SLB-TeapotandCandles

Shooting reflective surfaces is not really the place to begin... I used

these materials for my second ever shooting session....

suggestions/critiques/recommendations greatly appreciated.

I suggest you to make another version Sandra, with lit candles and shiny steaming teapot and a cup of tea! Books remain there, that would be a nice atmosphere of real life, reading books on candle light with a cup of tea in the middle of the night! Many options with such interesting objects!

PDE

Pierre - thank you for your comments. I had thought about adding a cup of tea in another version! I tried a flaming candle - didn't like it, and thought about extinguishing the flame and getting the wispy curl of smoke... ideas for another shoot. The steaming teapot is a great idea.  Since this is an antique pewter pot, I will be careful with the boiling water. As for shiny, alas, this pot will never shine. I will have to borrow my grandmother's silver tea set back from my daughter(and polish it before use, I am sure). : )

Sandra! Sandra! Good stuff here. The only thing I would do is change the color of the candle so it does not melt into the current background. Nice work. You know that my comment is intended to be constructive but I could be wrong since "Still Life' is not an area of expertise.

Hey Tony - Good to hear fro you again! You are absolutely "spot on" about the candlestick fading into the background.. I'm working on a revised version that corrects that problem. I also have a very desaturated (not really monochrome but not BW) version I haven't uploaded. This one is a little "over-cooked" I think... in part because the original is Raw, and this jpg was converted from a TIFF file. I got a set of Westcott studio lights and am loving exploring the creative possibilities  indoors while the weather rages outdoors. I just keep thinking of things to photograph.

You are most welcome.

I could not really decide on the color for the candles when I wrote the previous comment. I was thinking of a dull red similar to the 'middle' book (bible?). The red would make a connection with the bibles and would be a complimentary contrast to the green holder. Too red and it would draw your eyes to the candles only. Maybe the candle on the extreme left could be a dull green. So many possibilities! Just some thoughts on the matter with little expertise in this area of still life. 

Tony-

After you mentioned candles of a different color, I looked at had actually bought some cream colored dinner tapers for another photo I have in mind... do you know how HARD it is to buy tapered candles these days? I went to 3 stores before I found a very limited selection..... pillar candles are the current trend, I guess... next time I find a place that sells tapered candles, I'm stocking up!