Finally got my Photo Tent! And some new turnings.

[Keith Palmer]

I finally got my new photo tent set up and made an attempt at improving my photography skills. I am not happy with the background that came with it. I tried to iron it, but still could not get it flat so there are still wrinkles in the pics.

First I finished the spalted curly maple peppermill for my wife's b-day in March. The wood literally came from the neighbors firewood pile, he said he didn't like turning spalted wood.:eek: I then finished my first bottle stoppers for Mother's day. One in Cocabolo and one in Eucalyptus, finished with spray can lacquer.

And finally my admin lost her job so I turned her a bowl from Timberstrand as a going away gift. 6"x3.5"x.25"wall, finished with a wax finish.

Please critique the pieces as well as their photos.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3562148476_d91b9c379a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3562148374_194c577b99_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3562148426_5627b3711c_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3562148536_fc26e25c39_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3562148652_8cb999dc9e_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2424/3561330655_f22467acbe_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3561330549_b9476ea921_o.jpg

[Billy Tallant]

Photos look great. Your work looks really great. I especially like that bowl. It really stands out...

[alex carey]

photos look good, I love the last bowl.

[John Terefenko]

Very nice work on all pieces. Could we see a photo of your set-up??? Thanks.

[Jack Gaskins]

Nice looking turnings there Keith. What is your bowl made from? Never seen wood like that.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Keith - everything looks pretty good to me!

Watch your depth of field when photoing larger objects. If using the auto focus function - the camera will lock in on the closest part of the object with the result that the back of the object may become out of focus. Just something to be aware of as most of the time it is no big deal.

[Burt Alcantara]

Bowl. Excellent! Great form and use of "wood" product.

[Bruce McElhaney]

The photos and work look great. What kind of tent did you get?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Those are some great pieces Keith and photo's look great.

[Keith Palmer]

Nice looking turnings there Keith. What is your bowl made from? Never seen wood like that.


Thanks for the comment!

The bowl is made from Timberstrand. It is an LSL (Laminated Strand Lumber) product. This piece came from a 24" wide x10' tall shear wall. I test them at work, so I have a large supply.

[Richard Madison]

Keith,
Nice work and nice pictures. One way to increase depth of field is to back the camera away and zoom in with the lens. If your background is cloth, might try some spray starch when ironing it. Works for me.

[Keith Palmer]

Very nice work on all pieces. Could we see a photo of your set-up??? Thanks.


The photos and work look great. What kind of tent did you get?


I got one of Steve Kaeser's 30" collapsible tents. And used a couple 8" aluminum clamp lights.


Steve, thanks for the comments. I will work on the depth of field next. This first time I was focusing on the lighting, camera position and some different settings on the camera.

I took about 50 pictures of these 4 pieces, digital camera's are wonderfull. What did we ever do without them. Such instant feedback, I can remember using an entire roll of film just to get one good "timed exposure" of waterfalls and rivers.

[Keith Palmer]

Keith,
Nice work and nice pictures. One way to increase depth of field is to back the camera away and zoom in with the lens. If your background is cloth, might try some spray starch when ironing it. Works for me.


Richard, I will give backing up a try. I think I did, but can't remember now. Thanks for the tip on the starch I will try that as well.

[Don Carter]

Keith:
Your work and the photos look great! I just built a light box and I am still trying to figure this out.;) I am not much of a woodturner but I know nothing of photography. A local photographer who saw my website has offered some help. Lord knows I need it!

[David Winer]

It's a matter of preference and taste, but a featureless background has its own shortcoming--to me the stark white of your first photos is not as appealing as the slight wrinkly appearance behind the bowls. Backgrounds can add or subtract from overall visual effect so some experimentation could be useful.

As for depth of field, this is hard to control with automatic cameras. My understanding is that many camera focus algorithms home in on the brightest part of the field of view, such as reflections. This seems to be the case with all the digital cameras I've used.

[Jim Kountz]

Keith, I think you got it!! The turnings are fantastic and the photos look pro to me. Nice job all around!!

[Richard Madison]

David,
Most auto-focus cameras focus on a specific area, typically a small area in the center of the viewfinder. The automatic exposure, when not manually increased or decreased, assumes that the scene is 18% gray and sets the exposure accordingly. If the scene is very bright, the camera may under-expose, and vice-versa.