This posting is dedicated to
Sagelike31 who's in an angsty mood today, not happy with results from his amateur studio.
In a spirit of solidarity I'd like to show that I can also be amateurish with these attempts. Generally they are inspired by some story I wanted to write for my other blog (#1 will be featured at
www.thedailywtf.com on 23rd Jan).
Some of you will recognise the return of the doll, God bless her.
5 is a Kill Bill doll, and the weird effect occurred when I shrunk the image - not deliberate, but I liked it.
One thing I've learned - when looking for deep shadows is to not overcook the lighting. In my earlier attempts I tended to use overly bright lighting, which leads to overexposure on that side.
You can always darken it after the fact if you want.
Because I don't have any special gear, I sometimes just point a reading lamp at a nearby wall to diffuse it a little.
Another trick is to plug the camera straight into the computer, and drive it from there. This allows you to view results instantly, rather than wait till downloading to discover your dismal results.
Also - without a remote shutter release, I often use the shutter delay with tripod: just wait 10 seconds so you don't get that camera shake as you press the button.
The light is very pale yellow in 6. I could settle for that, but in hindsight it's probably caused by me not adjusting the white balance.
BTW - an upcoming story from me will concern white balance. Here's a teaser: do you know what white really is? It's actually not a dumb question.
