Ok, I got the statue done, only to remember you wanted me to try both after I got back to the computer. I will do the vase for you too but it may be tomorrow before I get a chance.

The first image is in the dining room, 5 feet from the north facing window. Since you asked to cut down on the background noise, I used a sheet as a back drop. If you would prefer I not do that, let me know and when I do the vase for you I won't use it.

The second image is in front of a South facing window that is NOT blocked by shade in my son's bedroom. It is also 5 feet from the window.

Mary,

What I really want is to see how the rooms existing ambient light affects the subject, without introducing any other reflected light such as the sheet. Don't worry about the background noise for now.

Nice images.

Wow, what a difference an hour makes! I got the baby to bed, so decided to try it with the sugar bowl. (sorry, couldn't find a plain vase)

This bowl is in the exact same spot, taken with the exact same setting, but at 3:30 instead of 2:30. And WHY so blue? (this is an issue I can not figure out how to fix with this camera, maybe it is time to look at that gray card )

I didn't see that much of a difference in the two taken at 2:30, but this is blatant.

A HIGHER AUTHORITY

In my first post I tried to make the point several times that our mission was to define form with light. Just for the record, I am not the first to show this concern.

Consider this - not buried somewhere in Deuteronomy, but here above the fold, page one, top left:

That

I didn't see your other post when I posted the sugar bowl. Shall I wait until tomorrow to do this without the sheet at about the same time? Obviously an hour made a difference.

However, I do have a question. What difference does it make if there is a sheet there or not? I realize that the sheet reflects light and so on, but who is to say it couldn't be a white couch etc.? For that matter, the two chairs that I used to sit the statue on were actually all white, (and the carpet in my son's room is white also) but it made for a busy picture so I just threw the sheet there to make it simple.

What I am trying to do is eliminate all influences of light except that which comes through the window.

Obviously the room will, because of whatever reflective quality it has, affect the shadow side of the subject. This is what I'm trying to find out. If we can establish the base known attributes, such as strength of the light source, and amount of ambient light (shadow quality), then we can devise a plan to modify either of those factors if need be.

With the white sheet being so near and so prevalent in the background, the outcome is altered substantially. We may at some point bring something like this to bear, but first I would like to understand our two basic components, namely, the lit side and the shadow side, without influence.

And tomorrow is just fine, don't ever feel like you have to rush.

Macro vs. Micro
 

I have a theory about this sort of work. It has been my observation that most people who have difficulty getting good photo reference use the

Gotchya..I just had a light bulb moment. :thumbsup:

Mary,

Can you give me a sense of how big your statue is, height and width? Also your sugar bowl, roughly.

Yes, the statue is approximately 1.5' tall and the base is 7"x8.5", (and weighs as much as I do) and the sugar bowl is a little over 3 inches.