More practice shots: white on white

I'm still learning how to use the new gear, working with different settings and configurations of camera, lens, and reflectors. I decided it would be simpler to practice on something that was not constantly getting in fights, or wandering off for a bite to eat, or just turning his back on me. Not a hermit nor a shrimp, in other words.

I chose, instead, an old sea urchin test, without its spines, and a sprig of dried everlasting flowers.

This first photo is as it came out of the camera; no processing at all, other than resizing for the blog.

Almost lace. And there are a few remnants of spines, after all.

For this next one, I changed the aperture and moved in closer. That produced some noise, which I partly removed in processing. Still, there was minimal work to be done; despeckling, cropping, resizing.

Close-up of urchin buttons and holes. I think they're where the spines were inserted.

And the everlasting; again, with minimal processing; removing a dust speck, resizing, sharpening.

White on white, with hints of pink.

I'm pleased. Depth of field is still something to work with; for example, on the urchin, every part that curves away from the camera is out of focus. And the lens definitely loves light. For these, I had the flash, a spotlight, general room lighting, a white sheet, whiter paper, and two big white reflectors (one is the lid of a big plastic bowl; what works, works.)

More practice shots tomorrow; something alive, again.

Something old

I have three small antique Chinese ginger jars, the everyday, cheap earthenware pots that were used in every home. They were found on Vancouver Island, buried in a garden, and are much the worse for wear. I use a couple of them to hold small tools and brushes that I use in the aquarium.

Today, I was looking more closely at the old glaze, and took a few close-up photos. Laurie says they look like fields of flowers.

Glassy crystals, pitting, and old earthenware showing through.

Almost like frost patterns.

The third pot holds some real flowers; dried pearly everlastings from a few years back. They seem to fit in with the pot design.

Pearly everlastings, Anaphalis margaritacea.

These grow by the roadsides in dry spots, and are dry and stiff even freshly picked. And they keep for years, as bright as the day they were picked. I always have a jar of them somewhere around the house.

The small whitish to yellowish flower grows in a corymb inflorescence. The inflorescence's most conspicuous part is the numerous white bracts that surround the actual flowers. (Wikipedia)