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Taking photos of guns - hints?

mikenH956xAmikenH956xA Member Posts: 8 ✭✭
edited October 2007 in Ask the Experts
Greetings,

I've taken a few photos of some items I'll be listing, and I thought I'd ask a few questions. I am familiar with digital photography, but it's limited to outside, wilderness photography. I haven't taken closeups indoors (well, with the exception of my dog and cats) [:)].

Anyway, some came out great, and others didn't - and I didn't do anything different that I can recollect. I have a canon G6, which I'm very happy with.

What color backgrounds work best for taking gun pictures? Any hints on lighting? Some of my photos are washed out, which I suspect is the automatic flash getting confused and not firing when it should.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Comments

  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,702 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I think natural lighting is best and with a plain background. I sometimes use a blue or red piece of flannel to highlight the item. Trim out the excess like garbage cans, lawn mowers, the neighbor's mutt and especially your dirty old sneakers! Also, if you show accoutrements like cartridges, holsters, badges, etc., be sure to state whether or not they're included in the sale or just for display.
  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,883 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The Canon point-and-shoot cameras generally are incapable of taking close-ups, even with macro mode. After repeated calls to tech support about my A520, they eventually told me that I needed to move up to a more expensive camera.

    On the other hand, I have an old Sony digital that focuses down to 1 1/2" & takes superb close-ups.

    I find that a matt background like a blanket or carpet helps to eliminate glare & reflections. Turn your camera flash off. Use fluorescent lighting (which is white/blue), rather than incandescent (which is yellow). I take my photos on a workbench under an overhead fluorescent light, & use a fluorescent shop light for fill lighting. It often helps to use small pieces of foam to lift your guns from the background. A lot of it is trial & error.

    Neal

    colt_lord_2.jpg?t=1192383484

    MrOrange is right; but, high gloss finishes are really difficult to get without glare. Plus, that was one of my earlier efforts.

    Colt_M1911A1_3.jpg?t=1192448105

    Neal
  • makindumakindu Member Posts: 382 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Excellent advice from the above posters, plus you need very steady hands, or switch to a tripod for really sharp, crisp, detailed pics (especially on close-ups). Note: I use an old Nikon Coolpix 800, only 2 megapixels, but its superb built-in macro features (close-ups) prevent me from totally retiring it from service.
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Along with the excellent advice from the previous posters, i.e. Tripod, Fluorescent Lighting etc. You might consider using some of the photo editing software that is available free on the net. With it is is possible to correct errors in lighting, contrast, sharpness etc. These two photos of the same High Standard, illustrate my point.




    hs_skleft2.jpg


    hs_skleft3.jpg
  • MrOrangeMrOrange Member Posts: 3,012
    edited November -1
    Yes to: No flash, indirect flourescent lighting, tripod, set on timer so no possibility of hand shaking the camera, plus some editing.

    The pic in my sig is from the barrel hood of my Commander, the actual stamped letters are about 1/16" high. Taken with a low-to-middlin' Canon (S410) and spruced up with the freebie edition of Photo Shop that came bundled on the 'puter. I couldn't quite get the angle I wanted with the gun set down, so I held the gun in two hands braced against the tripod legs for the long, timer-triggered exposure.



    BTW, nmyers shot of the derringer is way too fuzzy for my tastes!
  • Riverview SalesRiverview Sales Member Posts: 19 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Rufe nice picture what software are you useing?
  • rediceredice Member Posts: 1,550 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    Along with the excellent advice from the previous posters, i.e. Tripod, Fluorescent Lighting etc. You might consider using some of the photo editing software that is available free on the net. With it is is possible to correct errors in lighting, contrast, sharpness etc. These two photos of the same High Standard, illustrate my point.

    hs_skleft2.jpg

    hs_skleft3.jpg



    I used to do it that way myself, after a couple hundred ebay items I stopped after I got some informative complaints. The thing is to make the item look how it actualy looks not different, in your above example I would rather see your non edited pic than the edited one I bet the edited one doesnt look much like the gun your actualy selling color wise.

    Plain background is a must overhead lighting is good, when you actualy taking the pictures if your using digital use it take at least 3 pics of each shot before you get them on the pc then pic your best ones to crop/resize.

