I just tried for I think 2.5 hours, and I did it. I almost got the same picture you got. Although the sugar isn't very sharp in my picture, I still thrilled it worked. Thank you for your great tutorials.
Thanks Ray, super lesson! Obtaining the shadows on the photo you liked looks great...I want to focus on black and photos so this is wonderful. Be well.
I saw the thumbnail for the video and before I read anything I thought "That’s Ray's work." I mean that as a compliment, I think when a photographer has reached a point where his work is instantly recognisable he has achieved something we are all after. I remember doing something not dissimilar about five or six years ago when I was on a course. It was a droplet of water hitting a holly berry. It was a macro shot and if you’ve ever tried to catch the moment water hits something you know it requires patience and a small pipettes. I used HSS of about 1/2000 just to get the compressed pre-explosion look. An absolutely brilliant video and you final image definitely had the "Wow!" factor. Once again you have inspired me to give it a try. Thank you Ray.
Mark, you have left me speechless. Your words are so incredibly kind I’m not really sure what to say except thank you and that I feel inspired by your thoughts and deep appreciation for photography. I’m liking the water droplet-holly berry idea. Hmmm! Mark, I hope you are doing well and I wish you a really wonderful weekend. Take the best of care.
Thanks, really enjoyed your thoughts. I think I would also like to use honey and see what kind of colors I can get with it. Thank you again for the great ideas!
Another great tutorial. It's reassuring for this amateur to know that even a pro has to experiment with trial and error before getting THE shot. Thanks, Ray.
The final shot, the one you're happy with, is a really nice image..and I suppose, the kind of 'hidden' message of this particular video is, don't be afraid to cull photographs..images that just aren't quite hitting the mark, and persevere to capture shots you are happy with....it can sometimes seem counter-intuitive to get rid of images, but ones you know are average at best, or are just not what you were looking, or hoping for, are best got rid of and not cluttering up your hard-drive....Nice video and I like your calm and well measured delivery = very easy to watch..keep up the good work!
Great video! Shows exactly how different angles can make an image go from just ok to profound. If you just keep digging, you are bound to strike gold. Love the tutorials on your channel sir.
Thanks Ray. All you're video tutorials are worth watching. I've done a shot similar with sugar falling from a sieve into a bowl. It can certainly take more than a few attempts to obtain the desired result with this kind of photo. I found using a snoot on the flash worked well to direct the light where desired more. But, As you demonstrate... Not essential, just helped to avoid unwanted light spill onto the surface and background as well. 👍
Great way to spend a wintery afternoon - have found investing in a light stand worthwhile - nothing too expensive not going to have heavy lights on it - also if portable can use it on macro outdoors while working around the subject re HSS, if the strength of the wind is not too strong. You got me trying stuff again... thanks so much, take care & good health:)
Hi Ray, just discovered your channel. Exactly what I wanted/needed to go in a new direction with my photography. Like your presentation style too. V. impressed - thanks.
Hi William. I’m really happy you found the channel and just as pleased that you are enjoying it. Thanks so much for the nice words and I wish you a great week.
Great idea for low key photography! The different shots of the sugar you took were awesome! I will try to do this and hopefully it will be as good as your photo:) I will continue to learn from your videos, Good Job!
Great video. It's good to see you go through what I do too! I suspect you're more patient than me. Definitely going to try a series ... adding the milk and then the sugar. Cheers Rob
Thanks for explaining how you did this so carefully and your thought processes. We can now try something similar. Also like the way you moved the flash to get more shadows and depth on the cup.
Thanks for the inspiration Ray, I loved this shot. I've added my own little twist to my version with the addition of a lipstick mark. Great work, and simple too.
Great job Ray. Thanks. I might try that but adding milk to the sugar too.... I'm thinking that putting the cup on Perspex and shooting in portrait mode to include the reflection might also be interesting. I'll let you know how I get on...
