the words that drive us apart...

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new post old photo

He who rejects change is the architect of decay

something old...

...Венета не харесва, затова я пускам за да е ясно, че няма да я ползваме и дано da тръгне работата :)



still life with a glass full of paralax

This is a one-hour DIY photography project that I did on a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen or otherwise said a guide to how to photograph a floating eggshell.

The Photo
This is what I got at the end:



The Gear
Well, "gear" is a strong word to use for what is needed for this or should I say for what I found in the kitchen to use. Anyway here is the list:

1) six eggs - well you really need one for the photo but five back-ups is always good when it comes to eggs especially if you are the I-will-not-give-up-on-this type of person.
2) couple of toothpicks - sharpened both ends, you shouldn't have to be paying any attention to a toothpick end when it comes to serious stuff like photography, but for the hardcore DIY junkies any type of toothpicks will work.
3) a push pin - the color of the head will not affect the final image.
4) raisins aka dried grapes - not the softest type will work better. Sort of grapes is not of any concern.
5) a light source - now on this bit you can go really wild but I used the fluorescent light above the kitchen sink.
6) a digital camera - film unfortunately will not work for this.
7) Image editing skills - now that bit requires the most time nowadays. For this project in particular spot healing and toothpicks removal skills are needed.
8) a hammer - it is a must on any home build project no matter if you end up using it or not. It is the only satisfactor if something is really not working out as intended.
9) refreshments - needed for obvious reasons.

The Build
Handling an egg is a serious business no matter the reason but fortunately here all you need to do is break one. Do NOT use the hammer! Crack it like you'd do it for an omlet trying to preserve the two halves as much as you can. Avoid too many small pieces if possible. Get the egg into a cup and concentrate on the eggshell. Wash it first. Remove the small broken pieces. You will notice there is thin slimy layer on the inside - do not peel it off as it will keep the shell stronger. Try not to use white white egg as this may lead to blown out parts of the image with no detail later on.

Now you need to punch holes in the shell - one hole for each half. Get the push pin and put the egg shell on a cutting board or table top. From the inside out punch the holes with the push pin. Try rotating the pin as you push otherwise you might crack the whole thing. At this point you should have two halves of an eggshell with holes in them, hoping your wife is not going to think you have completely lost it if she walks into the room this very moment.

Get the first toothpick and squeeze it through the hole. The hole will not be big enough so rotating again will prevent cracking. Eggshell freely moves along the toothpick now but we have to have it stuck in position and this is where I lost hope. Initially I thought chewed chewing gum will do the work but I couldn't find any in the kitchen. I was half way through my weekly photography time already and couldn't go out buying chewing gum... but then... Then I found a bag of raising in a drawer and they worked a miracle. Stick a couple on the toothpick both on the inside of the shell and on the outside and it is now firmly holding the toothpick in position. Do the same with the other half of the shell.

The next roadblock was the lack of helping hand as my wife and son were taking an afternoon nap. How does one hold two toothpicks and aligns the eggshells vertically with one hand while shooting the picture with the other? I gave up and decided that it will be a composite of two images after all. Make sure when you shoot that the distance from camera is the same and pay attention to cracked edges of the shell to get the most out of the lighting and the pattern of the crack.

The Raw Material
Shoot plenty so you can have wider choice later. I picked the below two:




The After-shoot
Well Photoshop is an amazing image editing tool and combining two images is not that hard after all so I will not get into detail on this bit but I will mention that this is the moment when you sit down and crack open the refreshments mentioned earlier. :)

Areas of improvement and last notes
No matter how you end up holding up the eggshell (needle and thread maybe also an option for that part) or if you do it as a single image or composite what really opens this for artistry is the lighting. Try lighting it from below, both sides, above.. even holding the shell on the side and getting light through a hole in the bottom half will be magical. Get creative. That's what DIY photography is all about, isn't it?

...and don't forget to share what you got! :)

I am only one color, but not only one size,
I am stuck on the ground yet I easily fly.
I am present in the sun but not in the rain,
I am doing no harm and feeling no pain.

What a wonderful afternoon for some still life photography. More to be uploaded soon.
On a side note I am about to dive into photo duel "Riddles" with sir Kevin Pointer. I can't wait to see the first one.

I have a Holga roll and another one from yesterday shot with the Lubitel that I am yet to drop off for developing. This is the part I hate most. Not being able to develop myself. Blah. Anyway I am looking forward to seeing the results as I have not shot with those two cameras for awhile. Maya was the digital photographer yesterday and I am so very proud to see her enjoy it and think out the shots. Here are a couple done by her - Martin and The Tree



Today I opened up an old back up CD and saw this picture of a chair that it turns out I took three years ago on June 17th. It was one of two in a diptych titled "how to disappear completely". It got me thinking about all the things that have happened since then...



...and yet it is only a bloody picture of a chair.

I certainly have a thing about black and white photographs of flowers. The way form is examined beyond the excitement of color can get me to stare at such images for the longest time. I also love taking flower shots although I do it rarely. I guess it has to be the right flower... and today it was. It is our new Moth Orchid, my newest model.