Night Shot

[Tzvi Friedman Veteran]

I was painting this kickass breakfront last night (that may may the first and last time I call a breakfront kickass), and I needed to take a picture of my work. (For those interested, the black details are achieved by coating the thing in a thin layer of black glaze and then wiping it down with a damp rag. It leaves the black in the crevices and highlights the detail. Pretty cool, imo).

This was at ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/6. Tweaked the WB in ViewNX. The only light was two incandescents shining directly from behind me and up a few feet. How would you improve on this or do it differently? (I don't have an external flash, tripod, or any accessories to get creative with, but a tripod would have been great).

[remus_lupin]

I was painting this kickass breakfront last night (that may may the first and last time I call a breakfront kickass), and I needed to take a picture of my work. (For those interested, the black details are achieved by coating the thing in a thin layer of black glaze and then wiping it down with a damp rag. It leaves the black in the crevices and highlights the detail. Pretty cool, imo).

This was at ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/6. Tweaked the WB in ViewNX. The only light was two incandescents shining directly from behind me and up a few feet. How would you improve on this or do it differently? (I don't have an external flash, tripod, or any accessories to get creative with, but a tripod would have been great).

Looks pretty good for ISO 1600!

Since you don't have a tripod, I would have tried to find something to set the camera on (although its tough to get the right angle)... then lowered ISO of course.

Other than that, I would have waited for it to have dried, then moved it off of the tarp it is sitting on and into a more secluded area with nothing around it (like the barbecue).

Unless of course you wanted to show that it was painted... then having the tarp underneath it is a good idea.

[Draconian Guppy]

Very interesting paint job ! Love the black thingy details!

The shot itself in the incandescent lighting goes well with the shade of yellow, lacks a bit of composition, though if you wanted to show that it was being painted then it's alright. Makeshift tripods are easy to make, just place it in a night stand, bench, etc. When shooting with a long shutter, you can used the timer to avoid camera shake caused by your hand, though for handheld that is pretty good at 1/6.

That's one interesting object, maybe move it to make it contrast with the grass (yellow + green), then perhaps add a subject in dark colors. etc.

[Tzvi Friedman Veteran]

Looks pretty good for ISO 1600!Since you don't have a tripod, I would have tried to find something to set the camera on (although its tough to get the right angle)... then lowered ISO of course.Other than that, I would have waited for it to have dried, then moved it off of the tarp it is sitting on and into a more secluded area with nothing around it (like the barbecue).Unless of course you wanted to show that it was painted... then having the tarp underneath it is a good idea.

Well, the backstory is that I'm a guy, and I don't typically paint things. This was my wife's project that she's been wanting to do for months. It was a salvaged old breakfront on a curb somewhere, and she wanted to redo it. I ended up doing the whole thing, so I wanted to show off my skillz. So, yes, I wanted to show the fact that I was painting it :D

Very interesting paint job ! Love the black thingy details!The shot itself in the incandescent lighting goes well with the shade of yellow, lacks a bit of composition, though if you wanted to show that it was being painted then it's alright. Makeshift tripods are easy to make, just place it in a night stand, bench, etc. When shooting with a long shutter, you can used the timer to avoid camera shake caused by your hand, though for handheld that is pretty good at 1/6.That's one interesting object, maybe move it to make it contrast with the grass (yellow + green), then perhaps add a subject in dark colors. etc.

If I could move it, I'd at least have the front facing the light. Unfortunately, this is a solid wood piece, and weighs probably close to 250 lbs. It's a tough carry even with two people.

I think the VR on the lens helped tremendously with the shutter speed. I don't recall being able to shoot that steady, so I'll point to the lens for that.

Since you're all so interested with the paint job, here's a closer detail of how the glaze goes on. It looks a lot better when dried, and it still needs a finish. I'll be sure to post photos of the finished product! (properly composed, of course).