Still life W/ ball of dirt

[zen]

I originally posted this shot (pre-crop) along w/ two others, of my 2nd attempt at dorodango (check thread in Viewfinder for more info) This seems to the favorite, so I figured I'd throw myself to the lions, with it.

[LeeIs]

Hey zen, I like the composition here. but the lighting is a bit harsh for still life, imo. Like the strong shadow the ball casts. Also the background that's in deep black also takes away from this. I think the same set up with a different lighting arrangement could boost this shot. nice one still.

[MB1]

Did you use a strong flash?

There is quite a bit of contrast between the foreground and background. I'd like to see it with more detail in the background to compare with this image.

The reflection highlight on the "dirtball" seems too bright to me.

[zen]

I used a flashlight. Yeah I did burn out the highlights, and lost everything in the shadows huh?
I think I will try it with a more diffuse light source. Thanks for the feedback.
Included is one shot only ambient light, it was well after dusk, but not quite "dark" yet. The camera's AF couldn't focus even with the flashlight shone directly on the twig and ball from less than three ft. LOL

I'll also run this through a free trial of Topaz I have right now.