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Post by metalman on Feb 16, 2019 14:15:08 GMT -5
I see some really beautiful photos on here of pipes that you have taken the backgrounds are beautiful, the lighting's perfect. when I take photos of my pipes to list for sale they just don't have that wow to them. so what cameras do you use and do you use photo boxes, what makes you decide how to set up your background. help me out with any info you have please
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Post by McWiggins on Feb 16, 2019 15:08:54 GMT -5
Any product photography I do, I use more costly equipment and a box for color and light control. If you want something looking better than your average picture, the easiest setup is a hand held LED light panel, a cell phone and grab the app Snapseed. You can do a lot of post processing of the picture to help bring out the best. The next thing is to practice, practice, practice. In this modern day you dont have to pay for film and developing. So practice... a lot.  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 16, 2019 15:13:28 GMT -5
An slr would do the job well, along with a decent macro lens.
That said, you can get some great shots in your phone.
I would suggest snapseed to process photos on your phone. It's a brilliant application.
If you don't have a light box, choose a neutral, contrasting, uncluttered background.
Just a few thoughts.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 18:09:44 GMT -5
I take my photos with the camera of my old iPhone 4S. I use the sidelight from a halogen torchiere. The use of a flat surface, either the chessboard base for my computer or a variety of colored towels (unused, preferably  ), and then hold the phone as firmly as I can and at the best angle, and that's it. I can take as many as nine photos and then choose the best one, delete the rest. I scan the fibers on the cloth of the towels and other details for a good resolution level. I crop and then enhance the lighting/contrast/color with a basic app included in my computer's photo viewer program. But I just want to display the pipe that I'm smoking in recognizable detail while suggesting some of the environment that it inhabits. No aesthetic compulsion beyond that pedestrian motivation. For really decent and many beautiful photos, I suggest that you follow the advice of other posters here who are really gifted and dedicated to the art. I too will be reading what they have to share. |
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Post by william on Feb 16, 2019 18:53:28 GMT -5
I think the folks who do this for a living have learned to control light. And controlling light can be fairly difficult--and expensive. So McWiggins can create a lighting setup that he can duplicate time after time. But it's a hit-and-miss proposition for most folks. I dabble in photography but avoid artificial light as much as possible. Unless you can control it, it has a tendency to produce sharp shadows. And Paddy's advice about a light box is good. And the best light box on the planet is free--a cloudy sky (or a shady spot if the sun is shining.) I will offer a couple of tips: 1. Buy some flooring tiles from a home improvement store, put them in the shade, and shoot downward avoiding anything in the background. That's what I did here.  Contrast is good. Here is a shot of a somewhat delicate rose on a weathered deck rail. Note that the background is blurred because it is several feet away. Distance from the background will usually create some degree of blur. If you are using a SLR camera, choose a wide aperture for this effect.  And sometimes I use an infinity (or seamless) background. Buy some poster paper, tape one end to something, and let the rest slope toward you. The part most distant will be a bit blurry and if you place your photographic subject closer to you and farther away from the background, it will result in a pleasing effect. Here is a picture of a mandolin that I shot in front of a piece of poster paper.  McWiggins is right about practice. Take a lot of shots, learn from them, toss out what doesn't work.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 19:12:27 GMT -5
Is "Snapseed" for mobile only, or can you download to your laptop too?
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Post by william on Feb 16, 2019 19:22:06 GMT -5
@markinor I know nothing about Snapseed, but you might want to look at Adobe Photoshop Express. It is free and works on PC and Android devices. I really do think that a bit of post-processing is essential. My hero of the photographic world (Ansel Adams) once said "the negative is the score, the print the performance." I agree. www.photoshop.com/products/photoshopexpress |
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Mac
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First Name: John
Favorite Pipe: Ken Barnes Canted Billiard
Favorite Tobacco: Margate, Smyrna, Vintage Syrian
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Post by Mac on Feb 16, 2019 20:05:21 GMT -5
For users of smartphones or small cameras mostly:
If you know how to set exposure on the object you don't need to read this!
Reduce the contrast between the pipe and its background. Specifically, don't photograph a dark pipe on a white background. Nor a white or light pipe on a dark background. The reason is many cameras on auto exposure average out the light, so dark pipes get underexposed, and light ones on black get under exposed.
Have the light come mostly from behind the camera. Indirect natural lighting is best. Not direct sunlight nor flash if it can be avoided.
Some smartphones allow you to choose the focal point and it will also set—to some degree— the exposure to that area.
For experienced photographers none of the above need be said as there are countless ways to make adjustments. Please add any further comments below.
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Mac
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Posts: 834
First Name: John
Favorite Pipe: Ken Barnes Canted Billiard
Favorite Tobacco: Margate, Smyrna, Vintage Syrian
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Post by Mac on Feb 16, 2019 20:17:25 GMT -5
Not crazy about the background, but it shows off the pipes pretty well. These are two basket pipes from the UK, buffed with carnauba at The Briar Patch in Sacramento. Both with iPhone.  This doesn't illustrate much, but is a photo I like.  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 17, 2019 3:04:03 GMT -5
Is "Snapseed" for mobile only, or can you download to your laptop too? I think it's only mobile devices, which is a shame. It's very Powerful. |
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), and then hold the phone as firmly as I can and at the best angle, and that's it. I can take as many as nine photos and then choose the best one, delete the rest. I scan the fibers on the cloth of the towels and other details for a good resolution level. I crop and then enhance the lighting/contrast/color with a basic app included in my computer's photo viewer program. 
