Good evolution from the last one, strong "old-master" feel to it IMHO.
@The Big Yin is the man for still life...
Close Chris, and thanks for the vote of confidence, though I've not been shooting much recently...
Gary,
I saw this shot come up, along with the previous one, but I hadn't had chance to reply until now...
first off, may I say I really like the photography aspect of this shot - by which I mean your choice of background, the "main prop" - the chalice is a wonderful peice - just enough reflectivity to pick up the other props, just little enough that it doesn't flare all over the place. The lightings good as well, well controlled and diffuse, but still strong enough to have some directionality and create some depth and shadow modelling. I particularly like the "streak" of verdegris on the chalice, leading the eye up/down between the two bunches of grapes.
Composition wise, the only thing I'm not 100% sure of, is being able to see a small section of the curve of the table on the bottom left hand side of frame in the "notch" of a fold in the fabric...
I guess I'd better get to what's slightly troubling me...
With ANY still life image, for me at least, for it to work, everything "on the table" or in the shot needs to have a purpose for being there. Otherwise it's just a random collection of pretty things that might make a good picture, and nothing more. Whereas a "still life" to me, is just that - a "still frame" from a story that tells the story on its own. Everything should have a purpose... why is the cloth on the table, why are the grapes in the chalice rather than on a platter or a fruitbowl. When Composing the shot, don't start with "what have I got to photograph, and how should I arrange it", start with "ok, I want the image to 'say' this, so how can I put that into images...."
The other thing that gives me a certain pause, is that, again, for me, depictions with chalices and grapes are pretty heavily tied into religious sacramental imagery... a large part of my brain was yelling "use the old curtain as a drape in the background maybe, but fill the space it left with a large rustic loaf that's been torn into - make it a full-on seasonal harvest festival kind of image".
But, as I said initially, I really do like the treatment of your shot, and I'd love to see more of this kind of thing on the forum - where the effort isn't just in taking a picture of something that exists already, but in MAKING a picture from nothing, bringing something to life that only existed in your head before now...
for making that effort, Chapeau sir
