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Upload Date
3-26-2025
Department
Classics
Label Text
A small blue-white ceramic jar is adorned with painted purple, yellow, and white flowers. The design encircles ¾ of the jar and covers the lid. The design of the main jar is slightly off-center. A metal clasp and hinge allow the lid to open. Both the clasp and hinge are painted metallic gold. Trim lines the rim of the lid, painted in the same shade. Signs of use and possibly age are visible on the jar, with small scratches and dirt beginning to collect on its surface. There was also a small layer of powder inside the jar when it was first opened.
The flowers originally drew me to the jar, so I knew that in my photo I wanted to showcase their beauty. I primarily did this through post-processing using color isolation. First, I isolated the flowers using a mask, raising their saturation level. I then made a second mask to desaturate the rest of the image. My final mask focused on the rim and clasp of the jar, turning up the highlights to accentuate their metallic nature. For the entire photo, I raised the contrast to emphasize the wear on the jar’s surface, because I see it as another layer that makes this object interesting and beautiful. The choice to make the jar off-centered in my photo was meant to be reflective of the off-centered design of its surface. One may argue that this is a mistake and devalues the object. However, someone else may argue that this ‘imperfection’ makes the jar more unique. What do you think?
Camera Settings: Aperture
F16
Camera Settings: Shutter Speed
1/8
Camera Settings: ISO
100
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Found in
ADC study collections
