Tag Archives: Oil Can Project

1 Qt Liqd

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP23
Monochrome

When my Mom came out for a visit a few weeks ago I wasn’t positive I would be a good host. I’m not the entertaining type. Luckily everyone agreed it would be good to get out and explore one of my go-to consignment shops. I figured there is usually something for everyone and if not at least the hunt can be fun. I was able to find a cool addition for my Oil Can Project but I was apparently oblivious to the shopping being done by the others. Thanks Rea for getting me this cool oil can.

 

1 Qt Liqd
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8, 1/25s, 19mm, f/11, ISO 200

Ridges

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP21

When I started this project I didn’t anticipate it would grow to be this big. I have twenty eight different oil cans. I am still working my way through photographing them all. I eventually dedicated an entire 6-shelf bookcase to the project so I could display them (I’ll have to grab a pic to share).

It is probably an even split as to if I remember where I found each can. Some I have very clear memories of the “find” while others have blended into this collective memory that is probably due to bringing multiple cans home during a single consignment shop run. Now that I think about it, this weekend might be good for another adventure through my normal haunts… 🙂

I do remember finding this particular oil can. It was in a back corner of the Foothills Mercantile up in Barneveld, NY. There were three cans grouped together on the floor and it took my quite a few minutes to decide which can to bring home. It was a contest between two of the three (I eventually went back and grabbed the other can). The deciding point between the two cans was the ragged tag still attached to this one. It added a little story to the can that I wanted to capture.

  

Ridges
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 25s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 200

Dover

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP20

The second image in my next wave of updates to the Oil Can Project. This oil can presented a few more challenges in the setup as well as the post processing. Most of the oil cans I have found are dark and well aged. This one is quite bright and shiny. The decal on the front is a very bright yellow which required some manipulation of the monochrome conversion in order for it to stand out against the oil can itself.

  

Dover
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 15s, 27mm, f/11, ISO 200

Major

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP19

I have been way to complacent and it has been way too long since I truly worked on my Oil Can Project. I remedied that situation on Sunday. I was determined to find a good space in my apartment to use for my creative, indoor projects.

I have this extra long, pub height table in my dining area and I knew it could be utilized to my advantage. The large sliding glass doors are on the left and all the kitchen lighting is on the right. I figured out a way to hold the backdrops with one of my travel tripods and I cleaned up my reflective acrylic squares which I use to create the reflections. I had my new “studio”.

The light from the sliding glass doors was not as controllable as I had hoped but I could adjust the intensity of the kitchen lighting. Luckily when I bought curtains for the doors I selected light canceling ones. I adjusted the amount of light in the kitchen and was able to achieve the look I wanted. I definitely feel more comfortable with a static light setup than I do using a couple of flashes. I think my next big purchase is a Lume Cube setup.

This is the first result from my Sunday session. I have quite a few oil cans that I have picked-up over the last couple of years that I have not photographed. I guess this is a warning that my stream will be a little full of these images in the next few days.

  

Major
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 20s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 200

Pour Spout

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP18

Going to the 40th Annual Remsen Barn Festival of the Arts was good for me in a couple of ways. The most obvious being I was able to support a few artists and bring home more art to hang on my walls (I need to make room first, LOL). I’ll share what I purchased in a later post. I also was able to see what other artists are doing and that always gets my mind thinking (which doesn’t happen often enough).

The best result of my field trip to Remsen is I pulled out my “studio” setup and attempted to photograph a few more items for my Oil Can Project. I tried to go with a natural light setup due to the nice windows upstairs in my apartment but I still need to work a few things out. The session was not a total washout. I salvaged a nice image of an old oil can pour spout. I remember my Grandpa using one of these back when I was a lot younger.

Pour Spout
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 3.2s, 34mm, f/11, ISO 200

Red Stout

Posted by Mike on

Oil Can Project – OCP17

When I started this project over a year ago, one of the first oil cans I found was a yellow, stout looking little can. Late last year I found the yellow can’s red big brother. The cans are pretty much the same but this one has a longer nozzle. I realize the color is unimportant in these B&W images but if you compare the two ‘stout’ images you can envision the color associated with each one.

  

Red Stout
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/15s, 23mm, f/16, ISO 200