Blanton’s Bourbon Letter B Stopper (click to enlarge)
Eadweard Muybridge took a set of famous images proving that all four feet of a horse were off the ground at the same time while trotting. Those who drink bourbon might be aware that the stoppers on Blanton’s bourbon bottles feature a small galloping horse. The image above shows one such stopper. Note the letter “B” in a circle under the left-most hoof. Blanton’s uses a series of stoppers with different letters to spell their name, each with the horse in a different pose. Having collected a complete set of stoppers to spell out Blanton’s, I thought it would be a nice project to recreate Muybridge’s horse in motion with Blanton’s bottle stoppers.
The first step was to shot each of the stoppers. I knew I was going to cut the stopper out of each image and then combine them into one long image. To help in cutting the stopper out of the image, I used pins to lift the stopper above the background material. I originally used blue material for my background. After taking a few test images I noticed a blue cast to the stopper. I changed to the gray background which seemed to get rid of any noticeable color casting.
I lit the stopper using an Adorama Photo Studio In-A-Box. I started out using the lights that came with the box, but could not get the lighting right. Instead, I opened the top of the studio in-a-box and used my Smith-Victor Thrifty Lighting Kit. I used one light with an umbrella above and to the right of the stopper, and another light with umbrella down and to the left of the stopper. I positioned my camera, with a 90mm macro lens, between the two light stands.
I made all images with my camera tethered to my Mac using Lightroom 3.0. This is an great way to look at your images immediately and make changes to your set-ups between exposures. It also has the advantage of not having to move the camera between images to download the memory card. Finally, you can also control the shutter release from your computer which is just plain cool.
San Francisco – Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Another vacation poster full of memories. Farmers markets have great image potential. The varied shapes and colors create lots of patterns that provide interesting images. Next time you go to a farmer’s market, be sure to capture the colored signs that the venders display in their area. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco has great signs. The colors and designs beg for attention. I spent quite a while photographing signs while the rest of the group was sampling their way around the market. This is a site not to be missed when you visit San Francisco.
Location: N37 47 44.84 W122 23 36.20
Alessandro Dari – Artisan (click to enlarge)
Sometimes you just miss the shot. My wife bought a ring in Florence, Italy, at the shop of Alessandro Dari. She picked out a Venetian Wedding Ring which was slightly large. Allesandro offered to size the ring as we waited. I asked Alessandro if I could take a few pictures which he said was okay.
I was shooting through an opening between the showroom and his work area, hand holding the camera in the dim lighting, trying not to put too much weight on the glass display case under my elbows. The slow shutter speed introduced blurring, and his work light resulted in that blown out area. The work light also put a lot of glare on the ring he is holding on his finger. That ring was meant to be the focus of the image, with his tools softly blurred in the background. No way to rescue this image in post-processing.
However, my wife loves the ring and this is one of her favorite snapshots of the entire vacation.
You must visit Alessandro’s website, absolutely fantastic work. If you get to Florence, go visit. You can get a beautiful piece of jewelry for a reasonable price. Much better than any shop on the Ponte Vecchio. Finding his shop was a happy accident as we wandered upon it while walking to another destination.
Location: Via San Niccolo, 115R 50125, Firenze, Italy
