Flying peg of chinese checker – grab it

Requirements for flying peg photography:

• A transparent glass
• Chess or Chinese checker board with pegs or marbles
• Both side tape
• A scissor
• A stool or table
• A model

How to click or the technique behind the flying peg photo shoot

Choose a well-lighted room or rooftop. Ask your assistant (Nandita was my assistant) to grab or hold the glass firmly against the model (Biyas was my model). Model should be on the opposite side of the light.
Put an imaginary demarcation line on the table. Place the glass on the table in such a way so that you can put the Chinese checker or chessboard easily at the inner side of the glass i.e. model side.

Now the main trick. Choose a peg of chess or checker board and affix a very small both side tape. Place the piece on the outer part of the glass i.e. camera side. Your model may touch the inner side of the glass.
However, on placing the peg of chinese checker you should be rest assure that the tape is invisible in front of the camera.

Camera specification:

Manual focus helps you to focus the affixed peg of Chinese checker faster than the auto focus.
Shutter speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/3.5 or f/4
ISO: 100-400 as per the lighting condition
I use a 50mm prime lens. You can use a kit lens 18-55mm instead of 50mm prime.
Composition is upto you. I place the peg of checker on the glass in such a manner so that the viewers may think that model (Biyas) wants to grab the flying chinese checker’s peg.

Another composition was that Biyas threw pegs of checker in the air.When I shoot those above compositions my inner mind tickle some more conformations with other props like cards, scissor etc. I am sure you can think better than me about composition and props. Next time give me the new thoughts based on this flying peg idea.

I have no conventional cards. Biyas gave me her Toptrums card. She was so kind. These cards are based on cartoon character Chota Bheem. I put chota bheem image card on the outer part of the glass i.e. camera side and asked Biyas to throw the rest of the cards other side of the glass area i.e. model side.

I also captured a scissor, which affixed on the outer part of the glass, and Biyas wants to grab it.

The main idea behind those compositions were that the subject was in the air and camera freeze that particular precious moment. One observation from my side is that if the model, checker or chessboard, cards that are inner side of the glass is blur or out of focus, the composition looks more pertinent. Viewers can easily attract to view on the peg of checker or card or scissor first then rest of the picture.

Intentionally I did not clean the glass so that you can easily understand the inner technique behind the composition, inner and outer part of the glass.

Hope the above ideas help you to develop more compositions. Waiting to see your surprising compositions, which may help me to improve my thoughts more and more. All the very best.