Day 7

This picture is something of an experiment. I am still learning how to use my Lens Baby Composer and working to capture something more dynamic. I figured I’d try to get both the growing ash stack and some of the smoke. Unfortunately the stack collapsed right after this.
About the setup
I used a simple navy blanket with a book tented to create the backdrop. I left the mug in there because I thought it might be interesting. In hindsight I’d have removed the mug and darkened the background a touch to make it black. I think I really need to pick up some black velvet to make nicer backgrounds.
I used my tripod for this shot, I set the camera on it’s side and took some shots. Following the directions for the Lens Baby, I went into Aperture Priority mode and ended up using the #4 Aperture ring. It gave the best overall look I thought.
The tricky part is understanding how the selective focus ends up distoring the shot around the “sweet spot.” I am slowly getting used to it but I need more work on understanding positioning. Luckily I can light up all the focus points on the camera to understand my placement a little better.
I do like how I was able to capture some of the smoke and the red of the hot part of the ash. I need to do more work to make it more dynamic regarding the smoke though. A black background would suit it better I imagine. Well I may revisit this idea in the future to see if I can do better. I am so out of practice.