posted on January 11, 2002 09:44:54 AM new
Does anyone here have information or suggestions for building a sort of "photo area" for picture taking. i.e., lighting, backgrounds, etc. I want to put something together so that I have just one spot I go to for most of my pictures, but I (of course) want the best quality possible. Thanks guys! .....Deb
posted on January 11, 2002 01:25:38 PM new
I have recessed lighting throughout my entire house. They take those large halogen spotlight bulbs (like outdoor floodlights). In one particuler room, there is a little nook with a bulb right overhead. I have a shelf that stands about 4 feet high there. Anyway, the top of that shelf is where I take the best pics of items. I usually have to stand on a chair but the lighting is always just right.
posted on January 11, 2002 04:51:01 PM new
a coffee table or end table would be a good start,shop homedepot for those clamp lamps to clamp on the sides of the table,find a swing lamp over the table which you can move .
you need cardboard paper for background ,you can find them in arts and crafts supply shop,you need background paper in supermarket or crafts shop.
start with a low budget so if it does not work,it has not cost you an arm or a leg.
several books i bot do not tell me much,many of us learn thru trial and error.
posted on January 12, 2002 07:06:15 AM new
I use either a white, gray or black piece of fabric for the background. That way the object is the center of attention and it reduces the pixels in the picture. I take many photos of linens that have white embroidery on a white background. The only way I have been able to get that to show on a picture is to use diffused natural light. The best place I found for this is on top of my stove by a sliding glass door. I have learned to use the light settings in my camera and set the setting to shade. Then I use the photo enhancing software that came with my camera and have been able to adjust the brightness, etc. Also, diffuse light works for glass pieces. Flash only works for me with fabric pieces that have color. the fabric absorbs the "flash" from the camera and the colors come out clean and crisp. When I have used halogen lights my pictures have a yellow cast to them taht I have had a hard time adjusting in the picture.
posted on January 12, 2002 08:39:36 AM new
using fabric as background do wonder for certain items like jewelry.halogen lightbulbs i am always afraid it may be a fire hazard as i can leave the light on for long time while i go about editing on pc .
posted on January 12, 2002 09:26:54 AM new
Try this:
(1) 6 ft hardboard meeting table: $15.00
(4) Clamp-on shop lamps: $12.00
(2) 48" EZ-Hold clamps for lamps: $18.00
(4) GE "Reveal" 60W color-adj bulbs: $9.00
(4) 48" fabric (4 different colors): $6.50
(1) 6-way switchable outlet: $7.50
(1) Adjustable camera tripod: $11.50
(2) 24 x 36 1/2-in plywood: $5.00
(2) Small packing crates: $0.00
(1) Up-ended Priority Mail box: $0.00
Total instant photo studio cost: $84.50. You can probably do it cheaper since I had to do it a step at a time. Works great for me, can photograph anything big or small, equally easy to use zoom or macro lens, never any problems balancing color, no flash required so no glare, 99% of the time get a good shot on the first attempt, occupies one discrete area plus under-table-storage.
posted on January 12, 2002 09:55:55 AM new
sounds like a handyman deal,can you explain how to set all these items up??
what is the prioritybox and plywood for??
posted on January 12, 2002 10:13:40 AM new
I have a counter at my B&M that is right under a flourescent light .. and an old piece of the same countertop that I stick up against it (luckily the chimney is right behind there to hold up the extra piece. Amazing the pix turn out beautiful!
In my new B&M I will be setting up an area in my office for pix. I plan on hanging 2 sets of curtains behind ... one white and one dark ... so I have a better background for clothing shots. I am doing them on the floor now and I don't like how the pix turn out.
I always turn the flash off. MOST IMPORTANTLY if you are using a Sony Mavica only reuse the discs once or the pix will be blurry. I was driving myself crazy until someone posted the answer to that problem!
posted on January 12, 2002 10:19:59 AM new
>> sounds like a handyman deal, can you explain how to set all these items up??
what is the prioritybox and plywood for??
