Lampwork Etc.

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-   -   i could puke.. (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40318)

dragonfly designs 56 2006-11-30 5:46pm

i could puke..
 
I have gotten a camera that was almost 400.00, a photo tent that was like 279.00, and my pics look just as bad as when I laid them on my crappy scanner. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! i am so flipping frustrated! here is my first pic with my new photo tent.

ok, cant post the stupid thing either, it tells me to

Image browngrncopper.jpg of type image/pjpeg was sucessfully uploaded and assigned an ImageID of 49912! To show this image in a post, signature, or PM, put the following bbcode at the desired image location:


i copied and pasted this and its not an active link.

IF-Designs 2006-11-30 5:50pm

Kelly that link will take peeps to their own attachments *hugs* you need to link the pic in the message

What kind of camera and tent did you get?

dragonfly designs 56 2006-11-30 5:52pm

ha ha ha , can you tell im having issues, now i cant figure out how the heck to download the pic. it tells me to copy and paste it where i want it, but its not an active link. I got the table top studios tent, and I have a sony cybershot 7.2 mega pixel. ok, now its there, no idea how i did it. by the way are the if designs i been ordering all my frit from? lol. actually the pic looks alot better here ,(besides the blurriness gotta get a tripod) than it did earlier, does resizing it make it look better?

IF-Designs 2006-11-30 6:02pm

ok do you have it set on macro? or regular settings?

if you have it set on macro you need to check your manual to see what the optimal focus is for the macro settings my camera has 2 macro settings 2 settings has optimal focus length of about 12" the other of about 1"

the other setting is for like regular photos, portraitures, landscapes and the such and the camera will usually auto focus these for you.

Im not familiar with this particular camera....but most ive seen are set up in a similar manner *hugs*

dragonfly designs 56 2006-11-30 6:04pm

ok, will post another thread asking help from users of this camera, my book reads like chinese!

JanMD 2006-12-01 7:51am

There could be any number or problems there in that pic. Hmmmm!

GOOD JOB: First off, the things that are GOOD are the lighting and the color balance. There is no glare on any of the parts of the pieces, except maybe the one bead just to the left of the clasp in the necklace, at the bottom. The rest look quite good. The one glare actually doesn't bother me at all.

Next, the color balance looks pretty good to me. The white background has no obvious overall odd color cast. Some folks spend quite a while messing with a whole bunch of settings and editing and lighting, to get good color balance. But hey, you have that right 'out of the box'. Bravo there!

Problem: FOCUS! The whole tableau is out of focus. I don't know a thing about your camera, but it seems to me that you are going to have to take manual control of your focus. It does not seem to me that you need to worry about a macro (close-up) setting, since you need to be fairly far away from your subjects in order to get them all in the shot. You might have to move the camera even farther away to get the tableau into the camera's focus range. Try that. Play around with different distances between the tableau and the camera.

Another thing I'd recommend is to move the camera so that you are shooting absolutely straight down on your tableau. If you arrange things so that everything is on the same plane, then you can eliminate depth of field from the list of things you need to worry about.

Lastly, if it were me, I'd try to think of a slightly more interesting way to arrange the elements. Both the necklace and the bracelet in ovals is boring (in my humble and un-informed opinion). Try a whole bunch of other arrangements! If they don't look good, just press 'Delete'!

Oh, by the way --- I really like those copper clasps. They are great! Everyone who does electroforming on beads is going to lust after them!

Jan

Litsayn 2006-12-01 7:59am

A few things... I am not sure how much control you have on your camera. If you have the ability to adjust the depth of field you need to do so. I am thinking an F8 or F11 would work. You will need a tri-pod because the larger your depth of field the longer exposure your camera will need to get the shot. The other thing you might do is what we call bracket the shot. What that means is if your camera says at F8 that it needs a 60sec exposure then take a photo one exposure down, the 60sec, and one exposure up. Is that clear as mud?

Good Luck

dragonfly designs 56 2006-12-02 9:41pm

re: picture
 
the weird part, is when i was looking at the pic in my picture editor, it was totally clear, not blurry. now it looks blurry. yes, am going to get a tripod, know i have one somewhere that came with my video camera, had it for like 5 years never used it and now that i need it I cant find it anywhere. not a clue what "depth of field is". will get out my manual. thanks so much everyone.

dragonfly designs 56 2006-12-02 9:42pm

re: picture
 
the weird part, is when i was looking at the pic in my picture editor, it was totally clear, not blurry. now it looks blurry. yes, am going to get a tripod, know i have one somewhere that came with my video camera, had it for like 5 years never used it and now that i need it I cant find it anywhere. not a clue what "depth of field is". will get out my manual. thanks so much everyone.

dragonfly designs 56 2006-12-02 10:00pm

Jan, any suggestions on making my photo more interesting? if you look under the post sony cybershot for same day, I do have a better pic up, but what can I do to make it more appealing. put a border around it or add a background? Alot of people had said in other posts that they felt props took away from the pictures, maybe I can put some risers to put them at different levels or something, is that what you mean?

