I was hoping I could get some good tips for photgraphing the rods I build. I see alot of good pictures on the photo page, but I have not had very good luck. Any tips on camera settings and so on. I'm using a digital camera.
Thanks
Bart

Tom K posted some useful links recently. Do a "Search" here for "Kirkman digital" and you will pull it up. There were also some recent threads that went into that. Do a broader search for "digital." A problem many of us have is minimizing glare from epoxy finish. Proper lighting is probably the most important thing, but proper camera settings are critical also.

I'm a begining rod builder so I don't know much about building, but I did spend a number of years in NYC as a commercial photographer. As I see it, the best way to light a high gloss rod is to use a diffused light source from above, with a white reflector on both sides of your table. You can then shade the background to give some seperation from the rod to the background. Read your camera's meter and shoot a "bracket". That is to open up your F stop a half stop and shoot. Then shoot at the meter's reading. Then close your F stop a half stop and shoot a 3'rd shot. This should allow you to choose your best shot and use that one. Of course if the rod is dark, shoot at the meter reading and open up a half stop and a full stop and that should give you a usable shot. I know it sounds complicated but once you do it a few times it becomes second nature. Good Luck!

Dennis Dunne

Using a flash doesn't work very well, either. Play with the lighting, I use up to 4 lights when taking photos.

The Volume 3 #5 issue of RodMaker had a complete article on the basics of good close-up photography. The mention above about the Cannon digitial online workshop is extremely good.

Digital or Film, you need to understand the relationship between film speed (ISO), aperature opening, shutter speed, and focus.

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