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View Full Version : Hannukah's last light

Mitchell
Dec-14-2007, 05:55 AM
Taken on the last night of Hannukah. I hope everyone here has a wonderful holiday season!

http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/photos/232077531-XL.jpg
urbanaries
Dec-14-2007, 06:01 AM
Taken on the last night of Hannukah. I hope everyone here has a wonderful holiday season!



Happy Hannukah! I love the desaturation effect, really lets the lights take center stage. Beautiful!
Angelo
Dec-14-2007, 06:34 AM
Taken on the last night of Hannukah. I hope everyone here has a wonderful holiday season!




Wonderful image and best wishes to you as well.


As one who has tried his hand at similar shots and failed I would be most interested in your settings for this shot if you don't mind sharing.
Elaine
Dec-14-2007, 07:29 AM
That's a beautiful shot! I like the processing, too! :clap
photobanks
Dec-14-2007, 07:39 AM
Very nice...
Icebear
Dec-14-2007, 10:43 AM
It's a beautiful image, and I know your emphasis was on the menorah, but I think you sacrificed the skin tones in favor of the flames. That being said, I think it's a powerful shot the children will treasure later in life.
DavidTO
Dec-14-2007, 10:51 AM
:clap
ChatKat
Dec-15-2007, 02:03 PM
I love the composition. Candle light is always beautiful, this has great meaning and as we who follow this forum can see, you have fabulous models to work with. Picture perfect...
Mitchell
Dec-15-2007, 02:27 PM
I love the composition. Candle light is always beautiful, this has great meaning and as we who follow this forum can see, you have fabulous models to work with. Picture perfect...

I'm so glad this image spoke to you in that way. It is certainly what I was trying to capture that night. We had a sermon earlier this week from our rabbi who spoke of the meaning of hannukah. It was truly the first battle for religious freedom. The fighting was not about greed or land. Simply the desire for the Jews to practice their own faith. This message really resonated with my children.

Thanks for looking!
Mitchell
Dec-18-2007, 08:23 PM
Wonderful image and best wishes to you as well.


As one who has tried his hand at similar shots and failed I would be most interested in your settings for this shot if you don't mind sharing.

Angelo,
I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner.

This was taken with a D2Xs and 28-70mm, f2.8 @45mm.

iso 400
f2.8
1/10

I didn't think too much about this shot. Just opened the lens up and took a few trying to catch one where the kids were not moving.

Hope this helps.
Ann McRae
Dec-18-2007, 08:38 PM
Mitchell

Really lovely shot! I hope it becomes a family treasure for you.

Seasons Greetings

ann
AaronNelson
Dec-18-2007, 09:04 PM
:thumb impressed me! and have a great holiday!
kdog
Dec-18-2007, 09:06 PM
Wow. Speechless. That's beautiful, Mitchell. :bow

-joel
gefillmore
Dec-19-2007, 07:16 AM
meant to comment on this earlier-

beautiful; meaningful-

and you have a lovely family-
phelpsjr
Dec-19-2007, 07:27 AM
Great shot!!!!
saurora
Dec-19-2007, 11:36 AM
Happy Hannukah! I love the desaturation effect, really lets the lights take center stage. Beautiful!

Getting the lights to take center stage (as Lynne said) with 3 such beautiful children is not easy! You did a magnificent job and this is a shot to be treasured. The face on your little one is precious! :thumb
gus
Dec-19-2007, 12:11 PM
Great light. Does the candle holder always have 9 candles ?
gefillmore
Dec-19-2007, 12:18 PM
Great light. Does the candle holder always have 9 candles ?

good question-

made me curious-

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm
DavidS
Dec-19-2007, 06:03 PM
That is an awesome picture. It goes way beyond the incredible light. I can't put my finger on it, but it really moves me.
Mitchell
Dec-21-2007, 04:07 AM
That is an awesome picture. It goes way beyond the incredible light. I can't put my finger on it, but it really moves me.

Thanks, David. I've heard this from others. So nice when a shot makes people feel this way.
Mitchell
Dec-21-2007, 04:09 AM
Great light. Does the candle holder always have 9 candles ?

Gus, the Hannukah menorah has a total of nine candles. 8 candles one more being lit each day for the total of 8 days of Hannukah. The taller candle (in the middle here) is the Shamash candle which is used to light the others.

