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Photographing your pens

paulm

paulm

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This topic has probably been on the forum several times but I wanted to know what the best set up was for taking pictures of pens. I've just bought a light box hoping it would be a magic bullet to compensate for my inability to set up the camera/lens/aperture/speed combination/flash
Here is an effort just trying to get it right but without posing the pen. You solved my saw issue and so I'm relying on you to do the same with my camera. I bought the light box from ebay Portable Camera Photo Studio KIT TENT/LIGHT/BOX​/TRIPOD | eBay
 

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Mr Finch

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Silver shared a link (to IAP) in another thread a few days ago to a cheapskate's method of photgraphing using an iPhone with HDR turned on:

http://www.penturners.co.uk/off-topic-forum/2316-taking-photos-your-work.html

The guy is basically setting up a make-shift light tent and using his iPhone for the photos.

I haven't gone this far yet. I have a decent DSLR and light tent with studio flashes but I can't be bothered to set it up every time I want to photograph a pen right now. I am hoping that SWMBO will allocate me a small corner to leave it set up in somewhere indoors.
 
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Mr Finch

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Love that the eBay lister you link to lists their location as Portsmouth! Reading the listing suggests this is a Chinese company. You had no problems with delivery etc I guess?
 
paulm

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I ordered it 2 days ago and got it today. I too wondered about the address but seems like it was good. Not a bad product either for the money

Mr Finch said:
Love that the eBay lister you link to lists their location as Portsmouth! Reading the listing suggests this is a Chinese company. You had no problems with delivery etc I guess?
Click to expand...
 
paulm

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Mr Finch said:
Silver shared a link (to IAP) in another thread a few days ago to a cheapskate's method of photgraphing using an iPhone with HDR turned on:

http://www.penturners.co.uk/off-topic-forum/2316-taking-photos-your-work.html

The guy is basically setting up a make-shift light tent and using his iPhone for the photos.

I haven't gone this far yet. I have a decent DSLR and light tent with studio flashes but I can't be bothered to set it up every time I want to photograph a pen right now. I am hoping that SWMBO will allocate me a small corner to leave it set up in somewhere indoors.
Click to expand...

I saw this but would like to try and set it up so that can use my dslr and have a repeatable consistency
 
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paulm said:
I saw this but would like to try and set it up so that can use my dslr and have a repeatable consistency
Click to expand...

In theory there's no reason why you couldn't use the DSLR & Tripod instead of the iPhone. The lighting (to me) is the most important issue, and, with the miracle of photoshop (Unsharp mask with settings 20, 60 and 0) most of the time the HDR isn't even needed.

I rather like the look of the more expensive light tent they sell on that eBay link. Mine is great but it takes an hour to set up and pack away and takes up loads of space. Something like the £70 one that's packable and portable looks ideal.
 
Incognitouk

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you dont need to spend a lot of money on a light tent i built my own some years ago and it cost me £10 for the mats i will post a picture up of it when i can dig it out from under my workbench
 
paulm

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I thought about the more expensive one but it was the size of every thing that put me off and I thought this would have been good enough. I do play with photoshop but would like to be able to do less and just take the photos with a a consistent outcome and plonk them on the web. It might just be a dream though :whistling:
 
paulm

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Incognitouk said:
you dont need to spend a lot of money on a light tent i built my own some years ago and it cost me £10 for the mats i will post a picture up of it when i can dig it out from under my workbench
Click to expand...

Thanks Incognitouk. I did think of making myself one too but at £29 with the lights, camera stand and backdrops, I didn't think it was worth the effort.
 
stevenw1963

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Persoanlly, I just use a roll of white lining paper, the kind you put on the wall behind wallpaper.
If not that I have 4 or 5 pieces of white A4 card I make a box out of.
Anything white will prob do, it is the lighting that makes the difference, if you only have the camera flash then you need to bounce it around the white surround, whatever it is, to try and get as even a light as possible.
 
Woody

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I just use a cheep point and click preferable outside on a white sheet or near a window then if need be I use gimp a free download which Brian put me on to but I am considering a light tent for in the evening or on a dull day
 
silver

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I have used one of these for quite a while, I have brought this in partnership with my son so it worked not too steep when you look at the many outfits that are out there.

OTAMAT group :: Photo Light Boxes

Now I have do one photography for many years and have all the slides to prove it..:sob:

This in my opinion is so small, compact and simple to use, set up and leave out when SWIMBO doesn't even notice it sometimes..:thumbs:

In my opinion well worth the wedge we spent out on it..

But I agree you can make very simple set ups, but I always looking for an easier way and quick as I would prefer to spend time turning pens than taking pictures of theme..:thumbs:
 
Jim

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Taking my photo's outside placed on a piece of Opal coloured acrylic sheet works for me ... :thinks:
 
Grump

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I do love to look at a good pic and have seen some stunning work on this and other forums.
I have also seen some total rubbish and tried to encourage the poor to get better.
It is true we all want to turn rather than shoot but if you are going to take the trouble to show it off then at least take the trouble to show it off as nice as you can.
I won't mention names eh Bluntchisel but what I have seen recently is a vast improvement in the quality of pictures in general, this helps also to make the forums more presentable.
I have a light tent and all the whistles and bangs of a dslr camera but for my pens and small macro work I use a simple set up of folded white paper that lives in my bureau drawer with a quick point and shoot in macro mode.
 
silver

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Grump said:
It is true we all want to turn rather than shoot but if you are going to take the trouble to show it off then at least take the trouble to show it off as nice as you can.
I use a simple set up of folded white paper that lives in my bureau drawer with a quick point and shoot in macro mode.
Click to expand...

I turn every day,, to the left and the right..:funny:

Simple set up.. Bureau.... I don't have the room for one in our house..
 
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