Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.8G|f10| 1/125s| ISO 320| Nikon SB910 @1/4pwr camera left front bounced off white ceiling| Tripod
Category: Still Life
P52 35/52 Summer is…
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
…Fresh Chili Peppers!
He-Man picked up a variety of chili peppers at the Farmer’s Market to make his Salsa. This batch is packing some heat that sweetens as it cools, and it has a good after-taste. We snacked on chips & salsa, and chased it down with little bottles of Corona Extra with a lime slice on top which you can’t see. Actually this turned out to be my dinner that night. Miam, miam!
Nikon D700| AF-D Nikkor 85mm 1.4@ f5.6| 1/250sec| ISO 200| Manual Priority| Hand-held| SB910 camera left at 1/4pwr bounced off white ceiling 45degrees; triggered via SU-800
The Smokin’ Grill Cafe
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I based the title on the bit of smoke that was coming off the grill. I had to turn the Vent on high and open the sliding glass door. I thought our Smoke Alarm would go off, but it didn’t. 🙂
I grilled the chicken, and He-Man made the green salad. He makes the best salads. They’re always loaded with fresh veggies that he picks up at the Farmer’s Market. This one had Avocado, Cucumber, Orange, Yellow, and Red Bell Peppers, Red Onion, Tomatoes, and Radishes. There were so many good veggies there wasn’t much room for the lettuce! To top it off he tossed in some Parmesan Cheese. I sliced up a Grilled chicken breast tenderloin on top of my salad. I dressed it with a little Balsamic Vinegar. I’m stuffed!
Nikon D700| AF-D Nikkor 85mm f1.4D | Hand-held| SB910 camera right front high 1/32 pwr bounced off ceiling 45º
I’ve been photographing a lot of food lately which I’ll be sharing. I’m having fun, lighting, and learning to stage it, and I get to eat it when done taking the photo. 🙂
more to come…
You need to break some eggs to make an omelet
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
When Big Baby Boy comes home to visit I usually make him a big breakfast like I did when he was growing up.
He was home for the July 4th holiday week-end. (Independence Day in the USA). One of those mornings I made him a 2 egg plus 1 egg white omelet with some left-over hamburger patties that I’d made the night before, and some cheddar cheese for the filling. Juice, and a slice of sour-dough toast on the side completed this breakfast. Big Baby Boy is 6’2″ and has always been athletic, and has had a healthy appetite since his birth.
I made the rest of the family smaller versions of this. 🙂
Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.8G| Hand-held in natural light
“All you need is Faith, Trust, and little bit of Pixie Dust.”~Tinkerbell
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVE
Tinkerbell is one of my favorite Disney characters so, when I saw this T-shirt at the Disney store I couldn’t resist purchasing it.
It’s washed and ready to wear. I’ll be pairing it with my White House/Black Market jeans, polka dot open toe-kitten heels, Dior sunglasses, and simple jewelry that I bought on a trip to London in 2006. The watch is Malachite and Mother of Pearl, the ear-rings are malachite both are made by PastTimes.
I used my new SU-800 Wireless Remote Commander to trigger my Speedlights. It’s super easy to use and can control up to 3 lights. It’s also a lot more affordable than 3 Pocket Wizards would have been.
More to come…
Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.8G| SB910|SB600 |SU-800
Product Photography
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
As you may have noticed I’m working on improving my Product, Still-life, and Artificial Lighting photography skills. Developing this skill set has been quite the challenge.
Working with lights is a whole new animal to work with. You have to learn how create light. For me Landscapes are so much easier.
First there’s the composition to make…yes make! In nature I find them ready-made. It’s not always easy to set up more than one object so it is pleasing to the eye. All the rules of composition I learned in art classes are coming in handy when shooting still-life and product images. FYI- I didn’t do well in any art class I ever took but, the rules are proving themselves very valuable indeed with still-life photography! Then one must create the light that one sees in the mind’s eye. Let me tell you…it’s is easier seen in the mind than it is to create!
It took me months to get this composition just right:
I’m sure you’re thinking….what? Months? You’re kidding? Yes months! It just isn’t something that comes to me naturally. I wish it did.
I’ve continued to push myself and create still-life images, and to use my Speedlight, and continuous lights.
One of my recent images was a watch though not magazine worthy I’m happy with it:
My latest self-imposed challenge has been to photograph a wine bottle.
This has proved very hard to photograph. There are several problems to fix.
Here’s my first image of a wine bottle:
Problems with this image I need to fix: the hot spot which showed the light source: a Speedlight (SB910) with shoot through umbrella, (I cloned that out in this image), on the right side of the label there is light spill, the wine isn’t filled all the way up to the cork wrap, and it’s too close to the edge of the frame.
Those of you who are more knowledgeable with product photography may find other issues, but these are the issues that scream at me.
So, today I set up and re-took the shot. I moved my Speedlight with Shoot-Through Umbrella further away from the subject, then placed a black flag near the bottle to block the light from spilling onto the label, and I moved the bottle back an inch or two. Here’s that image:
I still have a hot spot, the flag worked pretty well as did moving the bottle back an inch or two. It’s not the image I hoped to create so I’ll keep working it. Perhaps, the third time will be the charm and I nail it. I am getting closer and that is progress!
Settings Nikon D700| AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4@ f8| 1/160sec|ISO 320| Manual Priority| Matrix Metering| Hand-held
Strobist- SB910 @ 1/2 power camera right through a shoot through umbrella, white foam core reflector subject left, and black flag subject right.
7/52 Hearts
Copyright © 2014 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
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