Love your new intro, Ray. It just goes to show that sometimes it takes a little effort to get the right image and, as always, you inspire me in all of your videos to do better and not be satisfied with mediocrity. I always remind myself "that it's not what you see, but how you see it." That always gives me more confidence to try new things and not worry about how my images will be perceived by others. A very good mantra to follow... Joan
Thank you so very much Joan. You know something? Getting the “right” shot is always a process unless their is just dumb luck. I think if we put in the work, aren’t afraid to fail and have a ton of fun along the way, we can’t help but improve our image making. It’s an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. What a fantastic journey don’t you think? Have a wonderful day Joan.
Thank you for sharing this information. What you said about the exposure all of a sudden helped me to realize how to expose better when using flash with a dark background.
Great video Ray, love the wider image, tells more of the story imo. Will give this a go, might try different size grains to see the effect. Till next time.
That's a pretty neat result Ray, but my one suggestion would be that once you had the shot you wanted, to do it again with the cup actually full of black coffee. As it is you kinda know the cup is empty and it seems a little illogical. Thanks for the video.
I think that’s because I’m an illogical guy Chris. Just joking. I actually answered this same query from another viewer earlier on so rather than write it again I’ll ask you to scroll down a bit If you like. Anyway, I definitely hear your point. Thanks Chris and have a really good weekend.
Hi Ray.. I really tried but couldn't get the resulta. I don't really know why the flash doesb't sinc with the camera. Olympus E1Mk3 and Godox TT685. I tried aldo with the macro ring flash but didn't fire although it fires with the pilot and the fixed lamp. I took a lot of flash pictures in the past but today it simply doesn't fire. I am going to check why this is hapenning.. And try again all the trick
hello Ray, this is an amazing technique - such simple things to use but what a brilliant outcome. I tried doing this today - one image is nice :). How can I share it with you?
Hi there Susan. I do it two ways. One, I underexposed by 3 to 6 stops and I use a black velvet background that absorbs light. Hope that helps and have a great weekend.
Hi😊 Please help me, I want to macrophotograph my abstract art. I have a Nikon d3400 with 105mm macro lens. And 2 daylight lamps. The paintings are wet when I take the photo, and therefore it glares. I set the camera as sharp as I can but the photos are still blurry, not vivid, and glares so much. I set the ISO around 100 but always goes up to 12 000. Which settings are the best for this type of macrophotos? Aperture around F22? And the Shutter Speed around 1/60? I use tripod. A camera flash with diffusor solve all these problems? Which flash would you recommend? P.S. Thank you for sharing your talent, it means a lot for us 🐵💙
Not quite sure what you are referring to but I think you have your camera set to auto iso. I think you need to take control of your camera by using either manual or aperture priority, set your aperture so that it stays at 💯 and you set the shutter and aperture. You may also need to set exposure compensation.
Hi Paul. I use a Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite. It has worked very well for me and is a lot less expensive than the Canon comparable. However, unlike the Canon flash, it doesn't have a modelling light so I can't preview the effect. Hope that helps.
Interesting. But I will apply this idea to a Cake Bowl or something like that. Is not natural to pour sugar like that on a cup of coffee. But equal, great idea.
Great video Ray, this is a very good idea/project, unfortunately I don’t’ have any sugar in the house so I’m going to do it with salt (does it have to be kosher?) LOL Keep doing what you're doing, it’s really inspiring to watch you work/create.
Thanks for this idea Ray, I have just won top place with 20 points in my local photography society. Would have sent you the image but I don't know how to upload one on youtube. Keep up with the really good ideas and advice.
Hi ray, Thanks again for the email you sent me. I'm really looking forward to it my friend. And if it becomes as you always have it will certainly be a success. A heartfelt friendly greeting from the Netherlands, Toine
Great project and love your style. For me, I think an extra light shining on the spoon would really make it pop, not too bright, just enough to say, back light the rim of the spoon. What do you think?
I think it would look better with the cup full of coffee. The final image looked nice, but left me wondering why there is sugar going into an empty mug
Yes Tom, this is something that people will go back and forth on. I know I did. For me, and this applies only to me, I wanted all the shadows inside the top of the cup to be undisturbed. Plus I wasn’t really going for realism as much as just a low key impression but trust me, I get wanting to see something in the cup. Why don’t you give it a shot and see how you like it? Take care and enjoy your weekend.
