Ash & Ebony - Re-do

[Roger Chandler]

"Ash & Ebony" - Re-do

I made this hollow form back a few years ago, and always thought the ash burl was so nicely figured. My problem was that I had added a walnut finial and pedestal, and in either of those, I did not have a suitable piece of walnut for them back at the time.
The pedestal and finial never looked right, so I have had this thing around and finally decided to re-do the pedestal and finial. I wanted a bold look, not a dainty, thin, or fragile finial/pedestal, so I replicated the form in both of them, and the ash burl sandwiched between the two stands out in nice contrast.
I will say that my photography skills are almost zilch, and it looks better balanced in person than in this pic, but I am not sure how to make it look like it does to my eyes. I think when I resized the image, it got a bit squatty, and the finial looks thicker than it does in person.
It will go to the gallery, and my wife said she thought it would show well. The pedestal and finial are ebonized, although I do have four pieces of ebony that came from a piano factory where they made the black keys, but they are reserved for another purpose. 5" wide shoulder, and 11" tall to tip of finial.

DSC_0761.jpg Comments always welcome

[Brice Rogers]

I think that it looks very nice. I like the proportions and coloration.

[John K Jordan]

...hollow form ...I will say that my photography skills are almost zilch, and it looks better balanced in person than in this pic, but I am not sure how to make it look like it does to my eyes. I think when I resized the image, it got a bit squatty, and the finial looks thicker than it does in person...

DSC_0761.jpg

Roger, the piece looks great and the photo looks pretty good, but can't tell of course if it is true to the piece.

What do you use to resize? No graphics program should change the proportions unless told to. In the Photoshop image size dialog, for example, there is a option named "Constrain Proportions" that if checked, will insure the aspect ratio doesn't change. If a program doesn't have this function, I'd use a calculator to set both horiz and vert numbers proportionally.

Another reason a photo of something can look different than with the eyes is the lens used, or more precisely, how close the camera is to the subject. Due to the perspective, a wide-angle lens can make things look out of proportion, especially if the viewpoint is a bit too high with a subject like your hollow form - this can cause you to "look down" on the subject and the bottom portion of a taller piece might look shorter than it is.

If you can, back away from the subject a bit and try using a longer lens, a mild telephoto. If you have a zoom lens try backing away and zooming in a bit to frame the subject. If using a camera with a fixed wide-angle lens without zoom, you can also back away, take the photo, then use a software program to crop the image to make the turning larger in the final frame. Then resize for posting. I'd probably try a few distances and compare.

BTW, when shooting portraits (similar to shooting turnings) a good photographer never uses a wide-angle lens (for closeups) unless going for some dramatic effect. It can make the nose too big and warp the face in unflattering ways. There are "portrait" lenses - a 85mm lens (35mm equivalent) is a popular choice. For small woodturnings I use either a zoom lens or a 105mm prime lens, partly since I can back away a bit and it has excellent macro focusing for tiny things. A quick check shows a lot of info on the web on what lens to use for portraits and why, such as this which describes the distortion from wide angle lenses. https://digital-photography-school.c...portrait-lens/

JKJ

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks John.....I did have the lens dialed all the way to zoom in and was about 4 feet away from the form. I used the Fastone Image viewer software, and think I tripped myself up with the percentages. I did not see a check box for true to size, but computer stuff is not my strong suit, so it would not surprize me at all if I missed something! I just know it looks better proportionally in person than in this pic.

[daryl moses]

Looks great Roger. Personally I like the "bold" looking finials. I think it suits this piece very well. I also like the way you carried the shape of the finials to match the hollow form. Great looking piece!!

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks Daryl.......and Brice!

[Lamar Wright]

Roger, you did a masterful job of the redo. I like it very much. Very well indeed!

[David Delo]

Excellent piece Roger. Except for the minor smell, ash is one of my favorites to turn.

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks Lamar and David. I think Ash is a great wood to turn, especially when one considers all the ash being cut down because of the Emerald Ash borer beetle. Ash can get worms and boring insects if left in a decaying state. I love the grain in it for platters, and recently got some 14" kiln dried ash for that purpose......I need to get on that!

[John K Jordan]

Thanks John.....I did have the lens dialed all the way to zoom in and was about 4 feet away from the form. I used the Fastone Image viewer software, and think I tripped myself up with the percentages. I did not see a check box for true to size, but computer stuff is not my strong suit, so it would not surprize me at all if I missed something! I just know it looks better proportionally in person than in this pic.

I see Fastone has a "Preserve Aspect Ration" when resizing:
http://solentcameraclub.com/resource...-image-viewer/

If this was already set and the image aspect ratio wasn't changed when you resized, maybe try lowering the point of view a bit.

4' might still be a little close for a tall piece like that. Maybe try moving back some more (the photo will need cropped) and see if that helps.

Your lighting and shadows are great, BTW.

JKJ

[Allan Ferguson]

It really goes well through out. Great out come.

[Roger Chandler]

It really goes well through out. Great out come.

Thanks Allan...this re-do is because I thought it would be a waste of such a niclely figured burl just to let it sit inside a box in storage over the years, when I knew it could be redone and out in the gallery for someone to put it on permanent display in their home or business. I hope it catches someone's eye soon. I put a price that is about $100 less than most of my hollow forms....that might prove to be a mistake on my part!

[William C Rogers]

Roger, while both are outstanding I think the redo is a great improvement. I like both the base and final design along in addition to the wood selection. If voting I votefor the redo.