It's a handyman deal for sure, but I have no doubt anyone can do it.
Set up the table with one short end against the wall. Attach a carpenter clamp on either side of the table edge (they have hand-tighteners so they can be instantly detached and placed wherever needed). Attach two shop lamps to each clamp, one high up pointing down, one lower down pointing straight ahead. Position your camera between and just behind the two lower lights (maximum shadow elimination).
Place the outlet in the middle of the table so you can slide the whole thing around as needed (you can also plug your digital camera power adapter into it). You can quickly turn the whole affair on/off with one switch, and the outlet has a separate circuit breaker so you're protected. I have my computer adjacent to my table so the camera USB connector is left plugged in the back.
The crates sit up against the wall to provide a secure rest for the item to be photographed. The plywood is set up against the wall to provide a smooth surface for the fabric, which is attached with push pins and draped over the crates. You can change things around very quickly, but in practice once you find a comfortable setup you generally leave it alone.
The small priority mail box provides a tiny "podium" to place special items on that require macro lens or which need to be leaned up against something (you simply put the box under the fabric). You can stiffen the surface with an extra piece of cardboard if it's a heavier item.
That's it. You can photograph just about anything you can lift. Results to date have been excellent.
posted on January 12, 2002 10:20:45 AM new
Without extras, which are very nice to have, my friend takes pix of dolls outside in subdued sunlight (bright daylight, but not in the sun). They are beautiful.
posted on January 12, 2002 06:15:27 PM new
WOW, thanks everyone! I'm using the Mavica FD73, and it's just not doing the well lately. A friend bought the 75, and her pictures are great, with little effort. Since the resolution is the same, I'm wondering if I'm having camera, or ME problems!
posted on January 12, 2002 07:01:06 PM new
did you clean your lens??
did you leave the switch on to macro when shooting from a distance and vice versa?
how about the batteries,there are actually 2 batteries in that camera.
someone mentioned reused floppy disk??
posted on January 12, 2002 07:46:44 PM new
Stopwhining.. There's only one battery that I'm aware of, and there is no Macro switch on the 73. Just "fine" and regular.
Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. ....Deb
posted on January 12, 2002 08:18:11 PM new
there are 2 batteries,there is one smaller one most dont know of until it conked out and you get messages,it was discussed before.
but if you are not getting error messages,then battery is not the problem.
i reused my floppy ,someone said that is not good??
may be your camera has served its purpose .
posted on January 13, 2002 09:09:31 AM new
Here's another comparison. My pic could have come out better, but the other guy's is just terrible. I do believe the quality of the photo affects the final value.
posted on January 13, 2002 09:31:07 AM new
There's no trick to it. Those pics were taken outside in full sunlight. I prefer outdoors as it's easier to get the correct exposure on my cheapo digital camera.
I usually remove the background and substitute a subtle shadow. Either use Photoshop's magic wand to select the object, or use the pen tool to create a path and convert it into a selection. Then paste the selection into a new image, resize the layer, and apply the Unsharp Mask filter to recover some of the sharpness that is lost in resizing. Then add a shadow.
Photoshop has lots of useful tools for adjusting your photo, but alas, even Photoshop couldn't fix photos like those. Try the Levels filter for equalizing the light levels.
There are some free filters here. I recommend the KPT Equalizer.
I use Extensis PhotoTools for creating either a drop or perspective shadow, but you can create your own shadow easily by duplicating the layer, filling the object with a gray color, then applying Gaussian blur, distorting the layer (if desired) and adjusting the opacity. Voila! instant drop shadow.
One tip I would suggest is to preserve as much quality as possible throughout the process. Work in native format (such as TIF or BMP) and avoid saving as JPG until you are finished. I use a lower compression setting for better quality. If you are squishing a big photo down to 10Kb, it's going to look like crap.