I just tried for I think 2.5 hours, and I did it. I almost got the same picture you got. Although the sugar isn't very sharp in my picture, I still thrilled it worked. Thank you for your great tutorials.
You’re welcome and thank for watching.
Thanks Ray, super lesson! Obtaining the shadows on the photo you liked looks great...I want to focus on black and photos so this is wonderful. Be well.
Thanks and take care.
I like your commentary on the entire series, including the photos you discarded while looking for the one that represented your vision.
Thanks Carter. Glad you enjoyed and have a really good day.
The good news is...I had almost everything I need to do this, but you have supplied the final item, the idea, thank you.
Great to hear Bob and thanks so much for taking the time to watch. Good luck!
Well done!! Really makes me want to not only shoot B&W, but also experiment with lighting location.
Thanks so much Bruce. Good luck with your photography.
Love this , can’t wait to try it later today , many thanks Ray , loving your style of video 👏
Another great idea for an image Ray. I must try this and experiment to see the different results obtained.
Thanks Paul and good luck with your photo shoot.
Wow... I like this video.. Great shot my friend...
Hey Gabe. Thanks so,much and enjoy your day.
"Maybe you can give this one a try?" Ray, I try most of yours! You always inspire me to try something diferent :)
Thanks so much.
I saw the thumbnail for the video and before I read anything I thought "That’s Ray's work." I mean that as a compliment, I think when a photographer has reached a point where his work is instantly recognisable he has achieved something we are all after.
I remember doing something not dissimilar about five or six years ago when I was on a course. It was a droplet of water hitting a holly berry. It was a macro shot and if you’ve ever tried to catch the moment water hits something you know it requires patience and a small pipettes. I used HSS of about 1/2000 just to get the compressed pre-explosion look.
An absolutely brilliant video and you final image definitely had the "Wow!" factor. Once again you have inspired me to give it a try. Thank you Ray.
Mark, you have left me speechless. Your words are so incredibly kind I’m not really sure what to say except thank you and that I feel inspired by your thoughts and deep appreciation for photography.
I’m liking the water droplet-holly berry idea. Hmmm!
Mark, I hope you are doing well and I wish you a really wonderful weekend. Take the best of care.
Thanks for this video, Ray. Having watched this I will try throwing sugar lumps into tea and recording the splash
Good luck and thanks for watching.
Thanks, really enjoyed your thoughts. I think I would also like to use honey and see what kind of colors I can get with it. Thank you again for the great ideas!
Sounds interesting. Give it a go and take care.
This is called Passion. Passion towards what we do, what we like, what we enjoy.
Yes Jegga. Passion and inspiration are so key to any artistic endeavour. Have a great week!
Absolutely excellent!
Thank you Cee Jay and have a really good day.
love b&w photography, and this was a very interesting experiment to try at home indeed. just subscribed! :)
Another great tutorial. It's reassuring for this amateur to know that even a pro has to experiment with trial and error before getting THE shot. Thanks, Ray.
Thanks Rob and enjoy your weekend.
The final shot, the one you're happy with, is a really nice image..and I suppose, the kind of 'hidden' message of this particular video is, don't be afraid to cull photographs..images that just aren't quite hitting the mark, and persevere to capture shots you are happy with....it can sometimes seem counter-intuitive to get rid of images, but ones you know are average at best, or are just not what you were looking, or hoping for, are best got rid of and not cluttering up your hard-drive....Nice video and I like your calm and well measured delivery = very easy to watch..keep up the good work!
Thanks so much and yeah, I’m definitely not afraid to dump images that don’t do it for me.
Nice one Ray, thanks!
Thanks David and be well.
Great video! Shows exactly how different angles can make an image go from just ok to profound. If you just keep digging, you are bound to strike gold. Love the tutorials on your channel sir.
Thank you thank you! Have a good one!
Thanks Ray. All you're video tutorials are worth watching.
