Description:
Another attempt at a natural still life, this time with Beaked Hazelnuts. While there are many trees in the yard, we hardly get any nuts because the squirrels and chipmunks snag them first. But I managed a few for this still life.
The fruit have the usual shell that encases the nut itself, but is then covered in this green husk that has a coat of miniscule stiff hairs that get stuck in your skin like tiny slivers. They come in singles or pairs and sometimes more although I’ve never seen them with more than two in a cluster.
I tried a few different set ups and backgrounds before settling on this arrangement. It’s part of one of the trees that came down in a thunderstorm in June. It’s a green ash and I liked the separation from the background as well as the contrasting textures and colors. The log is in shade, but I stood and made more and used the LED panel mounted on a Gorilla Pod aimed at the set up. Slightly underexposing kept the background darker.
I wanted this to be colorful, but not too contrasty or sharp. Not sure I’ve got it where I want it yet.
Specific Feedback Requested:
Thoughts, impressions & ideas for improvement are welcome.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Is this a composite? No
Tripod for camera & LED panel. Focus bracketing - +4 step, 0/+ method.
Lr for initial adjustments - mostly to darken background and emphasize the log and fruit. Zerene to combine 15 images into a DMap stack, retouched a little to smooth bg, Photoshop to remove some distractions back there with clone stamping and healing brush. Lr for a touch of sharpening, slight crop and some brush work on the fruit and log. Phew!