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I just can't seem to get good pictures of chenille with the crystal in it. Example this pic is white chenille speckled with Pearl Crystal, but you can hardly see the crystal? The bad part is I took probably 10-12 pics and this was the best and had to darken it some.
Skip
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...s/DSC03067.jpg
Skip,
how are you lighting the jig?
I have the room over head flo light and then I have my tying lamp which I try to move off some to cut down how bright it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by OKSTATEjiggy
Skip
hmmm... maybe you could mount a maglight somewhere and light the jig with it, then adjust the intensity of the beam so that it captures the reflectivity of the material just right?
I will try some different lights and see what happens. I have been tempted to buy a different tying light since the people that originally distribute my light no longer exist. Loved that piece of info, NOT!
Thanks!
Skip
Don't know if this will help for you, but give it a whirl...
Try indirect lighting. If you look above the jig you can see the reflection of your light that appears to be the brightest thing in the photo. That bright spot affects the auto exposure and how bright the picture ends up & may be washing out the reflections in the krystal flash. Setup bright lights pointing away from the jig and directed at white cardboard, paper or something. I'm sure you have seen the umbrella shaped reflectors at a photo studio, but you don't need something that high tech. You may need 2 lights, 1 on each side... depends how bright the lights are. Also use a matte or dull finish for your background, the glossy finish makes the glare worse.
Plan B: This may be a quick fix and easy to try out... You may get better reflection if the material is sorta stacked up in more of a line. So instead of taking the picture from a 90 deg side angle, put your jig in your vise and angle the head a bit towards you. This does help with solid colors... gets a better spectrum with shadows and highlights spread out. Not sure how it will work to pick up very small reflections mixed in?? - AF
AtticaFish you made me think of the planned studio.
You know I have had the plans for a picture studio if I can find it and was going to do this about 2 years ago and just never got to it. I bet that will help my problem.
Thanks guys,
Skip
Uh-oh... please don't tell your wife where I live!!! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by skiptomylu
Guess I am thinking pretty small scale, like an extra desk in the corner with a backdrop, a tripod... and some duct tape. I'd test the theory small scale with some poster board for light reflectors before you start the addition on to your house. ;) AF
A light diffuser would probably help a lot. I've been meaning to make one to try out myself but haven't yet. Essentially you shine your light through a white sheet. This diffuses the light, so you have nice even lighting and not a hard spot light.
Hey Skip, just a thought. I tried different colored back drops. What do you think?
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...crawjig004.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...crawjig003.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...crawjig001.jpg
Agrihawg is on the right track, I think. If you have an "extra" white pillow case or sheet, wrap a single layer of it around the cone on a standard desk lamp and secure with a rubberband. IF you don't like the effect from diffused light directly on the subject, try bouncing it from the sides -hold or fix the light to shine on the side of the box (box described below) while you take the picture to backlight it.
Here's a suggestion for your benchtop studio - get a box of appropriate size and cut the front pannel (out all the way to the bottom). Now drape it with black cloth - use your imagination here - think cheap bed sheets or buy some fabric at wally world (most important that its smooth material). You need just enough to drape down the sides and bottom to allow for a nice flat surface. Black should be perfect for most jig color combinations. If you have especially dark jigs to shooot, get a plain white sheet. Now, if you aren't already using a tripod, get or borrow one. It looks as if you have the macro setting down pat, but one last thing -
If you continue to be unhappy with the results and the camera allows (not sure what you are shooting with), you might need to set the white balance to a standard reference. One trick is to take some plain white printer paper (not a perfect standard, but close enough for this). Take a picture of the studio with a small sample of the sheet present. If you are shooting with a newer SLR digital camera, you should be able to "select a reference" for the white balance setting by scrolling to the picture in playback and highlighting a good section of that white paper as the reference and select it. You should now be ready to shoot away on the jigs.
By correcting the white balance, you are "setting" the color profile for the picture. Using the correct white balance makes sure the colors show true. Indoor lights can be tricky!
I like how well the crystal shows up, but will it show as well when combined with regular chenille? Don't know the answer to that one.Quote:
Originally Posted by beenfishin?
I have tried different backgrounds, but still not happy with the pic. Just want it to look as good as it does in my hand. Still it shows well on the top pics. The last pic looks to have too much light huh?
Thanks,
Skip
Part of my problem is I am still not really experienced with digital camera's. Mine is not an SLR, but good enough I think that I should be able to do what I want. It is a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H7. I have never been exposed to the white balance thing and that I think is part of my problem, I don't know how to use it right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mallardstacker
Going to look up how to adjust the white ballance.
Thanks,
Skip
Okay had to call Sony to lear what I was doing wrong, but I didn't take the time when I got this camera to learn what I needed to know. I was shooting all my shots with setting that the white balance was preset at the factory and I can not change them. However in many other modes I can change the white balance as well as a multitude of other things.
Thanks guys for forcing me to take the time to learn how to do what I wanted.
So from here on pics should improve. Now I need that studio, LOL! Going to make my own.
Skip
Fast shutter speed with lots of light and no camera flash. If you have one, try the outdoor setting and try the snow setting. I know that sounds weird but it has worked for me in the past to get a highly detailed pic when nothing else would.
My camera has a night setting, beach setting and snow setting and usually one of them will give me the high detail I want in bright light pictures.
I think mine has all the same settings and I was just being lazy or well maybe busy tying and just not taking time to figure it out more.Quote:
Originally Posted by fish_4_all
Thanks and I will give them all a good try,
Skip
Here ya go Skip... Colors are there, just hard to see. First pict is your original, 2nd is my fix. Helped some, but still think you will do much better with the right lights. - AF
Thanks and yes hard to see. I am working on it for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by AtticaFish
Skip
You might want to try a macro lense or setting on your camera. That will help witht the focus and detail. Indirect lighting will help as well.
Already use that so it is not my trouble, but I do think I have found it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Southeasttackle
Thanks,
Skip
Try black posterboard on a sunny day and shoot the picture outside. That may work.
My son made one. Got a square white package box and but 'windows' in the box, then taped scrap wrapping paper for shirts over the 'windows'.Quote:
Originally Posted by AgriHawg
Sets the jig in the box with a regular light overhead and the camera on a tripod