I've done a shot similar with sugar falling from a sieve into a bowl.
It can certainly take more than a few attempts to obtain the desired result with this kind of photo.
I found using a snoot on the flash worked well to direct the light where desired more. But, As you demonstrate... Not essential, just helped to avoid unwanted light spill onto the surface and background as well. 👍
Thanks very much Philip. I like the sieve idea.
As usual fantastic tutorial presented in a simple way. Great.
Thank you and I hope you are enjoying your week.
Thankyou really educational and enjoyable
Urmaresc cu interes aceste demonstratii . Poate voi incerca si eu :-)
Good video and I liked the way you patiently worked and stayed with it until you got the results that you were happy with. I'm going to try this.
Good luck and cheers!
Great ideas as always Ray. Take Care
Thank you Mark and have a great weekend.
This was amazing
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching.
Very prefect image. Cheers
Thanks so much Rajeev and have a good weekend.
Wow! It turned out great! Got to buy some sugar and try this! 😊😊
Go for it Eva and good luck!
Great way to spend a wintery afternoon - have found investing in a light stand worthwhile - nothing too expensive not going to have heavy lights on it - also if portable can use it on macro outdoors while working around the subject re HSS, if the strength of the wind is not too strong. You got me trying stuff again... thanks so much, take care & good health:)
Yes! You are very right. Light stands are a great solution. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Hi Ray, just discovered your channel. Exactly what I wanted/needed to go in a new direction with my photography. Like your presentation style too. V. impressed - thanks.
Hi William. I’m really happy you found the channel and just as pleased that you are enjoying it. Thanks so much for the nice words and I wish you a great week.
Visual Art Photography Tutorials k8
What a great idea to create awesome shots. Very informative and inspiring as always...thank you.
Thanks so much and have a great weekend.
Very cool! I love doing little projects like this one. I've been inspired today!!👍👍👍👍👍
Great to hear and thanks.
Great idea for low key photography! The different shots of the sugar you took were awesome! I will try to do this and hopefully it will be as good as your photo:)
I will continue to learn from your videos, Good Job!
Great video. It's good to see you go through what I do too! I suspect you're more patient than me. Definitely going to try a series ... adding the milk and then the sugar. Cheers Rob
Hey Rob. Good luck and have fun.
Love the side light with the spoon with grains of sugar on cup ❤️...thank you for another wonderful tutorial..now to save up for a macro ring light 😉
Hi there Deborah. Glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much and have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for explaining how you did this so carefully and your thought processes. We can now try something similar. Also like the way you moved the flash to get more shadows and depth on the cup.
Hey Gill. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for the nice words. If you try it out I wish you good luck. Have a great weekend.
Enlightening and artistic as always. Keep it up.
Thanks so much Steve. Have a great weekend.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome Thierry and thanks for watching.
Thanks for showing the progress of your technique. I learned something new.
Hi James. Glad to hear your words and thank you.
Thanks for the inspiration Ray, I loved this shot. I've added my own little twist to my version with the addition of a lipstick mark. Great work, and simple too.
Now you see? That’s what I love. Innovation and making it your own. Good stuff Graham. I like the lipstick idea. Thanks so much and have a great day.
Great job Ray. Thanks. I might try that but adding milk to the sugar too.... I'm thinking that putting the cup on Perspex and shooting in portrait mode to include the reflection might also be interesting. I'll let you know how I get on...
Hey Tony. Now that sounds interesting. Let me know and have a great week.
@@VisualArtPhotography Hey Ray. What a great hours' fun I had tonight with your concept. Thanks so much for the inspiration.....
www.flickr.com/photos/16489580@N07/48828570098/in/dateposted-public/
Really nice and simple tutorial. Well presented too Have a great day :-) Looking forward to your next vid.
Thanks and the same to you.
@@VisualArtPhotography thank you :-)
really cool to see food photography and how it is set up
Glad you enjoyed it.
Amazing
Thanks Jay and have a good day.
Awesome ideia 💡.
Thanks very much!
