Masthead header

Tag Archives: wood

five.

Short one for today!

Ah, the wonders of off-camera flash. Ah, the beauty of well-crafted wood. Two things that are wonderful to behold when done properly, two things that are fun to learn about. Ok, so I don’t intend on becoming a carpenter or a luthier, but still – how cool to see something as “ordinary” as a tree (though beautiful as it is) get crafted into another kind of beauty.

v
v

The problem with photographing these nice instruments, however, is high-gloss finish. That’s where an off-center soft light saves the day. If not for this, all you’d be looking at is a white glare. And with Koa (the type of wood pictured), half of the beauty is revealing the almost 3D grain present in certain angles of light.

[Koa is a type of Acacia tree that grows only in Hawaii – do we need any more reasons to love the islands?? Of course, because it is scarce and grows in just one place, there’s a great need to preserve and minimize consumption.]

Interested in replicating this kind of lighting for instruments or whatever? I can’t recommend checking out strobist.com enough. It is one of the most learning-friendly photography blogs/communities out there and will revolutionize the way you light photos. Cheers!

View full post »