Monday, January 18, 2010

Gift Basket

This is the picture that was giving me some grief. I tweaked it and removed most of the shadows. I think. I sometimes lighten pictures so much that the details get "washed away", so I wanted to make sure that didn't happen with this. With the first pic I took, the bananas lost almost all of the detail when I lightened it, so I had to go in and manually lighten only certain areas. I'm still not wild about it, but it's better than it was before, methinks :-/.


14 comments:

  1. It is very hard to look at the quality of your pictures when your work is so distracting. If you do not describe your work as a mini, there is no way anyone can tell, Kiva. Usually there's some tell-tale signs but I really can't see any. Even the ribbon is folded with such precision. Do you have very small hands and fingers, Kiva?

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  2. Awww, thanks Susan! Well, a compliment doesn't get any better than that! WOW!! Mom did the ribbon ;-). She does some of my fiddly stuff- jar labels (which drives her batty), baskets, crates, and stuff like that.

    Susan, my wing span is nearly six feet, I kid you not. I am like an orangutan. I KNEW I had unusually long arms, so I got mom to measure them from fingertip to fingertip, outspread. I have long fingers, too (I should have been a swimmer or piano player). This is why my mom calls me spider!

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  3. Oh! I know how it can drive you crazy trying to get a photo to come out right, especially after you've been looking at it so long you feel like you can't even tell anymore! I can see what you mean about the bananas being the lightest/brightest, but overall it looks great from here. The color and contrast and detail is very good. And it's another gorgeous mini!

    - Grace

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  4. I know this problem too Kiva. To take good photos from miniature settings is not easy and I agree with Grace, only the bananas are a bit to bright. Your gift basket is fantastic like all your works!!
    Hugs,
    Karin

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  5. Thank you Grace and Karin!! YES, Grace, it is the blasted bananas that have been driving me well....bananas!! Ok, I'm going to go back and lessen the brightness a bit more, because those puppies are like a beacon, shining in the (not so) night :-/

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  6. Also, is it just me, or do the bananas look a little pornographic, as in semi-erect?? I had a difficult time postioning them. Great, I made a gift basket of bright, semi erect penises. I am ready to jump off the balcony.

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  7. Fluorescent light does not cast the harsh shadows that incandescent and sunlight does. Diffusing filters over photo lights also reduce the shadows as do photo tents.

    I photograph under full spectrum fluorescent lights in the workshop, they have a 500k rating that matches sunlight. When I want shadows I use halogen lights or photo bulbs or I wait for a sunny day.

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  8. Karin, why did I already know that you have the full setup nailed ;-)?? I tweaked the pic so it's not as bright. I do have one of those little tent like contraptions but I don't have anywhere to set it up :-/. I think I will definitely get some fluorescent lights, though! Right now, I am taking pics right next to my laptop with six lamps, lol!! I need some hardcore lighting!

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  9. Hi Kiva, I have done a 'post' regarding the basket of lemons, pop by if you like & read the wonderful comments....
    Regards, Linda

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  10. Gracias, sweet Teresa!!

    Awww Linda!! I am going to go right now!!

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  11. QUICK! Show us your tatt!!!! Show me yours and I will show you mine! ;)

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  12. Susan, you little bugger! I KNEW you were hiding a tattoo somewhere ;-)! I really did. I have a bandage on my ankle. I am scheduled for a shoulder (back) piece on monday (a memorial to my daddy), but I kept looking at the butterfly on my ankle today and thought that I wanted it embellished somewhat, so I went in today and had some scrolly looking stuff put in the background. It turned out somewhat bigger than I had envisioned, but I like it! So, with the new one on monday, I will have five (I have some Chinese writing on my ankles and one on my left shoulder blade that we won't discuss). I am going to stop there...for now ;-). I will snap a pic of my two new pieces on monday or tuesday, but in the meantime, I want to see YOURS!! Show me!!

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  13. It looks great Kiva! I was just at Bead It on Waialae and a nice worker asked what I do and I showed her my sweets and she instantly asked if I knew about you and we couldn't stop talking about how wonderful your work is!

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