Hermetospheres

Experiences with plant life in closed glass containers

,

In the studio

I was asked for more detail about the way I take the photographs of my hermetospheres in addition to the basics provided earlier, so here it is. 

Can permanent light be used as main light instead of a camera flash, and does this make a difference for the result? Make your own judgement: You can find an example of both below. On the left hand side the main light comes from a camera flash placed directly on the cover of the jar, on the right hand side it is a LED hand light. As the hand light produces far less illuminance per unit area (lux) than the camera flash, it was necessary to increase the exposure by 6 EV. This does not matter, because the camera is placed on a tripod. In both pictures, the back light comes from a flashlight with soft box. I am sure it could be replaced by a permanent video light if electricity consumption is not an issue or if video production is required. With two different light sources (LED hand lamp combined with flashlight as can be seen on the right), white balancing can become tricky.

Container of 5 litres inspired by the flora of Costa Rica recently established, photographed with camera flash as main light source (Godox TT685, 20mm, 1/64); 1/250 sek, f 11.
Container of 5 litres inspired by the flora of Costa Rica recently established, photographed with camera flash as main light source (Godox TT685, 20mm, 1/64); 1/250 sek, f 11.
Container of 5 litres inspired by the flora of Costa Rica recently established, photographed with hand lamp as main light source (NiteCore EA41 Pioneer with diffusor cap), 1/8 sek, f 8.0.
Container of 5 litres inspired by the flora of Costa Rica recently established, photographed with hand lamp as main light source (NiteCore EA41 Pioneer with diffusor cap), 1/8 sek, f 8.0.

The dark background is made of a strip, 40 cm large, of black semi-cardboard (300g/m²). The same material has been used to cover two styrofoam blocks in order to have two self-made light absorbers available. The entire simple studio setup can be seen below.

Studio setting for hermetosphere photography.
Studio setting for hermetosphere photography.

One response to “In the studio”

Leave a reply to Macro lens for micro plants – Hermetospheres Cancel reply