Two presents -- pens -- and a new try at photo tenting . . .

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

My wife was very generous with time this weekend, so I had the chance not only to get a bunch of "chores," such as cleaning the woodshop, done; but also to turn a couple more pens and play around with a homemade photo tent.

Here is the result. Please excuse the dust on the granite tile -- the camera picks up everything! I'll definately have to be more careful next time.

The pens are 1) Curly Sugar Maple - a gift to my secretary; and 2) dyed purple and yellow poplar - a gift to my elementary school daughter whose school colors are . . . right. You guessed it.

My "tent" is a 12 x 12 black granite floortile for base; 1/2 yard of black felt for background and a white sheet of lexan (the type which covers flourescent-light holes in the ceiling). The light is a 100 watt bulb in a articulating arm bench or architeture table lamp.

Let me know what you think. I toyed with different lighting positions and these are the most pleasing -- a couple difused (top down) a couple others bounced up to lexan and down on pen.

Oh, I don't have any really good "props" for the pens yet. I gotta get one of those neat white rocks I've seen guys use.

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[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Bump ... Either this got lost in the New Years revelry, or no one wanted to critique. I'll take any comments/critiques, good or bad ... I've got a thick skin! Job requirement :D

[Donny Lawson]

I think your setup is really nice. I like the reflection of the pen in the black floor. It kinda shows more of the pen. The tent is great. I need one of those.

[Dan Hintz]

I like the tile as a floor, too... I even have a few square feet of it hanging around, so I may have to pull a square out. Be careful, though, with how dark the overall image is... you're approaching what I would consider too dark and losing definition of the edge of the pens.

On the pens themselves... I like the first one, but the Purple Bumble Bee one strikes me as a bit too garish of a color scheme. My wife might think otherwise (a huge purple fan).

[Jamie Donaldson]

Jeff- I'm not a fan of most uses of shiny material that reflect the main object, and in these examples the reflections detract from the primary subject, the pens. In the 2nd image, flair from parts of the pen reflection have a higher visual impact than the pen itself, not a good presentation technique. I believe you also have a color balance mismatch with the orangish color cast, probably tungsten light source with the camera set for daylight. It is entertaining to play with many various set-ups for shooting our work, but the bottom line in real advertising photography is to present the product in the best manner possible, without unnecessary distractions.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jeff - nice work on both pens! I am sure your daughter is thrilled with her's!

Jamie - thanks for the tip on keeping the photo central to what it is you are trying to promote!

[Jim Burr]

Nice Sierra's Jeff!! If I can offer an idea for the Colorwood...cut it on the bias and the effect is amazing!! I have a few El Cheapo kits that are brought to life by cutting this way. Same thing with the maple, bias cut shows off a lot more of the curl. Your finish looks great!

[Paul Williams]

While I agree with Jamie regarding the photo for marketing purposes, I like the first and third images. The striped pen is well done but doesn't appeal to me.

[John Terefenko]

Jeff

There are many ways to shoot an object for showing. I have seen people do what you are attempting. The key there is all about lighting. In any of your photos you can not tell what color the kit is and the blanks get washed out. I am not a big fan of the reflective material but like I said it is a choice. I like to use a neutral color background such as grey. I have also used those gradient papers and like that as well. The pen is the object in focus. I like to shoot in macro and then just downsize the photo to fit the forum. I like to angle the pen toward you to give it a 3 dimentional look. You want the people to see the pen and your work. I have included a few examples. I am not trying to hijack your thread but to give you a different look that you may want to try with your tent.Good luck in search of the perfect photo. I do suggest as you do this write down all your settings of the camera and light positions so you can replicate them later. If you are making an albumn to sell on line the same shot would help. If you are going for the artsy look, I think it needs work. Just an opinion.


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[Michael Menzli]

1st ..I think the pens look great I really like the color contrast and choices you made.

Now from my photography eye... It appears that some highlights are getting blown and or washed out..(see pic 4) by the lighting. Some of this can be edited in PP but perhaps moving or softening the light even more would help. This may also be related to the stark contrast of light and dark as some onboard processors get finicky. Also the wood portions of the pens appear to be the major focus in these pics. It appears like the pen end (gold color) is darker and or muted whereas the middle is very bright.

Lastly these shots are good but very "artsy" to me. While I think they would be great for a gallery or high end type setting , if your simply trying to sell them Id take a different approach.

[Dave Wagner]

Looks good, a bit bright on top, maybe a different type of light or softer type light or add a sheet of white paper, tissue paper or something as to soften it a bit. Also, if you can change your F-Stop a bit to get more depth of field it might keep more of the pen in focus. I always have that problem with my macro lense, it focuses on the center, but leaves the edges a bit blurry. Overall, I like it.

[Jamie Donaldson]

For shooting smaller objects, here is a simple and cost effective method I teach in my Phrugal Photo Studio classes. A simple frosted plastic storage tub from ?? some years ago makes a good enclosure. For really glossy objects I have a white foamcore panel with a hole for the camera lens, and this eliminates the image of the photographer/camera reflected in the shiny subject! Simple AND cheap works with a bit of creative thinking.