Let me say up front that I'm not an expert photographer! However, I have learned a lot about photographing watches in the past 12-18 months and hopefully I can give beginners some help when trying to photograph the lume on their watches - I don't think this has been covered in great detail before but apologies if it has.
(This procedure is based on using a DSLR, but I'm sure the principles will apply to most compact cameras too. For the record, I use an Olympus E420 DSLR with a 14-42mm Zuicko Digital lens.)
The way I set up my lume shots is very straightforward as follows:-
1. Mount camera on a tripod.
2. Set camera to Aperture Priority Mode.
3. Set F-stop to circa F10.
4. Set ISO to 100.
5. Set camera to manual focus.
6. Set camera to 2 second delayed shutter opening (to avoid camera shake).
7. Select location for the shot - a walk-in cupboard is ideal as you have no windows leaking in light.
8. Set up the shot with the lights on - it's much easier to get the manual focus correct when you can actually see what you're photographing!
9. Take some shots with the lights on to ensure focus and composition is as desired. Keep an eye out for unwanted relfections on the watch crystal. You might also want to hack the movement to stop the second hand blurring as it moves while the shutter is open (likely to be for anywhere between 30 and 60 seconds).
10. Switch off the lights in readiness for the shot.
11. "Charge" the lume in situ with a bright torch (I use an LED Lenser P7) without moving the watch to preserve focus, etc... If you move the watch to charge the lume then you need to start again! :facepalm:
12. Switch off the torch and press the shutter button!
13. You can then experiment with different light levels, e.g. leave the torch on but shine it into the floor or ceiling to give a slight increase in light, open the door or window blinds slightly, etc, etc...
14. Finally, use a photo editing package to crop the photo, adjust the white balance, adjust the colour temperature, put on borders and signature or whatever you think is required - it's amazing how much better you can make a photo with some simple editing! Experiment!
And here is one of mine as an example....a super-lumed Skyland v3. You will see that I've allowed some light into the shot so that you can actually see the dial details while still keeping it dark enough for the lume to shine brightly.
I hope this has been helpful.
Have fun guys!
(This procedure is based on using a DSLR, but I'm sure the principles will apply to most compact cameras too. For the record, I use an Olympus E420 DSLR with a 14-42mm Zuicko Digital lens.)
The way I set up my lume shots is very straightforward as follows:-
1. Mount camera on a tripod.
2. Set camera to Aperture Priority Mode.
3. Set F-stop to circa F10.
4. Set ISO to 100.
5. Set camera to manual focus.
6. Set camera to 2 second delayed shutter opening (to avoid camera shake).
7. Select location for the shot - a walk-in cupboard is ideal as you have no windows leaking in light.
8. Set up the shot with the lights on - it's much easier to get the manual focus correct when you can actually see what you're photographing!
9. Take some shots with the lights on to ensure focus and composition is as desired. Keep an eye out for unwanted relfections on the watch crystal. You might also want to hack the movement to stop the second hand blurring as it moves while the shutter is open (likely to be for anywhere between 30 and 60 seconds).
10. Switch off the lights in readiness for the shot.
11. "Charge" the lume in situ with a bright torch (I use an LED Lenser P7) without moving the watch to preserve focus, etc... If you move the watch to charge the lume then you need to start again! :facepalm:
12. Switch off the torch
and press the shutter button!13. You can then experiment with different light levels, e.g. leave the torch on but shine it into the floor or ceiling to give a slight increase in light, open the door or window blinds slightly, etc, etc...
14. Finally, use a photo editing package to crop the photo, adjust the white balance, adjust the colour temperature, put on borders and signature or whatever you think is required - it's amazing how much better you can make a photo with some simple editing! Experiment!
And here is one of mine as an example....a super-lumed Skyland v3. You will see that I've allowed some light into the shot so that you can actually see the dial details while still keeping it dark enough for the lume to shine brightly.
I hope this has been helpful.
Have fun guys!
