John's Tools

nice job -- on this and all the images in your single images folder. You capture a feeling in each image that is highly expressive; nicely, the feelings vary from pic to pic. Also, I've gotta know -- did you use a soft-focus filter for this image? If so, which? If not, how did you get those glowing, spectral highlights?

On Marlene Dietrich, sure. On some crumpled silk, perhaps. But on a hand drill..?

 

I don't get this at all.

Ben,

It's not soft-focus, it's a split-diffusion. Marlene Dietrich was my first choice but she's still dead !

Soft focus, split diffuser... whatever it was that did it, it has left your drills looking like they're in a romantic dream sequence which, perhaps, another drill might like A LOT, but which the rest of us may find strange. BUt I won't wax on. Instead, three quick questions:

 

(i) Was this shot taken for work or pleasure..?

(ii) What is it a split diffuser (you KNEW I was going to ask that one)..?

And (iii) Do YOU like this shot..?

 

Many thanks, and sorry for being so BEASTLY.

 

Ben,

 

I'm just having a little fun with you. This is a strange approach to photgraphing hand tools. Not that there's anything wrong with that. #8^) Many years ago there was a photographer, I think his name was Bronstein, who had a page in The Black Book. His motto was "We can make anything look good" And he could. He had a beautifully lit scene with romantic light and generous layers of diffusion of a polyester Leisure Suit lying on a rumpled bed. It was stunning and quite silly, all at the same time.

 

This shot is of hand tools that belonged to my father-in-law who had recently passed away. Hw loved his tools so it's really sort of a tribute to him. This was photographed as a test using the Kodak ProBack Plus digital back. I was curious as to how the digital capture handled

diffusion.

 

Split diffusion is a lighting technique using strobes where a diffusion filter is held over the lens when one flash fires and removed when other flashes fire, using an open shutter. The result is sharp and diffused areas of focus in the photo.

 

It's hard to see in this low-res j-peg but the tones and interplay of sharp and diffused focus are really quite interesting.

 

I like it but then I'm a sucker for this type of thing. Don't hate these tools just because they're beautiful ! #8^)

 

 

 

 

As a tribute to someone who has passed on, it makes much more sense.

 

One can imagine the remembered DIY enthusiast on his cloud, with his trusty drills glowing in the toolbag beside him.

 

But now I am getting out of here because I have a feeling there may be a dead man laughing at our silly seriousness.

 

Thanks for bothering. And until the next time. ;o)

Very nice photo, it is strange how easy it is to look at. The other images in your folder are also very nice.

can you send me an e-mail with a high resolution photo? i would like to take a better look at it.

Who is John? And whats the big deal about this photo anyways?