Hey all,

I have a dumb question.........imagine that

How is the best way to get good photos. When I try to take them I end up with "hot" spots, Glare, all sorts of bad things.....

I have been taking them indoors on a wooden table.

Would it be better to put them against a sheet or blanket, towell?????

thanks
tom

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tom in indy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2011 06:19PM by Tom St.Clair.

Light colored background works pretty well. Also try to use external light and turn the flash off. Pictures show up better before finish is put on also. If your camera has a macro setting, use it and get as close as you can without losing focus. Here is a link for a tutorial on making a photo box.

[www.rodbuildingtutorials.com]

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Tom, Dave is right on. That photo box should work, I made a photo tent out of PVC pipe and draped a wite sheet over it and added goose neck type lighting on both sides and the top. I also use colored poster board on the inside to give a nice plain back ground. The tent is actually a retangle to what ever size you like, mine is 24X36 and then add the legs. It works great. Like Dave said, NO FLASH

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

not sure about building a lightbox, but diffuse ambient light is what my cousin and i rely on. it is really just a midday shaded area. FLASH OFF

A neutral background without much clutter seems best. Does not fool the camera's auto metering system and lets it focus on the rod instead. You can also tape wrapping tissue paper over any overhead lights to diffuse the glare you get. Also better to photograph wraps BEFORE applying finish. That takes care of the glare problem!

Tom, I don't know what kind of camera your using but if you have a setting for taking close up of flowers use that setting and use a non reflective background and shoot it at a slight angle to the side it will reduce the glare from the rod. This is one of those things that you really need to play with all the different settings on the camera and see which one works.

Unfortunately most of the small compact cameras do not have either a removable or adjustable flash.

In the days when I used a 35mm SLR with a stand a lone flash, I would often use the flash off of the camera and point the flash toward a white ceiling, rather than the subject.
That way, when the flash went off the reflected flshh - light from the flash off the ceiling did a nice job of lighting the sujgect without getting "hot spots" on the subject.

But with todays small built together cameras, the best solution is as others have suggested, use other sources of indirect light and turn the flash off on the camera.

Take care
Roger