Love your new intro, Ray. It just goes to show that sometimes it takes a little effort to get the right image and, as always, you inspire me in all of your videos to do better and not be satisfied with mediocrity. I always remind myself "that it's not what you see, but how you see it." That always gives me more confidence to try new things and not worry about how my images will be perceived by others. A very good mantra to follow...
Joan
Thank you so very much Joan. You know something? Getting the “right” shot is always a process unless their is just dumb luck. I think if we put in the work, aren’t afraid to fail and have a ton of fun along the way, we can’t help but improve our image making. It’s an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. What a fantastic journey don’t you think? Have a wonderful day Joan.
Thank you , I really learn from you a lot every time
Thanks so much and have a really good day.
hello a great video!! but why did you use a ring flash and not a normal flash?
Beautiful man
Thanks Ivan and enjoy your weekend.
Thank you for sharing this information. What you said about the exposure all of a sudden helped me to realize how to expose better when using flash with a dark background.
You’re welcome and thanks for taking the time to watch.
So glad I found you.Inspiration is way awesome
Glad you found me too Debbie. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend.
Another great video Ray...... Thank you ! 👍
Thanks Paul and have a great day.
Great video Ray, love the wider image, tells more of the story imo. Will give this a go, might try different size grains to see the effect. Till next time.
Thanks Jeff and good luck when you try this project. Enjoy the weekend.
Cool video nice
Thank you.
Wir haben stürmisches regnerisch Wetter und nun weiß ich was ich heute probieren werde. Danke!
Love that final shot, it has me inspired to try something similar.
Good to hear Mitch and good luck. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Awesome....
Thanks!
Great photo, but I'd use a black spoon or something black to pour sugar into a cup. Congrats!
That's a pretty neat result Ray, but my one suggestion would be that once you had the shot you wanted, to do it again with the cup actually full of black coffee. As it is you kinda know the cup is empty and it seems a little illogical. Thanks for the video.
I think that’s because I’m an illogical guy Chris. Just joking. I actually answered this same query from another viewer earlier on so rather than write it again I’ll ask you to scroll down a bit If you like. Anyway, I definitely hear your point. Thanks Chris and have a really good weekend.
@@VisualArtPhotography
Sorry Ray, I didn't go down far enough on the comments. Oh well, I don't put sugar in my coffee anyway, lol.
Hi Ray.. I really tried but couldn't get the resulta. I don't really know why the flash doesb't sinc with the camera. Olympus E1Mk3 and Godox TT685. I tried aldo with the macro ring flash but didn't fire although it fires with the pilot and the fixed lamp. I took a lot of flash pictures in the past but today it simply doesn't fire. I am going to check why this is hapenning.. And try again all the trick
thanks for this idea gonna try it
Thanks Ton and good luck when you give it a go.
@@VisualArtPhotography thanks I did it and it looks good
hello Ray, this is an amazing technique - such simple things to use but what a brilliant outcome. I tried doing this today - one image is nice :). How can I share it with you?
Hi Hema. Glad you enjoyed the technique and had success. You can send it to ... visart66@gmail.com Take care and be well.
Excellent!, Thank you very much
Hey Carlos. Thanks a lot and I hope you have a really good weekend. Cheers!
I enjoy your videos very much. Can you explain how you keep the light of the flash from spilling over and illuminating your background?
Hi there Susan. I do it two ways. One, I underexposed by 3 to 6 stops and I use a black velvet background that absorbs light. Hope that helps and have a great weekend.
Visual Art Photography Tutorials Thanks for the reply! Looks like I’m going to have to invest in some black velvet.
Excellent
Thank you!
@@VisualArtPhotography you're welcome sir 👍
Great tutorial! Thank you. What was the shutter speed of the last image?
Thanks so much Andriy. The shutter was auto set to 1/180th of a second. It was the flash that froze the action.
Thanks Ray. Great idea. I'm going to give this a try!! :-)
Good to hear you’re going to give it a go Dale. Thanks and good luck!
