Floating Object Photography – The Photographer On-line

Fun Day at White Sands National Park
by
Bob Coates

White Sands National Park is a beautiful location of gypsum flakes piled in mounds that undulate throughout the horizon. Making photographs there requires opening up your shutter at the very least one, perhaps two, stops above what you digicam tells you is the ‘proper’ publicity. Your digicam meter is definitely fooled on this white wonderland. White Sands is a little bit of an anomaly in that gypsum which is left behind when water evaporates normally will get washed out by rivers to the ocean because it simply dissolves in water. Enough of the geology lesson. Let me present you ways I created this picture utilizing my Neewer Technology crystal ball to show a floating object picture.

To get began, a low angle helps on this case and a Platypod eXtreme plate with a small Benro ball-head was simply the ticket. I positioned the crystal on the small crystal stand that comes with it. Photograph your complete scene. You’ll additionally have to deal with the crystal ball as properly. Note that you might want to focus contained in the ball and the topic will seem the other way up.

‘“Warning! Warning, Will Robinson!!!” Be conscious that the crystal WILL FOCUS THE SUN! Watch your arms if working in full solar as a result of you may get burned. Never depart the crystal uncovered close to a window at dwelling or in your automobile. It works as a magnifying glass and will begin a fireplace.

The background is photographed as a separate publicity. I depart loads of foreground for a composite reminiscent of this. After processing the ball picture, I extract it. Ensure that the extraction will work seamlessly in your closing picture by feathering the sides. Since the ball photograph is the other way up it’s rotated to a correct orientation.

Post-processing helps promote the thought of the floating ball. Watch the sides of the crystal as they replicate what they “see.” In this case, I needed to take away the blue of the mirrored sky and the brown of the sand after the rotation. In addition, a drop shadow was added.

One trick is to make use of Photoshop’s Drop Shadow within the fx menu to create the shadow. Then, go to the Layer Menu>Layer Style>Create Layer. This will put the drop shadow by itself layer, and it may be remodeled and manipulated for the correct look. Finally, use a Soft Light Layer and subtly paint within the shadow facet of the ball to extend the obvious roundness. Add or improve some specular highlights and you’re dwelling free.

Do all the above, and ‘Voila!’ the ball is floating within the scene.

Bob Coates is a Texas School teacher for 2026. His class focuses on Nature, Macro, Floral, Animal and Landscape Photography. Based in Sedona, Arizona together with his spouse and finest good friend, Holly, who makes it doable for Bob to focus on sharing his images information. See extra of Bob’s work and study his photographic workshops concentrating on the evening sky at successful-photographer.com, bcphotography.com and coatesart.net.

Check out Bob’s class on the Texas School of Professional Photography.