Kevan 2006-12-02 10:03pm

Does your camera have a manual setting?

navarre 2006-12-04 1:44am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyhorton (Post 880429)
the weird part, is when i was looking at the pic in my picture editor, it was totally clear, not blurry. now it looks blurry.


so its "only" after you edit that the image goes fuzzy?

Check the quality settings for JPG in your software (theres probably a slider for something like smaller file size\lower quality to Higher file size larger file)

If the quality is set too low you get fuzzies.

Also - if you repeatedly edit\save\edit\save a JPG then you create a deteriorating monster.
JPG loses a little every time you edit and save (hence - why keeping a safe copy of the original is a good practice)

Regards
Navarre

Judi_B 2006-12-04 5:06am

Navarre has a good point about deteriorating jpg files. You can avoid the problem by saving your work as tif files and only converting to jpg for the final web version. My camera doesn't have an option to save the initial file as tif, so I do it the first time I open the jpg file, and then work on the tif file. The original jpg gets archived.

JanMD 2006-12-04 8:03am

Well, golly. I spent a bit of time just now looking for examples of what I meant and naturally couldn't find anything! (sigh) I was thinking of the necklace on a bust and the bracelet on a curved riser. Or the necklace arranged flat but with the back part (where the smaller beads are) coiled. But after I thought about it a moment, I decided that if you are using this pic for Ebay, then the buyer HAS to be able to see all the parts of both pieces. So you couldn't use a nice display bust (like this -->http://www.home-jewelry-business-suc...-display.html).

So you are forced to lay them out like that in ovals, so the buyer can see all parts of all the pieces. YAWN!

"Depth of Field" refers to the portion of the image (measured in distance from the camera) that will be in sharp focus at any given aperture setting (also varies by lens, but let's not get too confused). Or this: "Depth of field is the amount of distance that you subject is still in focus and is expressed as a range from a certain minimum point close to the camera to a certain maximum point as distant from the camera. Everything in this range will be in focus and everything beyond, closer or further, will be out of focus." (http://www.deluxacademy.com/articles...oto/depth.html)

At the settings and at the distances we work with in jewelry photography, the area that is in focus is very small. So arranging the camera so that it is parallel to the surface your pieces are arranged on is useful. Useful to you because it eliminates depth of field worries from the list of the stuff you have to worry about to achieve a sharp, well-focused image. (There are tripods that allow you to position the arm so it's reaching out to the side of the tripod proper, making it MUCH easier for you to keep everything parallel. These kinds of set-ups allow you to avoid the tripod-straddling-the-jewelry problem. If you are interested in info on this kind of adaptable tripod, let me know and I will provide more information on the one I have.)

If it were me, I would not mess around with a border or a distracting background or funky props like rocks or whatever. These techniques often (not always!) seem to me like cheap tricks that folks use sometimes to try to give boring jewelry more ooomph. I agree with the folks that say that these kinds of props take away from what you are trying to do, which is showcase your pieces. Just my opinion.

Jan


Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyhorton (Post 880450)
Jan, any suggestions on making my photo more interesting? if you look under the post sony cybershot for same day, I do have a better pic up, but what can I do to make it more appealing. put a border around it or add a background? Alot of people had said in other posts that they felt props took away from the pictures, maybe I can put some risers to put them at different levels or something, is that what you mean?


dragonfly designs 56 2006-12-04 9:01am

Thanks So Much, Yes, Save The Pic Over And Over, Im Sure Im Wrecking It!

Aleigh 2006-12-04 9:12am

Also, are you using a tripod? I have found that my pictures are 100% better when I use a tripod. I have an older Sony cybershot and love it. On mine, the Macro setting is as easing as pushing the button that has a tulip symbol by it and then the tulip shows up on the display screen so you know you've gotten it.

Amy

cheeky monkey 2006-12-04 11:01am

stupid question but ... can you use a tripod if you are shooting straight down?
I am hoping to order my light tent today :)

dragonfly designs 56 2006-12-04 12:08pm

my question EXACTLY!!!! ha ha ha. was thinking about that too.

navarre 2006-12-05 2:00am

Most reasonable tripods "can" manage a straight down shot - how useful and user friendly this will be for you depends a little on the camera and tripod combo you are using.

(I am assuming you have a swivel head on the tripod and that its not just a single plane setup?)

cheeky monkey 2006-12-05 4:55am

No - i dont even HAVE a tripod . But I ordered a photo cube and was trying to figure out if I need a tripod too. Can you use a tripod above a photo cube?

JanMD 2006-12-05 5:54am

Yeah, you can use a tripod above a photo cube. But it's a thousand time easier if you invest in a sideways-arm tripod. (A tripod is a good investment if you're going to the trouble of setting up a cube. I'd get a cable release too.) But this kind of arm-sideways tripod makes it incredibly easier to use with a cube. I struggled for quite some time with the camera on the bottom of the central post, hanging down between the tripod legs, with the camera pointing down into the cube. BIG pain in the butt, let me tell you! The width between the legs was smaller than the smallest light cube. Argggh! Big wrestling match with the cube.