Ok everyone, Hannukah's been over for a while now. Move along, there's nothing more to see here.:D
gubbs
Dec-21-2007, 05:54 AM
Lovely shot!
pathfinder
Dec-21-2007, 06:19 AM
I missed this earlier, Mitch.

Perfect! Light, comp, color, and skin tones!! Print this one large.
Awais Yaqub
Dec-21-2007, 10:37 AM
Amazing Photograph
Beautiful Cute kids :D
sara505
Dec-21-2007, 10:55 AM
Angelo,
I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner.

This was taken with a D2Xs and 28-70mm, f2.8 @45mm.

iso 400
f2.8
1/10

I didn't think too much about this shot. Just opened the lens up and took a few trying to catch one where the kids were not moving.

Hope this helps.

Yasher koach! Nicely done - you did not mention a tripod - amazing sharpness for such a slow shutter speed; also DOF is decent - a beautiful shot. How did you process this shot?
With appreciation from a fellow MOT and Photog.
Mitchell
Dec-21-2007, 11:56 AM
Yasher koach! Nicely done - you did not mention a tripod - amazing sharpness for such a slow shutter speed; also DOF is decent - a beautiful shot. How did you process this shot?
With appreciation from a fellow MOT and Photog.

Sara,
I neglected to indicate the tripod. I ABSOLUTELY recommend a tripod for this type of shot. I can't handhold at this speed and the DOF is so thin that I doubt I would get any keepers.

The processing was just a lark. I converted to sepia, but I didn't like the fact that I lost the colors of the candles. When I decreased the opacity of the sepia layer, this image materialized.

I have taken this shot every year for the past 3 years.
The first experiment was with my son 3 years ago.
http://www.clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/photos/49841230-L.jpg

My worst effort was last year when I missed the focus on my son with too narrow a DOF.
http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/photos/118362800-L.jpg

I hope you had a great holiday!
Jim89
Dec-21-2007, 01:11 PM
Amazing picture Mitchell. I don't know how or why but I noticed the reflection hasn't been changed to match your son's t-shirt, I thought someone else might have mentioned this already!

Excellent shot either way! :)
Mitchell
Dec-21-2007, 01:51 PM
Amazing picture Mitchell. I don't know how or why but I noticed the reflection hasn't been changed to match your son's t-shirt, I thought someone else might have mentioned this already!

Excellent shot either way! :)

Guilty as charged on the shirt. My son's idea of a festive, holiday shirt is his basketball practice shirt.:huh I cloned out his shirt, but never noticed the reflection. Very sloppy PP by me.:cry
Jim89
Dec-21-2007, 02:29 PM
Guilty as charged on the shirt. My son's idea of a festive, holiday shirt is his basketball practice shirt.:huh I cloned out his shirt, but never noticed the reflection. Very sloppy PP by me.:cry

Not at all, it's very often seen professional photoshoppers leaving out stuff (erasing belly buttons on models etc.) and you have done an excellent job with the shirt as I'm sure everyone who looked at the picture didn't see it and it takes a lot to make a photoshop manipulation as invisible as you have done.

Well done! :D
sara505
Dec-22-2007, 06:33 PM
Sara,

I hope you had a great holiday!

Yup - but I could go for just one more potato latke!
photocat
Dec-23-2007, 09:56 AM
Would the tripod mean the difference between noise or no noise?
I shot a posada yesterday, and had to crank up the ISO, I shoot with a Nikon D200, and needless to say, the grain was substantial.
How come I have noise and you don't?
(I am really interested in this, it is not a joke question)
Love the shot very much...
Mitchell
Dec-23-2007, 05:17 PM
Would the tripod mean the difference between noise or no noise?
I shot a posada yesterday, and had to crank up the ISO, I shoot with a Nikon D200, and needless to say, the grain was substantial.
How come I have noise and you don't?
(I am really interested in this, it is not a joke question)
Love the shot very much...

Complicated question. I think the tripod helps because you can then go down to slower shutterspeeds which allows you to keep the iso down to reasonable levels. Fast glass is also helpful.

I find the noise characteristics between my D200 and D2Xs to be very similar. I try not to go above iso 400 (like this shot). Make sure your photo is properly exposed. Underexposure will increase noise. Try to push you exposure compensation to the right.