    Here are some I did last night very simple I can do a lot better however I dont feel the time involved to take professional grade pics are worth it for the most part. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=82922505

    pix402269703.jpg

    pix402269656.jpg

    Here is one I did about a year ago when I was experimenting with lighting, this is with like 2 or 3 spotlights and quite a bit of dinking around.

    14837HK_usp_9mm.jpg

    It kind of all depends on how much room you have and how much time your willing to take, once I can get an area specifically set up for item photography I will do better pictures but right now I don't have the space.

    P.S. I did use flash on those photos last night, because it needed it not enough light in my room at night to take them without flash without adding spotlights.
  • He DogHe Dog Member Posts: 51,574 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    BertH and Rembrandt have posted some of the better photos I have seen here.

    I use 2 stands with photo lights, and often use black velvet as a background. For "western stuff" I sometimes use Navajo rughs as a back drop.
  • PA ShootistPA Shootist Member Posts: 691 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would hope that any photos of guns that I take to list in auctions would not be doctored with software programs in any way that would make them to appear as something they are not. I hope that any guns that I bid on and buy would be the same. I do appreciate detailed close-up photos from all sides. I am very happy when I open that long-awaited carton and the gun I am looking at is already familiar to me from the photos posted. And I ususally won't bid on one with a fuzzy and indistinct photo or photos that don't show the actual condition of the piece.

    I use an older Sony digital that seems to have good macro focus. I try to use natural outdoor light in the shade of my porch. I seldom use flash; and I'll take many photos, and use only the best of them.
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by redice
    hs_skleft2.jpg

    hs_skleft3.jpg



    I used to do it that way myself, after a couple hundred ebay items I stopped after I got some informative complaints. The thing is to make the item look how it actualy looks not different, in your above example I would rather see your non edited pic than the edited one I bet the edited one doesnt look much like the gun your actualy selling color wise.





    The top picture is exactly how the High Standard looks. It's a 50+ years old, very worn Sport King. Most of the finish has been worn off the barrel/barrel extension, and/or patinaed.

    The software I use is the original ( circa 2000 ) Photoshop Elements. It's way old, as they are selling Elements version #5 now.

    As far as taking pictures of nickel plated, highly polish guns are concerned. Use a black velvet background and fabricate a "tent" out of cheese cloth to mask any unwanted reflections, you don't want in the picture. Because for all practical purposes the gun acts as a mirror, reflecting any dark objects, back to the camera. If properly "tented", this can be prevented.
  • rediceredice Member Posts: 1,550 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:
    The top picture is exactly how the High Standard looks. It's a 50+ years old, very worn Sport King. Most of the finish has been worn off the barrel/barrel extension, and/or patinaed.

    The software I use is the original ( circa 2000 ) Photoshop Elements. It's way old, as they are selling Elements version #5 now.

    As far as taking pictures of nickel plated, highly polish guns are concerned. Use a black velvet background and fabricate a "tent" out of cheese cloth to mask any unwanted reflections, you don't want in the picture. Because for all practical purposes the gun acts as a mirror, reflecting any dark objects, back to the camera. If properly "tented", this can be prevented.


    Heh it looks so funny, I have fill flashed stuff in the past and it changed the colors thats why I said it thought the same was happening here, I am probably using the exact same version of photoshop elements as you if not older :) don't see any reason to upgrade didn't know they had new versions of elements however may have to look into a demo one of these days to see if there is much improvement.
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by redice

    Heh it looks so funny, I have fill flashed stuff in the past and it changed the colors thats why I said it thought the same was happening here, I am probably using the exact same version of photoshop elements as you if not older :) don't see any reason to upgrade didn't know they had new versions of elements however may have to look into a demo one of these days to see if there is much improvement.



    You can buy newer versions of Elements off of fleabay, for chump change.

    I intend to get a disc + manual of Elements 2 one of these days, as it will function better on my puter, i.e. Don't have run it in "classic" mode.

    Older versions of Elements ( 2 & 3 ), are selling on fleabay, for anywhere between $10 & $30.
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