a newbie at photography, I tend to go with the flow. But thanks for clearing that up. Good thing my originals are intact. Hehehe.

[brasil0069]

Great picture well done
Mike

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi sassy_boy,

Nice photo again. I looked through your blog and you've got some great images!

Originally Posted by sassy_boy

It took me a while to get this exact shot because with some of my photos, there is this persistent ghost appearance of the flame elsewhere in the photo.

Do you have a UV or protector filter on the front of your lens? Sometimes these can cause ghost images.

Originally Posted by sassy_boy

Is there anything that I can add to make it more interesting?

If it were my image, I would play around with the color tone slider and see if I couldn't get the flame to be a little more orange. I think that a nice, golden-orange color looks attractive for flames.

Originally Posted by sassy_boy

I placed the watermark ... uh... just because I thought it was what everybody does

Some people love signatures and some people hate them. In this image I would adjust the blending options for your signature and make it fade into the black so it is less obvious.

Overall, a really nice image!

KG

[sassy_boy]

@KG - Yes! I do have a UV filter on my lens. So that's what caused it. Thanks for pointing that out. I guess I can modify my signature to make it less conspicous.

[KansaiGreenie]

If you are going to use a UV filter, make sure you get one that is designed for use with a digital camera that is coated on both sides. Basically, the light comes into the camera, bounces off of the sensor, then reflects off of the inside of the filter and back into the sensor causing a ghost image.

I use a Kenko Pro 1 Digital UV filter, but for a shot like this, I would probably take it off.

KG

[sassy_boy]

I use a Kenko UV filter too. But I don't know what type though. Better check on it. Besides, this shot is done indoors in a very controlled environment. The fire is a good distance away from my lens so there is little chance of accidents. But still got to be careful though. Thanks!

[tingeliM]

Originally Posted by sassy_boy

Hey! Thanks for your feedback. I placed the watermark ... uh... just because I thought it was what everybody does.. Hehe. Being a newbie at photography, I tend to go with the flow. But thanks for clearing that up. Good thing my originals are intact. Hehehe.

Well as KG said, watermarking is sort of love/hate subject in photography I guess. Personally I think most of the time they are ugly and distracting. Especially those that overlay the picture (if you want to showcase your work online, why ruin them with horrible watermarks, right?). People use them so that their photos would be harder to steal online, but there are loads of arguments about that. I tend to just re-size my photos (longest side 800 px max.) before uploading to internet and that's it. Well I don't think my stuff is good enough to be stolen anyways but..

If you want to use watermark, maybe check out some pro photographers' websites and photos and see what kinds of watermarks they use. I think the best ones are just simple and small. They don't take the attention off the photograph.

[sassy_boy]

@tingeliM - I also do resize my photos to 800 pix on the longest side. Hmmm, now I'm starting to consider not putting one at all since it adds hassle too. But then again, it would be nice to see one's signature on a photo that they're really proud of. Aaahhhh! Better start designing a good one now. Hehehe. Thanks! I appreciate your suggestions.

Happy New Year!