Ten Seconds: The Chef

[Manta]

One of the ideas I had for the Ten-Second Exposure Challenge. Similar to Heath Bennett’s “Sequential Trickery”, I discarded it because of the harsh flash reflections, particularly in the fridge door. The chef is my 14 yr-old daughter and the end result was a very nice vegetarian curry!

Your comments are welcome.
Click for full size image

[Killakoala]

Cool, works well. Vego curry goes well too.

[paulvdb1]

I reckon with a hand held flash and maybe 3-4 flashes that would've worked well.

She seems quite photogenic so it's a shame that she's not particularly visible in the shot - not being a serious photographer my wild guess is maybe better aiming of the flash so that the kitchen had less light and your daughter more light.

[Jamie]

I like it and a great idea.

Like you said, its a real pitty about the reflections though.

[stubbsy]

Simon

Nice concept and this works much better than many of these shots since it has a distinct story to it. I preferred the one you ended up submitting better, but this is bloody goos too.

[Manta]

Hey thanks guys. I appreciate your comments and the thoughts behind them.

I actually did use my SB800, handheld, and flashed my daughter twice in each of the positions. We started with three positions but ten seconds was too short a time for her to get in position and hold steady before each flash! So, in the end, we settled for just the two poses.

My wife and I took the meal to a friend's "Curry Night" that evening and Ashleigh's Vege job was the stand out favourite. I'm a spoilt Dad...

[mic]

Yes, well done Manta, tells a good story.

Something you would see in a magazine.

Very professional.

Mic

[MHD]

Yeah... that is what I was thinking.. looks like it is out of a magazine.. well done!

those flash reflections do detract a bit... perhaps opening the oven may help

[Manta]

Thanks Mic and Scott.

I'll keep this concept up my sleeve for future experiments as it turned out better than I expected. I didn't get the crispness that Heath got in his Challenge entry but that may have been due to a lot of extraneous light entering the equation. I was using an ND8 filter to try and cut down as much as possible but it was still a difficult exposure task.

I finally got around to ordering a 50mm1.4 from Birdy and it should arrive on Tuesday, so it will be good to see how this sort of image goes with that particular glass.

Cheers.

[Heath Bennett]

Thanks Mic and Scott.

I'll keep this concept up my sleeve for future experiments as it turned out better than I expected. I didn't get the crispness that Heath got in his Challenge entry but that may have been due to a lot of extraneous light entering the equation. I was using an ND8 filter to try and cut down as much as possible but it was still a difficult exposure task.

I finally got around to ordering a 50mm1.4 from Birdy and it should arrive on Tuesday, so it will be good to see how this sort of image goes with that particular glass.

Cheers.

It is quite a difficult trick isn't it. I stuggled because it was raining at the time so I only got a few attempts between downpours.

I really like the story element your shot has. Thanks for the kudos, I appreciate it. BTW your model looks fantastic! I expect more posts of her!

[Manta]

Thanks Heath. Neither of my girls is particularly shy when it comes to standing in front of a camera and Ashleigh, being a dancer, loves any sort of attention.

<a href=http://www.bcggallery.com/albums/manta_faces/Ash.sized.jpg>Here's</a> a more formal shot of her just prior to a dance eisteddfod. With the make-up on, I have to keep reminding myself she's only 14. (PS - You will have noticed I've got a lot to learn about portrait work! )

[Heath Bennett]

Thanks Heath. Neither of my girls is particularly shy when it comes to standing in front of a camera and Ashleigh, being a dancer, loves any sort of attention.

<a href=http://www.bcggallery.com/albums/manta_faces/Ash.sized.jpg>Here's</a> a more formal shot of her just prior to a dance eisteddfod. With the make-up on, I have to keep reminding myself she's only 14. (PS - You will have noticed I've got a lot to learn about portrait work! )

Thanks Manta. The portrait shot is great. Portraiture is tough, isn't it?

[Manta]

It's made a lot easier when you've got fellow forum members with umbrellas, reflectors, backdrops, extra SB800s and 600s!!

This one was just shot in my lounge room with one SB800, whereas <a href=http://www.bcggallery.com/albums/manta_faces/Anna_1.jpg>this one</a>, a friend's niece, was done with the whole box and dice.

But I digress...