Submitter's name:	Alasdair Mackintosh
Title:	Candlescape
Gear used:	OM-4 + 100/2.8 + tripod
Diaphragm:	f2.8
Shutter speed:	approx 1/8
Film used:	Fujicolor 100 ASA.
Technical information:	One of a series of shots that I took with a similar theme, showing various arrangements of candles, glasses and a bottle on the table. In the first series that I took, I typically had a single item in focus, with the rest blurred. These didn't work terribly well: the final images only had a single point where the eye could rest. I took another series in which several elements were in focus (in this case the glass and the right-hand candle) and these seem to work a bit better. This particular shot seems to be the best, although it's still not quite the effect that I was trying to capture.
Subject information:	Clearly a totally artificial setup. It's after nightfall and the bottle hasn't even been opened yet...
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Comments:

Comment left by: Olaf Greve (ogreve@hotmail.com)

I like the atmosphere in this shot. The bokeh on the candles in the back and bottle make for a smooth dreamy composition. Nice!

Comment left by: Gary Edwards (garyetx@home.com)

I like several things about this, but I wish it were a tighter composition. It just seems too spread out for me. The three candle heights are just right.

Comment left by: Warren Kato (wkato@aol.com)

I like this photo in general, the composition and the bokeh. But what I really like is the way it forces the eye to the left to see the glass in sharp focus. Maybe this is a particular affliction just to photographers but I am forced to the left, which makes the space to the right larger. The eye seems to abhor the out-of-focus.

Comment left by: Christoph Hertzler (hertzler@ilt.fhg.de)

Very nice atmosphere and very good exposure. As you write, the setup is artificial - and it looks artifical. The alert eye will think: Why is the first candle and the glass in focus? Why are there 3 candles and only one glas on the table? But maybe that is the beginning of a story... For me the cabinet could have been more out of focus. The

Comment left by: Ian Nichols (i.a.nichols@bris.ac.uk)

Nice atmosphere, but you should have opened the bottle. I think the cork & corkscrew lying in front of it would have added to the atmosphere.

Comment left by: Ira Kahn (irakahn@netvision.net.il)

Warm inviting atmosphere in contrast to the cold formal composition keeps me coming back. Can't decide which is more dominant. Candles and glass are one of my favorite subjects, even after the doctor took the bottle away. Might make a good TOPE subject.

Comment left by: Author (no e-mail specified)

Thank you for the comments. I agree that this picture leaves something to be desired. Perhaps another series of attempts at the same subject would have yielded something better. I originally thought about this picture after we had just cleared away the remains of a large dinner party from our fully extended dining table. I noticed the way that the light reflected from the wood, and thought that a couple of candles on the table would photograph quite nicely. I then started thinking about Tope3 and bokeh, and thought that a series of candles, some in focus and some not, could be interesting. Unfortunately, a lot of the shots I tried didn't seem to work. They lacked a focal point where the eye could rest. Too much bokeh, and not enough proper subject. I still think there's a potentially good photograph here, but the current attempt isn't quite there. Perhaps a darker background would help?

Comment left by: Lex (lexjenkins@hotmail.com)

What a surprise! For some reason I've come to associate those startlingly colorful wide angle landscapes with you, Alasdair. As a painter I can see what you're trying to accomplish and definitely encourage you to keep at it. I can see great potential in this image by simply rearranging the elements. While I appreciate the offbeat aspect of having the sole in-focus element at far left, that may be stretching things a bit for most viewers. It needn't be centered, but keep it closer to orbit, I'd think. Personally, I love the background. But as you observed, perhaps it could be a bit darker so attention is maintained on the foreground. Composition suggestion: place the bottle partly behind the glass so the distortion adds an interesting optical effect - yet keep it far enough back to be out of focus compared with the glass; try clustering the candles together. You could spend years and many frames on a single type of composition - I have with just a favorite pot in my watercolors.

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