I just dont understand you some of you get such great photos. Maybe I need a better camera. I have been using a Sony Cyber Shot with 5 megapixles. I just cant get the kind of photos I have seen posted here. Any recomendations? I want to post some photos of the knives I have made but my photography skills suck.
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My photos stink
- Thread starter bhauer
- Start date
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 75,836
Post some pictures. Maybe we can see the problem.
Getting beter at photogrophy is a matter of fixing the big problems, then the small ones.
Take a look at this thread.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328550&page=5
Jim Cooper as well as many others have some great ideas for building homemade light tents and light booths out of PVC pipes and some sort of diffusion material. Look at some of the "how-to" pictures and you'll understand what I'm talking about. The tents and booths produce a soft, even quality of light without harsh shadows.
Just starting out, I don't think it gets any easier than a bright, overcast day. They don't call it "nature's softbox" for nothing.
Continous light sources like floodlights give you more control on where the light is coming from. It also allows you to see what the light does to your subject (ie where the highlights and shadows are) as you move the lights around the scene.
Get to know what color balance settings work best for the type of bulbs you are using. Better still is to learn how to take a custom white balance reading. I think it's far easier to make the proper setting in-camera instead of relying on Photoshop (or some other program) to try and fix a bad color cast. Photoshop only goes so far.
It's not like you're burning through rolls and rolls of film...LOL...It's digital...take lots of photos but TAKE GOOD NOTES. A little lighting diagram, exposure/white balance settings, etc. This way, when you get a photo you're happy with, you can look at the notes and be able to duplicate the setup.
Most importantly, don't get discouraged.
Jim
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328550&page=5
Jim Cooper as well as many others have some great ideas for building homemade light tents and light booths out of PVC pipes and some sort of diffusion material. Look at some of the "how-to" pictures and you'll understand what I'm talking about. The tents and booths produce a soft, even quality of light without harsh shadows.
Just starting out, I don't think it gets any easier than a bright, overcast day. They don't call it "nature's softbox" for nothing.
Continous light sources like floodlights give you more control on where the light is coming from. It also allows you to see what the light does to your subject (ie where the highlights and shadows are) as you move the lights around the scene.
Get to know what color balance settings work best for the type of bulbs you are using. Better still is to learn how to take a custom white balance reading. I think it's far easier to make the proper setting in-camera instead of relying on Photoshop (or some other program) to try and fix a bad color cast. Photoshop only goes so far.
It's not like you're burning through rolls and rolls of film...LOL...It's digital...take lots of photos but TAKE GOOD NOTES. A little lighting diagram, exposure/white balance settings, etc. This way, when you get a photo you're happy with, you can look at the notes and be able to duplicate the setup.
Most importantly, don't get discouraged.
Jim
RokJok
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2000
- Messages
- 4,200
Check out the link below that leads to tons of tutorials, tips, tricks, techniques, and webpages dealing with knife photography. It's also linked in my sig.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330909
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330909
- Joined
- Oct 1, 1999
- Messages
- 6,490
PhilL pioneered the use of a window
Gee thanks Wally, yeah I know I'm old, but not old enough to invent the window.
Man a 5 megapixel camera, better than what I have.
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2001
- Messages
- 3,758
BHauer, I have the same camera. So does Coop. When he uses it, he gets fantastic shots and mine are at best so-so. It ain't the camera. Light, the right kind and the right amount is the key. Practice and read up on as many of Coop's and Phil's posts as you can. Some are in other forums as well.
Good luck,
Greg
Good luck,
Greg
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2001
- Messages
- 12,336
95% of good knife photography is about lighting. 100% of GREAT knife photography is.... about lighting.
Your camera is not holding you back. We could take shots that would knock your socks off using that camera.
Come back with examples.... :thumbup:
(Thanks for the props, Jim.)
Coop
Your camera is not holding you back. We could take shots that would knock your socks off using that camera.
Come back with examples.... :thumbup:
(Thanks for the props, Jim.
)Coop
I agree with what the others have said...
I don't think that your camera is holding you back.
I use a 3.2 MP camera with only a 15X zoom and I can get nice pics (at least I think they're nice).
Here are a few shots I made without photoshop or any other enhancements, just by trial and error.
I admit that I take LOTS of pics....but I only keep a few.
Keep at it and don't give up.
And yes, Coop's right, lighting really is the key...and a tripod!
Good luck,
Allen
I don't think that your camera is holding you back.
I use a 3.2 MP camera with only a 15X zoom and I can get nice pics (at least I think they're nice).
Here are a few shots I made without photoshop or any other enhancements, just by trial and error.
I admit that I take LOTS of pics....but I only keep a few.
Keep at it and don't give up.
And yes, Coop's right, lighting really is the key...and a tripod!
Good luck,
Allen