Photo365 - 5 - Glass and a blind

Pete

Photography and music are my two passions. I edited photography magazines for around 20 years and launched the UK's first digital imaging magazine. I founded ePHOTOzine and was owner / publisher until 2013. The photos in my portfolio are ones I like from shoots I do in any spare time I have.

Profile

Like 0

Photo365 - 5 - Glass and a blind

5 Jan 2011 6:11PM Views : 9412 Unique : 834

Today I took a trip down memory lane and photographed objects against a Venetian blind. The last time I did this seriously was back in the 80s in a terraced house I lived in. I shot them on Hassleblad and they were some of may favourite shots. So today I recreated that experience using a modern digital SLR and a 100mm macro lens.

If you draw the blinds closed and just allow a small amount of light through you get a great set of patterns reflected on the glass. Also the backlighting gives a rim effect so all sorts of shapes start to appear. It works well with wine bottles too.

I wish the right hand bottle had a similar base to the left. I could clone it, but this project is about the photographic experience not the post processing.

It's a good test of the lens too. You can check for evenness of exposure into the corners (good), fringing (this one had a small amount of blue towards the edges) and distortion (this one is bang on).

Tags: Backlit Red Glass Bottles Venetian blinds

Comments

Glynn 17 1.2k 1

5 Jan 2011 9:51PM

Like 0

The house is still there Pete as is your eye for detail

Pete 21 18.8k 97

5 Jan 2011 10:12PM

Like 0

yes I saw it the other day Glynn, had some great times there...nip over the wall for a game of tennis in the park. My attic was a huge darkroom. Loads of room for an MPP 54 enlarger, Jobo CPE2 processor, Kodak drum glazer (nearly killed me getting up into the room) Kennet dry mounting press and an Amstrad word processor. I spent many a happy hour locked away in the roof!

conrad 18 10.9k 116

6 Jan 2011 9:27AM

Like 0

Great idea, and one that I've been entertaining myself now that I live in an apartment with blinds. This gives me a few ideas for things that I should take into account when I take the shots I have in mind.

Paul Morgan 21 19.7k 6

26 Jan 2011 8:51PM

Like 0

Quote:If you draw the blinds closed and just allow a small amount of light through you get a great set of patterns reflected on the glass. Also the backlighting gives a rim effect so all sorts of shapes start to appear. It works well with wine bottles too.

Blinds are so versitile Pete, I picked up three 5` blinds. One white, One Black plus a metalic silver Venetian blind.

I attached all three to a plank of wood, and drilled a whole at each end to support on stands. The silver venetian blind has been the most versatile, used closed it makes for a very good large reflector.

Quote:If you draw the blinds closed and just allow a small amount of light through you get a great set of patterns reflected on the glass

Looks great reflected into eyes as well Pete, by placing the Venetian blind a few feet in front of a sitter and firing a flash or strobe through it.