Stuck inside

 Normally if the outside air temp gets to zero or just above or the wind is not too severe, I would be out and about. At least exploring the frozen creek. In fact I was looking forward to it.

Instead I pulled some lower back muscles and kind of mucked myself up. I think Grandma had a different word for it. 'Stove up.' Not sure where that comes from but dang it is how I have felt for the past few days.

Chores are a work of agony in a way. I have to use a hay fork and pile up hay in a huge sled and drag it out then toss it around. Thank goodness for the heated stock tank, but draining the hoses after filling it was another interesting experience.

Rest, Ice, and reading have been my new companions. Also getting yelled at gently by my hubby. 
Today I have to drive him to the Madison VA for his shot. Good, at least it will be in a facility that can help if he has a reaction. [My biggest worry]

So, because I'm going stir crazy, I decided to get out some items and follow an instructional video on specular lighting and Still Life.

Charlie has been doing his best to deal with no daily walks. I think he is doing better than I am!

So the Video Dude said to get out a bunch of things that would throw off light.
Check...

So the gnome doesn't throw off highlights but in the back of my mind I wanted to mess around with the gnome and the paperweight anyway.
The Video Dude said to 'sketch out' Still Life set ups. Pfft. That never worked for me at all. I just start placing stuff here and there and go with it. Video Dude said to follow the Rule of Thirds, to use the L shape for interest and leading lines. 

Um.

Then he went on to close all the light from HIS windows and then brought out a Light Stand with a Soft Box diffuser on it. 
Oh.
Granted, he was using HIS dining room table in an apartment, but he was using lights I didn't have ...and a flash tethered to his camera. Um. Not stuff I have or am going to invest in unless I become a person who sells my stuff.

I stopped the video. I'd thought it was going to present me with some ideas on how to do some Still Life without the fancy lights.
Poo.

So I got out my scrap piece of felt and draped it over the laptop, a chair and across the table. Then positioned the Gnome and the glass paperweight.

The idea was to get reflections off the glass orb and light up one side of the Gnome's face. So I sort of did a low key shot with specular highlights. That sounds like a mouthful. Basically I moved things around with the felt cloth until I could 'control' the light. No flash, no soft box. Just the kitchen table and felt.

I was happy with that and decided to try something else. I placed a board down on the old busted chair and draped the cloth over it. I'd put a sheet up to tone down the sunlight coming in from the porch and to keep the afternoon sun from shining in on Rich's face while he was watching TV.

The poster board was supposed to reflect a tiny bit of light on gnome and dragons for highlights.

The shot before darkening the black.

The shot after darkening the black felt and highlighting the beard and dragon faces.

I have some more 'polishing' to do on the black, but here are the first drafts.

Next up. 

The sleeping dragon and the Wizard Gnome.

Before.

After.

Oh yes, should I include the grumpy guy on the couch? I kept walking back and forth in front of the TV while setting things up and shooting. He kept sighing.

I set up some more dragons and items but I'll save that for another time.

I did shoot my English Ivy plant but was so disappointed in all the reflections on the pot.

The fix? Easy. Crop the sucker!

I'm still going to figure out ... I hope, how to take glass objects and figure out how to control the light and reflections. It will take sheets, felt, windows, and creative thinking along with a lot of mistakes.

But I may as well make use of my time while I am stuck inside.