Not a support issue, but looking for help

[warnold]

Hiya, Folks:

I know that the problem I'm having isn't a Blue Voda issue, but I just thought someone else out there may have had this problem and could shed some light on how to handle it.

My problem has to do wwith my lack of expertise as a photographer, more than anything.

I make sawdust, and I try to unload the resulting pieces of s****wood on unsuspecting people who might think the s**** is attractive.

I am trying to photograph my work to display on my website. Naturally, if I take the photos under incandescent light, they end up yellow/green. When I try to take the photos under fluorescent lights, the shine of the finish of the products picks up a terrible reflection, and you can't make out what they are.

Is there any sensible and workable way to accomplish what I am trying to do without going out and buying special lighting equipment?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide, or any direction you may be able to pint me into.

[Andy128]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

Lighting is key. With a laquer finish, it is important not to use the flash. Florescent light is not the best for true color. However -all is not lost. No need for expensive lighting set ups. Try this-

Get two treble lights (the kind you use when working on your car and you hook it onto the open hood) Have your wife hold them up above the items you wish to photograph at arms lenght apart standing about 4 feet away. Use 75 watt soft lighting bulbs. Experiment twisting the lights from side to side and adjust height. Dont use the flash and make sure it is on the macro setting.

I believe you can obtain satisfactory results with this inexpensive lighting set up.

Hope this helps- Andy

[tenhats]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

You have to defuse the lighting with something white but translucent like plastic milk bottles over the lights, or take the shot outdoors in the sun with your camera set for outdoor lighting. The later is the best.

[Andy128]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

Tenhats-

The soft lignting bulb and turning the trebel light is meant to difuse the light. Trebel lights have a metal cover around half of the light which concentrates the light. Turning it will have the effect you are describing.

I agree- taking the picture out doors on a sunny day would be provide the best natural lighting.

Andy

[zigzag]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

Another tip is this ....
Take the pictures during the day.
Put the objects in diffused daylight.
Set you camera to auto. (The flash must be used)
Don't centre the object in the middle of the viewfinder. (Then you will definately get a flash reflection)
Take the photo with the subject positioned about halfway between the centre of the viewfinder, and one of the edges.
Then crop the picture so that the subject is in the centre.
Experiment.

Have a look at the left hand photo on my home page. If anything is going to give you a flash reflection, it is a highly polished surface - but it is not there. This picture has not been retouched, apart from cropping.

Have fun

[warnold]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. This gives me something to work with to resolve my problem. I keep my shop brightly lit with fluorescents, so it looks like I'll need to find another location for photographing my work. I'll bet I could spare my wife's arms by making a pair of tr****s out of some old lumber off my lumber rack.

Thanks again for your help.

[Collectors-info]

Re: Not a support issue, but looking for help

Hi, we have worked in a few studios where we have installed fluorescent as the main lighting for close up work. But we have always used a fluorescent lamp with a colour of around 5,000k to give a near daylight feel. I use these lamps with a white silk cloth for posting images on eBay to get the feeling that there is just one colour to the entire background of a photo.
But your best bet is to purchase a filter to fit over your lens to compensate for the type of lighting you have. You will have to find out what fluorescent tubes you have installed in your fittings.
IE: For warm white or white lamps use a FL-W filter
For daylight lamps use a FL-DAY filter.

Good luck

Chris.