A Balanced Breakfast

Its a great idea but I think the execution could be improved. At the moment it looks suspiciously like its a photoshop, for several reasons. No light on the edges of egg cup together with no background separation makes the egg appear to be spilling over the sides and as if it wad never actually in the cup. There is also something odd about the other eggs, slightly over clarity and a cut out look.
I do like the idea though and definitely interesting :)
 
Maybe over processed but the eggs were in the cup and were stacked. I can see what u mean though
 
I agree with @Yv, the lowest egg sits very awkwardly in the cup - it may just be the lack of definition on the edges of the cup but it does make it look like a poor photoshop. But there's also a distinct lean to the right - particular the egg at the top - which makes the whole image suggest tension rather than balance. Nice concept though.

Blown eggs and cyanoacrylate by any chance? ;)


(PS, you might want to proofread your website - lots of typos)
 
Will see if I can find original and post that with less processing. No egg reflection may just be the angle of the shot.
 
The mechanics of doing it are quite easy. The lighting is the hard bit. Background looks just too perfect.
Might have a go at this myself - we've got six real eggs in the fridge.
I've been looking all winter for realistic fake eggs with no luck.
Hope wifey doesn't want the eggs for an omelette!
 
Boil them 1st, so if you drop them, there's no mess!

I cant find the original RAW image (Im surprised that I haven't got it handy but it will be somewhere) but this was the original psd file with slight ps work to remove blemishes etc) after converting the RAW file - if you can zoom in to where the egg sits on the cup, you can see (at least I can anyway) that the egg is actually sitting in the cup. Its not an egg cup, I didn't have one sturdy enough. This is a spirit measure for drinks! The background is 'perfect' as I removed all blemishes in photoshop specifically the join where where backdrop meets tabletop. They are standing on a £5.00 ikea shiny black table and the background is another one. I use my ikea tables a lot for reflection images. The lean is done on purpose to make it looked more amazing that the eggs are actually 'balanced' and don't topple.

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Boil them 1st, so if you drop them, there's no mess!
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Yes!

I was going to do that then thread them onto string. Hold the string up and take a shot then take another shot with everything removed and merge the "perfect" background. Viola. I was going to do it in the kitchen with kitchen tiles etc. Removes the artificiality of a black background, and if the colour is not totally even then no-one can complain. A totally even black BG can look artificial with just one object in front of it.
I was going to stand them on black perspex, which is the same idea.

The PSD file looks more natural, but the bottom egg still looks "odd". Maybe that can't be helped.
 
It really isn't photoshopped onto the cup. The egg really is sitting there, with the others on top. No string was involved and no holes in the eggs. All I did was remove blemishes, smarten up the reflection (lightening it up to make it stand out more), adjust curves, highlights etc. In the one I originally posted here, I had got a little carried away with saturation and sharpening I think and it was before i calibrated my monitor too.

Mickledore, Im looking forward to the results of your attempt. maybe a mini 'can you try this' thread to see other attempts.
 
A great idea, but I'm really perplexed as to

will not disclose to anyone how I did this
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Any particular reason why?

Anyway, I prefer the second posted version, looks much more natural in terms of colour :)
 
DigiDiva said:
It really isn't photoshopped onto the cup. The egg really is sitting there, with the others on top. No string was involved and no holes in the eggs. All I did was remove blemishes, smarten up the reflection (lightening it up to make it stand out more), adjust curves, highlights etc. In the one I originally posted here, I had got a little carried away with saturation and sharpening I think and it was before i calibrated my monitor too.

Mickledore, Im looking forward to the results of your attempt. maybe a mini 'can you try this' thread to see other attempts.
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Hi, not done it yet - maybe tomorrow. Here's one I've done today. As is the norm I won't say how I did it!!!




Omelette anyone? by Frank Yates2010, on Flickr
 
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Haha - go Mickledore - Very clever. Is it only one image (as was mine) or more than one combined?

The reason Im not saying how I did it is similar to the reasons why restaurants have secret recipes. It's an image I am selling as a limited edition print and as such, the secret stays with me. No offence intended.
 
DigiDiva said:
Haha - go Mickledore - Very clever. Is it only one image (as was mine) or more than one combined?

The reason Im not saying how I did it is similar to the reasons why restaurants have secret recipes. It's an image I am selling as a limited edition print and as such, the secret stays with me. No offence intended.
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Not sure you can ask that seeing as you don't wish to divulge.. good job 99% of members are only to happy to share and to help and teach others
 
DigiDiva said:
Haha - go Mickledore - Very clever. Is it only one image (as was mine) or more than one combined?

The reason Im not saying how I did it is similar to the reasons why restaurants have secret recipes. It's an image I am selling as a limited edition print and as such, the secret stays with me. No offence intended.
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Well if you has read the description on Flickr you would see that not only was it one shot but that it was a only and only take. Right first time - makes life a lot simpler that way. Then you a bit of tidying up and a crop. All finished before coffee time.

I'll strike a deal with you......you say how you did yours and I'll say how I did mine.
 
Really clever idea, I think it'd be cool to do a series using different food or objects, same background, different arrangement. Could be really cool :)
 
Surley it couldn't be too hard to work out how this is done . I never tried anything like this and have no interest to do so but I'd put a hole on the eggs to drain them and use a drop of superglue .... Am I close ?