Hi😊
Please help me, I want to macrophotograph my abstract art. I have a Nikon d3400 with 105mm macro lens. And 2 daylight lamps. The paintings are wet when I take the photo, and therefore it glares. I set the camera as sharp as I can but the photos are still blurry, not vivid, and glares so much. I set the ISO around 100 but always goes up to 12 000.
Which settings are the best for this type of macrophotos? Aperture around F22? And the Shutter Speed around 1/60? I use tripod. A camera flash with diffusor solve all these problems? Which flash would you recommend?
P.S. Thank you for sharing your talent, it means a lot for us 🐵💙
Not quite sure what you are referring to but I think you have your camera set to auto iso. I think you need to take control of your camera by using either manual or aperture priority, set your aperture so that it stays at 💯 and you set the shutter and aperture. You may also need to set exposure compensation.
@@VisualArtPhotography ok thank you😊
Nice work. I should do some shots like this, or similar. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Tony. Good luck if you try it.
BTW......can you tell us what ringflash you are using here please ?
Hi Paul. I use a Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite. It has worked very well for me and is a lot less expensive than the Canon comparable. However, unlike the Canon flash, it doesn't have a modelling light so I can't preview the effect. Hope that helps.
@@VisualArtPhotography Thank you much for answer Ray......I will check it out.
Your vids are excellent,. keep 'em coming ! 👍👍👍
Where do I send my low key photo for you to look at sir? I just tried it and I really like the results.
Hi Anthony. You can send too...visart66@gmail.com
Nice one! take it.👍Thank!sir.
Thank you very much.
thank you so much....for the tutorial.....terimakasih...salam from indonesia
Cheers to you in Indonesia and thanks for watching.
What is the shutter speed for last picture?
Interesting. But I will apply this idea to a Cake Bowl or something like that. Is not natural to pour sugar like that on a cup of coffee. But equal, great idea.
What were the overall settings I mean aperture and iso
Great video Ray, this is a very good idea/project, unfortunately I don’t’ have any sugar in the house so I’m going to do it with salt (does it have to be kosher?) LOL
Keep doing what you're doing, it’s really inspiring to watch you work/create.
Hey there Enrique. Thank you so very much. Salt you say? Just don’t pour it in your coffee 😊 Good luck and cheers to you!
Thanks for this idea Ray, I have just won top place with 20 points in my local photography society. Would have sent you the image but I don't know how to upload one on youtube. Keep up with the really good ideas and advice.
Thought provoking, as ever. Did you try back lighting?
Hey Richard. Thanks and no I didn’t think of that. I’m going to have to try it at some point. Have a great weekend.
What is the shuttle speed?
You did not touch the cup right? I noticed that the 3rd picture the cup was changed.lolol
Hi ray,
Thanks again for the email you sent me.
I'm really looking forward to it my friend.
And if it becomes as you always have it will certainly be a success.
A heartfelt friendly greeting from the Netherlands,
Toine
Great project and love your style. For me, I think an extra light shining on the spoon would really make it pop, not too bright, just enough to say, back light the rim of the spoon. What do you think?
Thank you. I think it’s a good idea. Give it a try.
I think it would look better with the cup full of coffee. The final image looked nice, but left me wondering why there is sugar going into an empty mug
Yes Tom, this is something that people will go back and forth on. I know I did. For me, and this applies only to me, I wanted all the shadows inside the top of the cup to be undisturbed. Plus I wasn’t really going for realism as much as just a low key impression but trust me, I get wanting to see something in the cup. Why don’t you give it a shot and see how you like it? Take care and enjoy your weekend.
Didn't got the effect of your last Pic with a f/16 and a 1/160s
I need to buy some black cloth...
nice
Thanks!
I think you missed a trick there, you should of had the spoon in the shot but floating in mid air. Great vlog though.
Dean, I’m liking the way you think. A floating spoon. LOVE IT! Thanks and have a great day.
Thanks Ray, now to convince my wife I ain't wasting her sugar
Hey Duncan. Tell your wonderful wife that all elements were clean so you can use the sugar again. 😊😊😊 Have a great day.