You can also get swivel heads for tripods that allow you to point the camera straight down from the top of the tripod post, if that is your preference, but you still have to jam the cube down between the tripod legs. Bottom line is that I have tried them all and the sideways arm is sooooooooo much easier than all of the other set-ups. Night and day!!! The camera is held off to the side of the tripod, right over the cube. And so, like I said:
Quote:

Originally Posted by JanMD (Post 881881)
There are tripods that allow you to position the arm so it's reaching out to the side of the tripod proper, making it MUCH easier for you to keep everything parallel. These kinds of set-ups allow you to avoid the tripod-straddling-the-jewelry problem. If you are interested in info on this kind of adaptable tripod, let me know and I will provide more information on the one I have.)
Jan

Why struggle when there is a solution out there? Plus, the sideways arm tripod can be set up with the post in the middle, just like a regular tripod. So you get two tripods in one. Brilliant!

Should I take a pic of my set-up and post it? Would that help?

Jan

Emily 2006-12-05 11:21am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JanMD (Post 883405)
Should I take a pic of my set-up and post it? Would that help?

I vote yes. Also any recommendations on what to buy that doesn't fall too much into the investment category - thanks!

JanMD 2006-12-06 7:02am

I'll do it this weekend!

With regard to the "investment category", who the heck knows what that is for anyone else? I will just list what has worked well for me and let you decide whether or not it falls into your own personal "investment category". Or not.

Jan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily (Post 883945)
I vote yes. Also any recommendations on what to buy that doesn't fall too much into the investment category - thanks!


ryman 2006-12-17 7:01am

tripod
 
So glad to find this thread! I want to buy a tripod and the sideways arm type (though I've never seen one) sounds like what I need. I just bought a light cube set and the next step is a more user friendly tripod, mine is a big struggle. Let us know your recommendation and also where to buy one!

JanMD 2006-12-18 7:14am

Awww, heck. I promised to post photos of my set-up and then forgot. I am very sorry!!! I WILL do it this week.

I have a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPRO tripod (on Amazon.com here) It has a slot where you can mount the post horizontally, if you want to. As I said, that works best with my photo cube.

And I have a Gitzo ball head on it. The Gitzo is here on Amazon.

Be Aware!!! There is no need whatsoever to get so carried away with the ball head! (I just adore Gitzo and the "feel" of their stuff. So seductive. But their tripods weigh a ton and a half, so I just use their tripod heads.)

But any ball-type head will suit you just fine. A ball head is far, far easier to adjust then any other type. Bogen makes ball heads for that tripod. Just go to Amazon.com and put bogen ball head (those three words) in the search box. The cheapest usable one is like thirty five dollars and then they go up from there.

I will try my hardest to get pix of my setup this week! Sorry!!!

Jan

BeverleyH 2006-12-18 8:15am

Hi Kelly

Apologies if this has been answered already but I didn't get chance to read all the replies.

You mention your camera and tent but what lighting are you using? The pic looks under-exposed to me and a bit dull as if there's not enough light (it's also appearing out of focus on my monitor which won't help either). I was having problems getting decent pics and splashed out on some good colour balanced lighting. It cost a bit but I'm so glad I did as it's fabulous and has saved so much time.

You may already have good lights but it's just a thought....

Bev

scouncil 2007-01-12 7:55am

I have a basically camera stupid point and shoot camera and I do better witht the macro setting. The focus is much better and depth of field problem went away. I'm still having some photo issues too, but tripod, more light and macro setting have helped me....

speedingpullet 2007-01-12 1:15pm

Kelly - re: the fuzziness....if you're using a Sony camera, you'lll find that the blurriness can be eliminated by activating the close-up button - the little 'tulip' symbol on the back/touch menu. This will help to reset the aperture for closeup work. I've done a lot of close-up photos with it on and almost never use anything other than the 'auto' mode.
Also - you seem to have a slight disortion - sort of like a fisheye thang going on too - which should be solved by changing to the closeup mode.
if you do edit the photos, make sure not to mess with the proportions, as this will squish the photo vertically/horizontally too.

IMHO this is the problem - the photo doesn't appear to have that tell-tale 'pixellated' look you get when messing about with resolution/file sizes. I use PhotoShop a lot, and find I get the best results by simply cropping the photo and reducing the dpi to 72 (standard for web photos), keeping the 'constrain' links on to stop squishyness.

As for tripods/camera shake - this can be a real problem for very closeup stuff. I keep meaning to buy a tripod (one day.... ;-) ), but if I'm doing something at home I normally try and rest the camera on something. Strangely, I have had good success with resting the camera on top of a full kitchen roll! Its soft enough to dampen shake, yet stable enough to rest the camera on. You still need to hold the camera, but it helps having a platform.
Yeah, cheap, I know, just make sure not to photo the bottom of the roll (or crop the roll bottom out in PhotoShop/software of choice)!

Other than that, you stuff looks lovely! You've got a nice even light without shadows/specularity problems - although, I'd try and make the background a little bigger so that you have more room to manouver when cropping the final photo. Personally, I like an off-white/cream/beige background as it seems less stark, and helps to highlight the more subtle colours - although that's just my personal choice, and there's nothing wrong with white!


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