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Not good with photos? Start here....

daytona4me

Robert - EOW 19/01/2024
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I think newer members are sometimes reluctant to post photos of their replicas because of the extremely high quality of other members photos that are posted in wrist checks and other show off areas.

I am not great with a camera, I do not know photoshop and overall, my photo skills suck.

I was able to drastically improve the way my photos looked by simply getting familiar with my camera a little bit. Like most men, we break open the box to our new camera (or receiver, or computer, or whatever else) and we pitch the owners manual in the junk drawer and start snapping pictures on the Automatic setting.

Fight the trend fellas, go brush off that owners manual and begin to understand how your camera works! What do these crazy settings mean, what do they do, what does it look like after you change the settings.. you have to experiment! Have some fun!!

Ok, I still now squat about my camera, but I now know a little more to get me by until I am more patient and not wanting to do yardwork! lol

Go and get yourself a small light tent from walmart or ebay. My wife surprised me with my light tent that she bought from walmart. It came with 2 lights and a tripod.. Oh yeah... You MUST have a tripod. Just get yourself a little one that can sit on the table. They are 4-6 inches tall.

People will tell you that you dont have to buy a light tent.. that is true, I just found it a lot easier.. that's all..

Pugwash has some tutorials on this stuff which is great. I wont even touch polarized lenses and photoshop or gimp use.. I dont have a clue..
My point is to encourage people to have some fun, dont get bogged down trying to doctor up your photos until you can simply get a photo to work with,, then start looking at the software to make they By-Tor'ish.. :)

This is really easy, I promise you will improve the look of your photos 500% with just a couple simple steps, plus... You will have a blast doing it!

Here is my setup.. It's pretty simple,, a couple lamps that I purchased on clearance from Office Depot.

lightbox.jpg


I was taking photo's of this:

sprint6.jpg


sprint9.jpg



Good Luck... hope to see some new participants in wrist shots and the "My Collection" area..
 

Spy

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The light tent looks cool D4M.


Does the light tent mean you can get away with taking photos on auto do you still need to play around with the camera settings ?
 
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daytona4me

Robert - EOW 19/01/2024
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You still need a good white balance, I use an aperture priority setting... but neither of these "options" are really difficult to set.

I shoot using a Sony DSC-H7

[web:2sdnppk0]http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4505-6501_7-32329615.html[/web:2sdnppk0]

See this link on aperture and see why I feel it is so important to photos.

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossar ... ure_01.htm
 

horologie_unitas

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the setup looks ...PROFESSIONAL ! the pics are very good.

i want to suggest to try that :

no need for any lightning.....no tent....no nothing. do not !! use flash !!!

place the watch in a bright area in your house.....but not ! in direct sunlight - and tilt it until there are no reflections on the crystal ( need to try around a bit )

then just shoot pictures with slow shutter- speed,( 1/ 30 sec. and slower )
evtl. ISO 200, make sure you do not shake the camera. i rest my arms on a big cushion.

shoot many different angles.....no need for gadgets, reflectors.

outcome looks like that:

IMG_4502.jpg


IMG_4609.jpg


IMG_4771.jpg


IMG_0094.jpg


IMG_4723.jpg


IMG_0681.jpg
 

swissaddict

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Thanks for the post, D4M. I have been meaning to build myself a budget light tent setup using a card board box and translucent mylar from an engineer friend. One thing I can suggest that made HUGE improvements with my watch photos is to use a tripod. If lighting is not very very bright, then even the slightest movement can make a photo less sharp or even blurry... so use a tripod or otherwise steady the camera, everyone!
 

daytona4me

Robert - EOW 19/01/2024
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swissaddict said:
One thing I can suggest that made HUGE improvements with my watch photos is to use a tripod. If lighting is not very very bright, then even the slightest movement can make a photo less sharp or even blurry... so use a tripod or otherwise steady the camera, everyone!

I cant agree more!!

If you were only going to buy ONE item... a Tripod is the most important... the settings you need to use makes it subject to blur from vibration!

As HU says... you dont have to have it... in fact, you can get great shots without it.. but sometimes it leaves you with less control... so I opt for tents and lights..

More eyecandy

iwc_cousteau_07004.jpg
 

bad959fl

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Lighting makes such a huge difference. Thanks for the tips and pics.
 

TA8088

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Yes if nothing else a tripod is a must.
 

koster88

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daytona4me said:
You still need a good white balance, I use an aperture priority setting... but neither of these "options" are really difficult to set.

I shoot using a Sony DSC-H7

[web:3prldlhc]http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4505-6501_7-32329615.html[/web:3prldlhc]

See this link on aperture and see why I feel it is so important to photos.

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossar ... ure_01.htm


I'm STILL trying to figure out how to take good pics. Tell me if this works. I got a box. 12x12x12. Cut a huge hold in both sides, and the top. Leaving the bottom and back there. Then I put a tee-shirt around the box to soften the light?! I didn't know where to get that paper. I assume that would help. Then I have 1 Lamp on each side facing in the box. I'm using a Sony DSC-W55. But I have no idea how to get into White Balance or any of that. Is this Camera capable of taking the kind of photo's I want? I did buy a tri-pod, but I've been able to take better pics out side of my little box, and not even using the tripod. I need some help!!! ;)
 

daytona4me

Robert - EOW 19/01/2024
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Well, I hate to say it but that camera is not the best for the kind of shooting you want to do.
I say this because this camera has no manual settings that can be set including white balance.
You will never get true color out of it imo. This does not mean you could not manipulate your photos in gimp or photoshop.

See the link below for some details on your camera.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_w55-review/

[web:2vnnalq0]dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_w55-review/[/web:2vnnalq0]

My honest opinion is that you should scrap the light box idea.. I dont think you are getting enough light and your camera is not going to allow you to get the control you want. Lower your ISO to 100 or 200, you will get better, sharper colors... use a tripod otherwise your photos will blur.

Go for high natural light with a tripod and avoid glare.. you will be far better off.
This specific camera makes your whites look brown... and I mean bad.... natural settings are your friend with this camera.

Hope this helps you a little.
 

PHANTOM00

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I don't have a studio to shoot pictures but definitely will buy a lamp to do your set and see if i can upload some pic's. Thanks for the tip :D
 

smascarinas

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DocHolliday

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Just ordered a light box on amazon for 12 bucks. I'm going to dust off my photography shanks. Thanks [MENTION=1953]daytona4me[/MENTION]!
 

karlddd

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Actually I really would like to sell two of my collection but not by making useless posts :balloon: I could get 25 posts within 20 minutes if I did that way
 

pressureworld

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I plan to pick up a light box this weekend and never thought about it before this thread. I'm assuming a DSLR is needed to get the best out of these watch shots. Any additional advice is much appreciated.