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View Full Version : Weekly Assignment #80: Dust To Dust


Nikolai
May-29-2008, 11:40 AM
I'm sure plenty of you saw the pictures from the famous Antelope Canyon and alike:

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/109877100_L9ZKY-M.jpg

What you may not necessarily know is that it's not how you see it with your own eyes when you enter the slot. The Navajo guides make it happen by throwing the sand into the air. Sand is extremely fine there (cover your cameras!!!), so it stays up for a few seconds. Since rather long (10 sec and longer) exposures are normally used you can't actually see the dust particles but rather magnificent god-like sun beams..

This assignment is all about recreating the same effect. I'm not suggesting booking a trip to Page, AZ, but simply trying to achieve the same visual effect. All you need is a relatively dark environment, relatively bright light source, a gobo (opaque screen) with one or more holes in it - and some dust to provide the desired mid-air-diffusion. Naturally you will also need an ability to have several second exposure in your camera, as well as the way to position it steadily for this multi-second capture.

You can use a large variety of the beauty products to get the fine dust (powder). In any case please observe the safety rules: wear goggles, breathing mask and cover your gear.

Fresh pictures only. Moderate post-processing (but you will have to use curves almost for sure).

Your entry should contain of:
1) project description
2) inline exif info - links are fine, but please include basic exif data - not ALL of it - it into the post, too
3) setup shot
4) SOOC image
5) final image

Multiple entries are ok provided they come from different setups.

Let's get dusty!

davidweaver
May-29-2008, 10:02 PM
LMAO!!!!

I've shot there and in upper antelope as well as Canyon X. The dust is like talcum powder and eventually cost me 250 bucks getting my 10.5mm DX cleaned by Nikon.

Ahhh...the prices we will pay to be a photog. LOL

Some other suggestions include using water or mist to help with this effect.

By all means don't subject your gear to abusive environmental conditions unless you're working on a special shot.

Here is a shot that isn't new and hence doesn't comply with the rules.
http://images.weaver.net/photos/179290137_dD8wH-L-2.jpg

Good luck to all!

Nikolai
May-29-2008, 10:26 PM
LMAO!!!!

I've shot there and in upper antelope as well as Canyon X. The dust is like talcum powder and eventually cost me 250 bucks getting my 10.5mm DX cleaned by Nikon.

Ahhh...the prices we will pay to be a photog. LOL

Some other suggestions include using water or mist to help with this effect.

By all means don't subject your gear to abusive environmental conditions unless you're working on a special shot.

Good luck to all!

Sorry about your 10.5. Yeah that place is *dusty*!
Good suggestion about the water mist (it may be hard to procure though). And of course, some smoke or vapor can do, too (just remember Surgeon General's warning about the tobacco products;-)

davidweaver
May-29-2008, 10:39 PM
Sorry about your 10.5. Yeah that place is *dusty*!
Good suggestion about the water mist (it may be hard to procure though). And of course, some smoke or vapor can do, too (just remember Surgeon General's warning about the tobacco products;-)

I'm thinking along the lines of a hot shower or very hot water at the sink for my shot on this assignment. It would make for a cool nude shot too...something I don't often do. I also think about my Braun coffee maker and the steam it puts off when ending a cycle.

Getting a few seconds of this is important. The assignment also reminds me of the shots of waves breaking on shore that are shot at 10-30 second exposures.


More ideas for y'all !!!!

Bungee
Jun-02-2008, 01:01 AM
Hi everybody. Here's my entry for this week's assignment.
I'm new to this forum, so I hope I'm doing it right.

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi
- EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM
- Tripod
- 1 x 330W head with silver umbrella
- 1 x 150W head with snoot and honeycomb

Setup:

300W head to the left at level with subject.
150W head behind and slightly below subject aimed at steam.

Shot at:

ISO 100
f14
Tv 20 sec
70mm

Post processing:
Contrast
Black & white curve adjustment
amped sharpness on steam

Cheers!

Juan

Nikolai
Jun-02-2008, 08:16 AM
Hi everybody. Here's my entry for this week's assignment.
I'm new to this forum, so I hope I'm doing it right.

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi
- EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM
- Tripod
- 1 x 330W head with silver umbrella
- 1 x 150W head with snoot and honeycomb

Setup:

300W head to the left at level with subject.
150W head behind and slightly below subject aimed at steam.

Shot at:

ISO 100
f14
Tv 20 sec
70mm

Post processing:
Contrast
Black & white curve adjustment
amped sharpness on steam

Cheers!

Juan
Hi Juan, welcome to the Class!

This is only a partial entry IMHO. Project description and setup shot are alright, but we need the beams, too, that was the main goal of this exercise...

Bungee
Jun-02-2008, 11:33 AM
Hi Juan, welcome to the Class!

This is only a partial entry IMHO. Project description and setup shot are alright, but we need the beams, too, that was the main goal of this exercise...

Thanks Nikolai. Will re-post a "beams" shot.

Juan