Project and Pics critique

[Jim Kountz]

Well here are some of my latest efforts, a few ornaments and a plate or platter. The ornaments are walnut, mahagony, dunnowood and maple. The plate is walnut and about 12", I dont know why the edges become ragged looking when I transferred the pics from my laptop to the desktop. The ornaments range from about 7" to 4". Finials are fun but they try my patience! I also wanted to get some opinions on my "Phrugal" photo set up. Im still playing around with it but Im fairly satisfied with the results so far. What do you think?

Thanks!

Jim

[Dewey Torres]

All of the projects look great to me. Good job on the laminations. The photography is outstanding as well.

[Jim Becker]

"Phrugal" seems to be working out well for you, Jim! Probably a little more contrast is about the only thing needed during your re-touching.

Great pieces, too. Nice work!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jim - really nice turnings! The platter is my favorite of the group - great form!

On the photos - just a personal preference, but I always like a little bit of shadow in my photos. It helps to give everything more of a 3 dimensional feel and without them things tend to look a little flat.

[Jim Kountz]

"Phrugal" seems to be working out well for you, Jim! Probably a little more contrast is about the only thing needed during your re-touching.

Great pieces, too. Nice work!

Wow thats it Jim, contrast! Thanks alot for that tip and good eye by the way. Below are the same pics with adjusted contrast. Hard to believe how much difference a little adjustment can make!

[Jim Kountz]

Jim - really nice turnings! The platter is my favorite of the group - great form!

On the photos - just a personal preference, but I always like a little bit of shadow in my photos. It helps to give everything more of a 3 dimensional feel and without them things tend to look a little flat.

Now you tell me, I spent an hour getting rid of all the shadows!!:D:D LOL Thanks for the kind words Steve, I really appreciate it!

[Richard Madison]

Jim,

The laminated block is my favorite.

But seriously, some very nice work and good pictures too. Really like the walnut plate!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi Jim :D
Beautiful work you made there, and they certainly are worth there own individual posting IMO.
I really like the platter, very nicely done and from a pretty piece of wood :cool: :D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jim those a some very nice turnings. I do like the plate. Partial to walnut.

You think your patience was tried with those finials or icecles. Try thinning them down some. Just my preference. Then tell me about patience.:eek:;):cool::rolleyes:

[Jim Kountz]

Jim those a some very nice turnings. I do like the plate. Partial to walnut.

You think your patience was tried with those finials or icecles. Try thinning them down some. Just my preference. Then tell me about patience.:eek:;):cool::rolleyes:

I feel your pain Bernie! As you may or may not have noticed the picture of the 2 ornaments were my earlier attempts. Then in the picture with 3 ornaments you can see where I ventured a little thinner. The wife and I think the first two look "heavy" whereas the others are starting to look more light and streamlined. Would this be your consensus as well?? Anyone else?

Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

Steve's right...a little bit of background shadow adds depth, grounding and realism to your pieces in the photos. Right now, they are just "floating" there.... LOL But, of course, they are still beautiful. The contrast tweak was just the ticket, BTW.

[Steve Schlumpf]

The wife and I think the first two look "heavy" whereas the others are starting to look more light and streamlined. Would this be your consensus as well??

Jim, I think taking the finials thinner is just part of the learning cycle when it comes to turning them. Everyone starts off somewhat thick and then as they become more comfortable with the process - take it thinner.

I like the newer ornaments better because they look fragile and delicate. Keep up the good work!

[Tony Wheeler]

I like them did you hollow the ornaments? when I made myself a 3/8 and 3/16 round sqew the finials got easier for ornaments or at least I didnt sqew so many up

[Don Carter]

Jim:
I loved the first pics. Great work! I am obviously not a photographer, I'm still trying to learn how to turn wood.;) Although, I have been plumbing all day!
All the best.

Don

[Dean Thomas]

Nice work all 'round.

Shadows tend to anchor your work so that it doesn't float. That's even if there is just a bit of shadow to suggest the shape of the piece. Airbrushed in Photoshop or other graphic program can work fine.

I enjoyed the ornaments. I agreed with the personal taste of someone else on this thread, that just a bit thinner would greatly add to the already elegant pieces.

One comment on your wood choices, and again, just one person's opinion and taste involved, not a right or a wrong: I really, really enjoyed the ornaments where there was white wood between layers of the darker woods. Laying a dark cherry next to a walnut can cause both of those individuals to lose their own identity, where sometimes that white layer might accent that difference and make it pop even more.

Again, nuthin wrong with the ornaments!! They'd look just fine on my own tree. Certainly would not kick 'em off the branch. :rolleyes:

PS--ragged? You mean the kind of stepped look to some of the otherwise round layers? That's usually a function of resolution. If you took cell phone pix and tried to make 'em bigger, and with not so swift software, that can cause stair-stepping. 72dpi for 100% sized pix should prevent the stepping and reduce raggy edges. Also look for a "sharpen" filter. Don't oversharpen, though.

[Jim Kountz]

Thanks to everyone and their kind replies and helpful suggestions. This forum sure has helped me alot along the way. I wanted to see if anyone wants to take a stab at identifying the reddish colored wood in the three ornaments. Its not cherry thats for sure. Its an exotic I got from my local supplier and they didnt know either. I can tell you this much, when I got it, the color was a yellow to light tan color. One pass through the planer and I got a huge shock when it came out that color of red. The white balance on my camera was set about right as the color in the pics are really true to the actual color, at least on my monitor here. So I have no idea what that wood is. Its very hard, about like purple heart or bloodwood even maybe. It machines really nice though and holds its features well. Any ideas?

[Clara Koss]

platter is very nice and the ornaments are GORGEOUS... happy holidays....:)

[Jon Lanier]

I love those ornaments, excellent idea!

[Eugene Wigley]

Jim, I really like the grain in the plate. The ornaments are very nice too. I'm just a newbie. I can't imagine how you turn the ornaments that thin. If I tried that the pieces would be on the other side of the shop long before I ever got them that thin. Thanks for posting this.