Pencil, photocopy paper & flash

• brendancullen

  Participant

  October 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm

  Taken 16 Oct 2011 in the kitchen.
  Canon 7D, 100mm macro & Metz 58 AF-2 flash
  1/250, f/8, ISO400, Flash on 1/8

  A tutorial from one of this months photo magazines.
  Click on image for large version.

  

  Thks for looking
  bren
  sndipo

  Member

  October 17, 2011 at 3:32 pm

  I like it, a lot! Were you “stabbing” the pencil on the paper while taking the picture or what? Looking forward seeing other versions of similar shots..maybe a few angles and more than one pencil..? Good stuff otherwise :)
  brendancullen

  Participant

  October 17, 2011 at 5:00 pm

  Thks sndipo – Thankfully i wasn’t having a ‘bad office day’.

  Simple technique used here.

  Broke the tip of the pencil and paired it again a few times till i had enough dust in a little pile.

  Got my exposure right for 1/250 with manual flash – then held the pencil in place to frame and focus the shot, started to shoot – and with a small puff – blew the dust across the tip. Did this a few times till i was happy – then masked a few xtra bits of dust into final image.
  I used a remote cord – and flash on a stand to my left. Dust was blown straight ahaed. I wanted to blow out the white paper – so checked exposure a few times before real shot.

  ciao
  bren
  sndipo

  Member

  October 18, 2011 at 12:11 am

  Thanks for the details. I wouldn’t have thought that you blew at it because the bits seem to be flying Away from the pencil, well done! :)
  beans1981

  Participant

  March 5, 2012 at 4:38 pm

  I agree, looks like the pencil fragments are coming out of the broken tip.. Until I read your explaination i wouldn’t have know you blew the bits across.. Nice photo in my opinion.
  OwenFranssen

  Participant

  April 9, 2012 at 9:09 pm

  Really cool. Blowing the dust was inspired.