BTW I think the unedited version is better. The 1st looks extremely fake and I hate to see the chicken that laid them tangoed eggs
 
mickledore said:
Well if you has read the description on Flickr you would see that not only was it one shot but that it was a only and only take. Right first time - makes life a lot simpler that way. Then you a bit of tidying up and a crop. All finished before coffee time.

I'll strike a deal with you......you say how you did yours and I'll say how I did mine.
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Sorry, I don't use flickr
 
No super glue, the eggshells aren't empty.

This was only a fun image, not a serious 'photograph', just a piece of modern wall art. I appreciate all your comments however.
Sydney said:
Really clever idea, I think it'd be cool to do a series using different food or objects, same background, different arrangement. Could be really cool :)
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An excellent idea, yes.
 
Jayst84 said:
Was it the same way everyone else does those shots?

Clever little shot, but photographically it could be improved with much more interesting lighting. A 'better' composition, subjective I know, wouldn't hurt either. Nor would more careful processing.
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I have never seen another shot like mine so'how everyone does those shots' I can't comment. This was my idea and my composition. As I have said above, the image was not taken as a serious 'photograph' but it was taken as a serious modern piece of wall art for my website (and I have sold a few so far as limited edition prints).

Thanks for your comments, I agree it is a clever little shot.
 
Cg_Girl said:
Not sure you can ask that seeing as you don't wish to divulge.. good job 99% of members are only to happy to share and to help and teach others
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I'm very new here, but belong to other forums too, where I have posted lots of images, describing how I did the shot. If you read my profile, I'm here to learn and to help others however, with this specific image, which I have done to sell as a piece of limited edition wall art, I don't want t disclose how I did the clever little balance trick. I'm sorry if this has offended you.

In hundreds of thousands of posts across the web in photo forums, I have never refused to help anyone. I am not refusing to help anyone here either, just not willing to disclose one particular aspect of my image, the way I balanced the eggs.
 
DigiDiva said:
Sorry, I don't use flickr
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You don't have to. Just click on the photo and it will take you there.

Not being argumentative, but the shot isn't a million miles from the sliced banana shots that were all the rage a while back. Interesting to do, but that's about all.
 
Here you are. The banana shot. Arguably more interest than the stacked eggs, but never going to be a world beater. Will try the eggs this afternoon - hopefully!


IMG_0236reverse by mickledore on Talk Photography
 
-Rob- said:
My guess would be that the eggs aren't stacked at all, they are on a flat surface and shot from above.
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Yes my thought too. Incidentally my non photographic SWMBO has just looked at the stack and said "That's photoshopped"
 
Hard boiled and a wooden kebab skewer :p

SOOC looks better to me :)
 
The only photoshopping is, as explained, to perfect blemished, curves etc.

Not everyones cup of tea I understand, but can't the same be said about any photograph?
mickledore said:
Here you are. The banana shot. Arguably more interest than the stacked eggs, but never going to be a world beater. Will try the eggs this afternoon - hopefully!


IMG_0236reverse by mickledore on Talk Photography
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Haha. Looks very phalic!
 
OK. I've had a play. My personal opinion is that the original image looks totally false. Gravity alone will cause the eggs to fall down so there is obviously some structure holding them in place. The background is so completely blacked out that the suspicion must be that this is to hide the structure/system. The bottom egg still looks false though I will accept that this is as it was.

So I've had a play. Can't say I was impressed. I got 5 eggs on top of one another, just about perfectly upright. Decent-ish background. But...it still looked like a scale model of my penis - I was only using 5 eggs, not the full dozen!!! Nothing in the picture that shouts "look at me". Not really a keeper.

So then I started playing around and came up with these two:-


IMG_5640 by mickledore on Talk Photography


IMG_5640_1 by mickledore on Talk Photography

The first is virtually straight out of camera. No boiled eggs, no hidden support and the bare minimum of processing. Just enough to convert from RAW to JPEG. It's OK. Nothing more.

The second is obviously manipulated. It too is OK in a quirky way. Nothing more.

It's difficult to do a lot with smooth, regular inanimate objects that need some form of support to hold them in any position.

Wish I had a market for limited edition prints. Out of curiosity what sort of prices do prints of the eggs go for?

Think that's me finished with eggs for this winter. It's no yolk strying to get them to stay still!
 
To be honest, the method is pretty irrelevant, there are several ways this could be accomplished in a single shot by someone patient enough to do so using several different methods of support and balance to achieve the same effect, with more or less photoshopping to finish it off and I think most of us could work out enough to get clever with a preferred method, which may or may not include glue, salt, skewers, nylon thread, etc etc. Personally I prefer to eat my eggs :D However, the repost is definitely better than the original though I still think some background separation would improve it no end, and I very much like @mickledore's domino picture, but hey, use it as a challenge, go and see if you can produce better ;)
 
I did this one about a year ago, eggs balance really well on cutlery. Annoying patch of slightly darker white on the background, which was a shadow on the curved background, removed in print file & forgot on web one.
This one is just simple, converted to mono to remove any colour from forks & then egg left natural colour & enhanced to bring out the speckles.

20th-March-2013 by Sarah Brooke, on Flickr
 
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whipspeed said:
I did this one about a year ago, eggs balance really well on cutlery. Annoying patch of slightly darker white on the background, which was a shadow on the curved background, removed in print file & forgot on web one.
This one is just simple, converted to mono to remove any colour from forks & then egg left natural colour & enhanced to bring out the speckles.

20th-March-2013 by Sarah Brooke, on Flickr
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eggcellent shot!
 
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