O2AFAC67
disciple
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever...
Posts: 182
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Post by O2AFAC67 on Jul 23, 2007 12:00:08 GMT -5
bright and cheery on a sunny day!...   Cheers, Ron   |
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Post by GJ on Jul 23, 2007 12:35:20 GMT -5
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Post by rickatkins on Jul 24, 2007 7:07:35 GMT -5
Hi Ron,
I have to say your ability to constantly deliver superb timepiece photographs is awe inspriring.
Another stunner.
Thanks for sharing,
Rick.
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Post by Scott D on Jul 24, 2007 8:12:46 GMT -5
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Post by chancellor842 on Jul 25, 2007 8:39:33 GMT -5
very nice shots
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Post by CopyCat on Jul 25, 2007 11:03:22 GMT -5
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Post by wbarker on Jul 25, 2007 15:59:40 GMT -5
Outstanding, what is your set up, if that can be asked here? Do you use a light tent of your own making or commercial?
Bill
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O2AFAC67
disciple
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever...
Posts: 182
|
Post by O2AFAC67 on Jul 25, 2007 17:44:33 GMT -5
to take shots like that. I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I first started taking watch photos about three years ago. Back then I only had a couple of little Kodak "Easyshare" digital cameras and the software supplied with them. The first camera was 3 megapixels and the second was 5MP. I tried setting up and composing all kinds of shots with them and thought I was doing well until I compared them to some of the wonderful shots I was seeing on the watch forums. I had to try to improve! Sympatheticaly, wifey researched digital SLR's and presented a new 8.3MP Canon Digital Rebel XT and a tri-pod to me for Christmas 2005. Using the standard 18-55mm "kit" lense which came with the camera, I continued trying to set up different types of watch shots, soon discovering that "natural" light outdoors worked a heck of a lot better than indoor incandescent lighting. I was also learning that by using old pillow cases and sheets strategically placed and hung I could diffuse the light and diminish glare and "hotspots" fairly well. In addition, I realized I could use focal length, magnification and focus to provide good "depth of field" in a shot. I had read suggestions on the web regarding light boxes and indirect lighting and I tried unsuccesfully to "jerry rig" one but didn't have proper lamps for it. Pause... Wifey bought a special "professional" light box ( www.tigersupplies.com/Products/Porta-Studio-by-Porta-Trace-Gagne__PS1012-2C.aspx ) for me last Christmas which she had found on the web. I have used it for a very few shots (some of which you can see in my "flickr" slideshow: Breitling Pics Slideshow ) of the EVO but not for any other watches. I think it is ideal for brightly lit detail shots to use for Ebay auction pictures and such but I would need to invest in better lenses to realistically take advantage of the setup. Resume... Too lazy to go through all the gyrations of photo taking outside on the driveway or patio, I decided to try a different route. I had bought an Eilux Everwell triple watch winder a few years ago and still had the box for it. It measures approx. 10" high, 12" wide and 10" across. The top is open and one wide side is "hinged" at the bottom and split on each side, meaning one of the wide sides will fold down flat opening the box on a side as well as the top. (Hope you're getting this description.  ) I use the inside walls of the box to attach white paper with scotch tape to help gather more light. I set the box on a small table in front of the large sliding glass door to the patio which is the source of the natural (sun) light. With the sunlight coming from the back of the tripod mounted camera which is pointed into the open side of the box, I compose the shot on the bottom of the box. When I'm satisfied with the shot through the viewfinder, I take a few test shots to see how they look on the color LCD viewer. When I'm ready to shoot, I set the camera shutter on 10 second countdown timer and trip it. During the delay, I hold a white cloth diaper up behind the camera providing some shadow and light diffusion while the shutter trips. The shots will appear a little dark in the viewer but that's what I want in the shot because software is going to help bring out the beauty. I've learned to use simple things like a piece of curved paper or rumpled cloth behind the subject to blur the background when the depth of field is optimized in the shot. Those two yellow gold backgrounds in the pics in this thread are nothing more than the golf shirt on which the watch is placed. The dark shading in the background is simply the bunched and folded cloth of the shirt. I use autofocus and no flash on the camera. Simple. Next I remove the memory card and download the shots to my computer. I then use Picasa2 to crop and edit the shots for highlights, color warmth and depth and sharpness. I re-size (reduce) them using Irfanview keeping the ones I like and disposing of the rest. Both software packages are "freeware" from the web. I then upload them to an image server and post 'em. With a little practice, you can take some pretty darn nice shots with this setup and have them on the forum fairly quick. In any case, I hope this overly long dissertation helps you increase your picture taking fun. It certainly has increased my enjoyment of my watch collection. Even if I lose, sell or give any of them away, I'll be able to go back and see them again any time. Good luck and Cheers, Ron |
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Post by wbarker on Jul 25, 2007 18:02:22 GMT -5
Ron,
Thanks for the very detailed lesson. I hope to emulate your efforts someday. Best,
Bill
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Post by Scott D on Jul 25, 2007 19:55:59 GMT -5
Ron, Fantastic photo lesson.. Thanks for the insights...  Trial & error doesn't even begin to cover it - does it??? ;D |
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