This is another in a series of very simple still lifes I'm doing with apples. The idea here was to create something with clean and simple geometric lines. This work was specifically inspired by contemporary painter Michael Zigmond, whose work in this style I admire greatly.
The geometric patterns of sunlight on the floor and wall, window pane shadows and the apples themselves are intended to bring an abstract quality to the shot, in addition to showing a simple and pleasing still life of course. I hope you like it.
Thanks for your observant comments David. Looking at this shot, yes, the apples probably could be a little better focused. This is a fairly aggressive crop from a large image, so the clarity/focus is not what it could be had I framed it tighter. Thanks for pointing this out, I have considered printing this one and will do some additional sharpening before printing. And yes, I do very much enjoy doing these, as you surmise. Got a bit dusty crawling around on the floor on this one!
Best regards, Mark
PS: Glad you enjoyed the Zigmond stuff. I've been a fan of his for 15+ years!
.....just having a look at some of Michael Zigmond work, great fun, never seen it before, this composition is very well done, my thought is that the apples maybe slightly out of focus whether by accident or design, but like the piece of work and you obviously enjoy doing these, well done....do more! cheers, david.
Thank you so much Yahya for you generous comments!
Your remarks about the crop are very interesting. This image was cropped quite a lot. I agree with your opinion that cropping the window light on the wall helps this image look balanced. And another reason for this crop is that I wanted the apples to be at the bottom third of the image (rule of thirds) and I also wanted the apples to be close enough to be seen clearly. Unfortunately there were many other interesting shadows on the floor that got cropped out in order to show the apples with any detail in an 800 pixel wide format here at usefilm. But I decided reluctantly to sacrifice some of the shadow lines in order to make the apples a stronger focal point.
I also wanted to do a letterbox (wide) style crop in order to emphasize the the horizontal lines and angles of the shot. As a matter of interest I have attached the original uncropped image here.
One last remark, the floor shadow into which the white reflection falls is directly in front of the camera. I shot a great many camera angles but I selected this one in part because of the white reflection in the broad shadow. I feel that this brings considerable weight to the shot and anchors the apples in place. Thanks again for looking and commenting, my freind!
wonderfulllllllllllllllllllll this piece is wonderfull Mark. Hugo pointed out alot of what we may talk about, and alittle extra things too. i do agree with him about the contrast thing, the yellow apple is alittle blown out, but i know 1 step less exposure would make the entire photo pale. another thing i must talk about is the CROP, i like that u cropped the window light on the wall as i didnt want it to be complete, cause i think this way it is even with the incomplete window light on the floor. i also think if the photo has the original aspect ratio, then the dark wall color would ruin the photo and the balance. one last thing i admire is the strip of dark shadows beneath the apples, it makes the reflection show more clearly at that area. after al, this is a superb photo for your still life captures. a salute for you my friend :)
Thanks very much Ina. I'm so pleased that this composition is working for you. You are seeing all the stuff I tried to put into it when I shot it and your comment is a kindly and welcome affirmation! Thank you so much!
Mark, this is a fantastic still life - I recognize the painter style that you mentioned, and I'm really excited to see such a complex combination of shadows, lines and reflections! I'm not going to go into a lengthy critique because I'll be off UF for some time, but just want to congratulate you for this wonderful achievement - it's original, unique, pleasant to view and the composition is exceptional! Wonderfully intricate shadows, great mood of sun and dark, great apple colors and wood/ wall colors! A superb composition, so warm and beautiful! Best regards, Ina
Thank you very very much for your extensive comments, Hugo. I placed this image in Critiques Corner to get just this sort of commentary. Still life photography in general does not generate a lot of interest, which is OK, but it means I'm not sure if others are seeing what I am seeing, and more importantly, my skill does not benefit as much from the insightful comment of others. I've learned from your expertise in comments to others, and so it is good to read your remarks on this work.
You see the same abstract elements in the shot that I do, but your point about the diagoinal lines leading toward the apples is interesting and important. I had the idea that this is a key element of the composition, but had not understood it's role so well until you pointed it out. There were over 100 images in this shoot (a lot of time crawling around on the floor!) but of the one or two that stood apart, this was one. You have helped me understand a reason why.
I had a little trouble with the highlight on the yellow apple blowing out in this shoot. This made it difficult to acheive a good contrast on the yellow. Your observation on contrast is right on.
In all the light was a little difficult. Because of the dark wall color there is a broad dynamic range of light in the shot. In order to keep the apples and floor from burning out I also lost some of the detail and length in the gradient leading away from the apples to the right. It is an excellent observation you make that the tone and brightness of the gradient could be greater. With careful use of selection in PS I could have brought more of that back. I had decided in the end that I liked the darker walls and higher contrast between the shadowed wall and the light, and so left the wall dark. I now see that adding slight brightness to the gradient separately could help the composition and add interest. Great observation!
Lastly, to your question about light, the afternoon sun was the only direct light source. The rest of the light was created by reflections from the floor and the apples themselves. The corner of the room does not play a role. Much of the light you see in the gradient leading away to the right from the apples is created by a reflection from the red apple. I placed the yellow apple to the left of the red apple in order to light the shadow side of the red apple, whose shadow side was dark otherwise.
Thank you once again for taking the time and effort to make a thoughful and well observed commentary. It is very much appreciated.
Hi Mark, You've handled the lighting very well, the geometric pattern is quite elaborate, but well balanced. A very intriguing blend of the various angles and directional shadows, too.
The light running from lower right towards the apples plays a very important role in this image, I think. It prevents a static, lifeless still life, adding an intringing element (because of the apparent different direction of the light) as well as create a playful element and a very strong diagonal line within the composition.
It maybe a deception of the eye, but I find it hard to tell if you shot this with multiple light sources, or used a corner in the room and a single light source, with the edge being obscured by the shadow to shoot this... I guess it's besides the point, as it's the effect that counts.
Good crip tones in the apples too, although I believe the yellow one is just a tad low on contrast, and I think I would've preferred a bit softer lighting, reducing the highlights on them.
The gradient on the right of the apples, stretching the image without letting the photo loose it's power nor interest is a great touch. Nitpicking, I think the tones and brigtness might even have been a tad stronger.
I realise these points are ambiguous and also influenced by the monitor and personal feel, but as you obviously went trough a great deal in shooting this still life, I believe the least I can do is share my thoughts.
Very elaborate shot, well handled, and pretty intriguing.
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{K:16659} 3/11/2006
