How I took it: Ring Shots

Photographer: Al Jurina
This photos was taken using a simple tripod-mounted SLR. I used my 85mm lens opened up to f/1.8 and a shutter speed of 1/4 of a second. ISO was 800. The mirror-like surface is actually the chrome lid of a scented candle I had around the house. When working with highly reflective surfaces, it is sometimes better to avoid flashes due to the hassle of dealing with harsh highlights from them. This is why my ISO is set so high (to get a decent exposure with the ambient light in my house). A quick conversion to black and white, and some minor sharpening, and we've got ourselves a photo.

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