Opinions?

[Anonymous]

I have been playing with settings all day. I set the white balance with a white sheet of paper under the lights per my minolta manual. I think I have that good. I have been messing with all the other settings. I am getting there but not quite happy yet. I think I have coins looking ok for being taken in the house under lights. Each object takes different settings I am finding out. Now I am wondering about the exposure. If I lighten it till the white background looks white it washes out the object. If I under expose it a little it looks like it does in person but I don't like the shadows. I changed aperture settings, ISO settings, Exposure settings, Contrast settings and color saturation settings. I didn't write anything down and took many pictures but I am starting to get a feel for the different functions. Long ways to go yet.
Other than a light tent which I think would be a big help, any other ideas what I might try?
Thanks!
<center><img src="http://users.mcleodusa.net/j/jegleg/photos3/seatedhalf1.jpg"></center><center><img src="http://users.mcleodusa.net/j/jegleg/photos3/seatedhalf2.jpg"></center><center><img src="http://users.mcleodusa.net/j/jegleg/photos3/bottle1.jpg"></center><center><img src="http://users.mcleodusa.net/j/jegleg/photos3/bottle2.jpg"></center><center><img src="http://users.mcleodusa.net/j/jegleg/photos3/crock1.jpg"></center>

 

[Anonymous]

Ric ... it looks like you're doing all the right things by experimenting with the camera. The better you get to know it and it's settings the better pictures you'll be able to take.
You should try to crop your subject in the camera and use an exposure method (ie spot metering and/or locking the exposure) to get the main object properly exposed.
Sometimes you can't do it all in the camera or by rearranging the lighting, etc. If after doing everything possible, the range is still too great (ie can't get all areas properly exposed), I'd consider using image processing in a good graphics program and use one of the selection tools to select just the portion which I want to change the exposure for (or any other changes) and leave the part that's okay as is.
For example, with your coin above I'd crop it much more tightly, select the coin and and play around with it's setting(s). That is, use a curve tool or something similar to darken it, etc. Or, alternatively you could invert the selection so only the background is selected and play with it's setting(s) by making it very dark or very light (whichever looks best). Also a combination of both these techniques could be used or you could select the coin and copy it to a totally different image with a background you like (all black , all white or a nice texture for example)... etc, etc. It's almost endless what you can do with software like Photo Shop, Paint Shop Pro, or whatever comes with your camera or scanner, etc.
I prefer trying my best to improve things in-camera before I start mucking around with an image in a graphics program but sometimes a picture can only be improved by such manipulation ... it's more common than you'd ever guess.
Good luck and have fun ... Gord.

 

[Anonymous]

I am trying to get the best pictures possible to sell stuff on ebay. If I start enhancing photos with paint shop pro (What I have) for auction photos, I will eventually get burnt by a buyer that that is not happy with the item when they get it compared to the photo. This happens all the time with jewelry sellers on ebay that have pro display photos of their pieces then the customer gets them and they do not look as brilliant as they do in the auction and they leave bad feedback. I messed around a little bit and I could make that blue bottle look awesome, more blue than it really is. I can even do this with the camera alone by increasing the color saturation. I need the best, most realistic, photos I can from the camera. I am noticing that some pics I took last week look better with a grey background I have than they do with the white. A lot less shadowy. I am going to put it back on today.
The seated half was just becuase it was in my wallet at the time and straight out of the camera. I normally would crop them and make them smaller. I like taking coin pictures outside on a colored piece of construction paper. I like blue or black the best for silver coins. I was just adding it with my picture taking sequence because photographing coins in the house is quite difficult if the light is not just right. It was sort of my control piece. It is so hard to take photos of glass and reflective objects. That is why I chose the bottle to do my experimenting with. I don't really need pro pictures for ebay but I think that striving for the best photos I can with the camera will only help my skills on the shots I do want to keep. Indoor photography has always been my weak spot.
I have not messed with spot metering yet at all and will today. I really don't know why I haven't yet. I hope if nothing else out of all of this I can get to the point that I am familiar with all the settings my camera is capable of and not intimidated by them. <IMG SRC="/forums/images/biggrin.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

You right of course Ric ... I hadn't thought of that application ... e-bay makes for some interesting challenges 8^).
In that case I'd concentrate on getting the proper exposure and/or setting up a good lighting setup. You can get a photo gray card and meter off it (and lock this setting) which would be one way to do this.
Another is to get a good incident light meter which measures light falling "on" the subject (usually have a big half ping-pong thing on it). This is as opposed to a refelcted light meter that is more usual and pretty much always found in cameras. Spot metering can be good but the subject may still be very dark or very light which could still throw off your exposure (putting a gray card at subject and spot metering off it would solve this problem).
I think one of those special lighting setups may be worth considering if you do a lot of this kind of photography.
There are many possible solutions .... good luck in finding one that works best for you.
Gord.

 

[Anonymous]

know you can play around with your camera settings, but for selling on e-bay, do away with those backgrounds. The best shots I have gotten so far, even though when I post I always use a blue looseleaf notebook as my background, blue happens to be the best all around color I have found to use in photographing coppers and silvers. BUT, here is my recommendation for you to try.
1. Take a piece of 1/4" thick plywood, let's say 12" x 12"
2. In the center drill a hole and glue a dowel into it.
3. Cut off the dowel to make the length that fits best with your camera for maximum size but clarity. My dowel is about 2 inches in height, but I adjust my mini tripod for different sized coins.
4. On top of the plywood put a sheet of white paper. Of course you have to punch a hole into the paper to go over the dowel. This paper will create a white cloud like background.
5. I use two gooseneck lamps to direct light onto the coin and try and minimize the shadows, especially of the dowel.
This procedure is used by a lot of well known collectors and like I said I have only dabbled with it a little. HH Don in South Jersey

 

[Anonymous]

... it never fails to amaze me the experiences, skills, talents, etc of the people on these forums.
Your suggestion is one I hadn't heard of but sounds like it would be a good solution for coins. I think I'll play around with the concept.
Thanks for taking the time to reply ... Gord.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I will try that. I will pick up a dowel rod when I go out of town tonight.
I like blue quite a bit for coins myself. Half the time I am lazy if I am just posting some barbers or mercs and just use what ever is laying around. <IMG SRC="/forums/images/biggrin.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">
Thanks again for the idea Don!

 

[Anonymous]

Now, I already told Ric that I use Silly Putty to hold some things to the top of the peg, Silly Putty also comes in handy when photographing items that do not lay flat, like buttons with shanks. I purposely did not adjust the lights in order to show you the shadow that you try to minimize from the dowel. Hope this helps. HH Don

 

[Anonymous]

how much does a tripod like that cost?
HH from Allen in MI

 

[Anonymous]

I bought two, one that is not height adjustable, which I don't like and the one in the photograph which is height adjustable and the mount swivels for different angles. I believe around $10-12 at a local camera shop. I put lead weight on the one end so the camera doesn't tip over, which would happen without it.. Don

 

[Anonymous]

I use a full size one and scoot it up to an table and shoot down... Grab some opaque plastic to dampen the flash and shoot a few to see where I'm at... Photoshop to finish it off... Guvner..