Please critique my banana :)

[Bruce A]

I set this shot up for the "Framing" assignment (but I soon knew I was out of the race when I saw some other entries). Although this was three exposures, I used a little tone mapping to help make the fake fruit a little more weathered. The bowl was set up on a black sheet beside a sliding door for natural light and an off camera flash was triggered on the opposite side to reduce some shadow and give the image, especially the real banana and bowl rim some extra pop.

I was relatively pleased with the result especially after the square crop, but my main question is: if you saw this in a gallery, would you give it a second look?

Also, was the tone mapping adjustments a good idea in this case or was there a better way ?

Other critique, as usual, is most welcome.


imposter2 by banphotography, on Flickr

Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.3
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 28 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias -1 EV
Flash No Flash (radio trigger off camera SB600 with mini softbox)
Exposure ProgramManual

[katia]

i like the photo.

one thing i'm seeing though is it looks like you've tried to make the black "blacker" around the bowl?

or is that just how it turned out?

[Bruce A]

Thank you Katia. I increased the blackness outside the bowl to get rid of the fabric wrinkles, but not inside except in exposure adjustment.

[katia]

What method of darkening the fabric did you use? Because when i tip my laptop screen (i know, laptops are TERRIBLE for viewing and editing on), the photo goes from the outside of the bowl looking solid black, but when i tip it toward me, i can see that the fabric is not completely black, and there looks like there are some spots around the bowl where you may have been sloppy in your brushing?

with my laptop tipped far away from me though, it looks FANTASTIC!

FML, i need a new computer. haha!

[Bruce A]

Hmm, thank you for that. My monitor is calibrated so I'll check it out on my laptop (which isn't) as well later on.

Just added - heck, I stood up and noticed it on my monitor as well. My bad

[Bruce A]

Oops my bad again! I have fixed the backgound after it was pointed out by Katia that I had not darkened the black background sheet enough. Even my monitor has been calibrated, I learned a valuable lesson here - view your monitor from all angles after processing. Also, I said this was a single exposure image when it was a merged three exposure one. I have replaced the photograph above with the 'fixed' one.

[Usuqa]

Originally Posted by Bruce A

Oops my bad again! I have fixed the backgound after it was pointed out by Katia that I had not darkened the black background sheet enough. Even my monitor has been calibrated, I learned a valuable lesson here - view your monitor from all angles after processing. Also, I said this was a single exposure image when it was a merged three exposure one. I have replaced the photograph above with the 'fixed' one.

I don't know how many times this has caught me out and infact is still viable in some of my older work on flickr. I use a 42" un calibrated philips tv for my editing and the viewing angles are to great to do this little trick on.. although it displays images really well

On a laptop with there crappy viewing angles you can spot things like this easy and its easier to edit out. So i guess a crap screen is good:?

I like the photo, I think you would have had an easier time with you lighting using a reflector as you would have seen what you got although a small flash head will give a harder light which dose help with the details on the bowl and stuff .

[Bruce A]

Thanks for your comments Usuqa. Yes, this was a valuable lesson. I actually brought a reflector into the shoot, but it was an overcast day and there is an awning over the door from where the natural light was coming so the reflector was basically useless. I put the mini soft box on the flash and turned it down to soften the light as much as possible.

[Usuqa]

Ahh , well i love using strobes there is just so much they can do.

Ive yet to get a good collection of modifiers for mine but its amazing how simple things work, like bouncing off a reflector, wall and such