Members Glenn F Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hi there, I am trying to get a few nice pics of my GAD-30R, but reflections etc, make the pictures come our fairly mediocre. Any tips appreciated! Thanks, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Light, light and light.Lots of diffusors, no direct flash and try not to mirror yourself in the hi-gloss finish with your pants down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members totamus Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Without suitable lighting equipment, the best way to get a good picture is to wait for a very overcast day - a day that is bright, but there are no discernible shadows because the sun is diffused by the clouds. Then take your guitar outside and take pictures with the flash OFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andy thompson Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 35mm or digital..? Maybe ASA 100 or 200, 1/30 th sec. Mount on tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 35mm or digital..? Maybe ASA 100 or 200, 1/30 th sec. Mount on tripod. Digital. Thanks for the tips, guys! Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Light, light and light.Lots of diffusors, no direct flash and try not to mirror yourself in the hi-gloss finish with your pants down. http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2760039-How-to-sell-a-guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opa John Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Well, Glenn, I know what the weather is like at this time of the year in your part of the world, but any pictures taken outside will look better than just about anything done indoors. And try not to go for a straight on shot unless you want to be in the picture too. Speaking of the weather, I remember my first year in Germany, 1966, when I was in the Army. I missed that entire first Summer because I had KP that day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Well, Glenn, I know what the weather is like at this time of the year in your part of the world, but any pictures taken outside will look better than just about anything done indoors. And try not to go for a straight on shot unless you want to be in the picture too.Speaking of the weather, I remember my first year in Germany, 1966, when I was in the Army. I missed that entire first Summer because I had KP that day! The weather here is far more moderate than my hometown--Montreal. It's been really nice here all week, between 60-70 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Ah... I photograph musical instruments all the time for Ukulele Player Magazine. I use a couple of studio floods with 500 WATT tungsten lamps. The camera lens sports a 80B blue filter to counteract the tungsten lamps tendency to turn everything orange. the blue filter causes a loss of two "F" stops, so a tripod is essential. I have a Manfrotto tripod, the best you can get in my opinion. My floods are equipped with white umbrellas and are pointed away from the subject. With guitars and ukuleles in high-gloss finishes, you have to position the light sources to the right and left in the same line as the instrument. In this way, the lighting will be "flat" and shadows will be very subtle, but details will be their best. To get more drama in the images, you can cut one light or the other and create more emphasis on the contours of cut-aways, bindings, etc... Watch the angle of your tripod before the target or you might end up with the reflection of the tripod and camera in the glossy instrument. IF that is an issue, shoot a slight bit off-center and that helps even more. Shoot from a lower angle, too. An over-cast day can cause a lot more glare than people realize. What I like is a reflective "bounce" source that is white, not gold. It does not change the color. Shooting in open shade will cause the image to be cooler and it will have a blue cast. This can be corrected in Photoshop or PaintShopPro by changing the light temperature to somewhere between 5500 and 6500 degrees Kelvin. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MDR Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 I find that I get the best results if I spend a few minutes sanding down the top before I take the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 I find that I get the best results if I spend a few minutes sanding down the top before I take the photo. Upstart! Rogue! Naive! hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andy thompson Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Ah... I photograph musical instruments all the time for Ukulele Player Magazine.If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask. Well...if Glenn doesnt mind...Ive just resurrected a Rollei 35s, quite a good lens..what I neead is directions for photographing inside a guitar. I can get a remote release. Guessing I need a flash cube. I cant focus any less than 3ft though. Do I need a dioptor...? I also have a song book, Printed on A4 and folded, a song on each page, when I fill viewfinder, I am about12inches away. Will I still get a good close up, mounted on tripod, music will be on stand. The book is form the 60s a little faint and has small, detailed line drawings as well. I know my Dad took detailed pictures of flowers, so I know its a good camera. There is no mould on it, and amazingly, the built in, battery operated light meter still works. I am guessing I need a sensitive film..100 asa or so.....any thoughts would be welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Nice camera. A diopter would be hard to find these days, but inside the guitar, you will also need a light-source. With a Macro lens or some close-up filters, you might be able to get some shots closer than three-feet distance. For the book, a macro lens or close-up filter should do the trick. The size will depend on your lens' filter thread size. You might check at BH Photo online. If memory serves, the lens on that camera is a Sonnar 2.8/40mm and a filter would be possibly available via BH, but you might be able to take the pictures you want via mirrors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stomias Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Polarizers are your friend.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted March 30, 2011 Members Share Posted March 30, 2011 Polarizers are your friend.... Yes, that is true, too. You will lose a couple of "F" stops on the polarizing filter, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 31, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ah... I photograph musical instruments all the time for Ukulele Player Magazine. I use a couple of studio floods with 500 WATT tungsten lamps. The camera lens sports a 80B blue filter to counteract the tungsten lamps tendency to turn everything orange. the blue filter causes a loss of two "F" stops, so a tripod is essential. I have a Manfrotto tripod, the best you can get in my opinion. My floods are equipped with white umbrellas and are pointed away from the subject. With guitars and ukuleles in high-gloss finishes, you have to position the light sources to the right and left in the same line as the instrument. In this way, the lighting will be "flat" and shadows will be very subtle, but details will be their best. To get more drama in the images, you can cut one light or the other and create more emphasis on the contours of cut-aways, bindings, etc... Watch the angle of your tripod before the target or you might end up with the reflection of the tripod and camera in the glossy instrument. IF that is an issue, shoot a slight bit off-center and that helps even more. Shoot from a lower angle, too. An over-cast day can cause a lot more glare than people realize. What I like is a reflective "bounce" source that is white, not gold. It does not change the color. Shooting in open shade will cause the image to be cooler and it will have a blue cast. This can be corrected in Photoshop or PaintShopPro by changing the light temperature to somewhere between 5500 and 6500 degrees Kelvin. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for sharing your expertise, Masterbuilt! I am, unfortunately, not much beyond 'point and shoot' capability, though learning more about what my camera can do is definitely on this year's 'to-do' list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted March 31, 2011 Members Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for sharing your expertise, Masterbuilt! I am, unfortunately, not much beyond 'point and shoot' capability, though learning more about what my camera can do is definitely on this year's 'to-do' list! Glenn, if you have two lamps that can be moved to positions beside the guitar on the right and left, then forget about the camera's flash, you might be able to get a few good pictures that way. The point and shoot digital cameras these days do have some decent automatic color balance. That should help a bit. The results are not perfect, but with incandescent lighting, they can be pretty nice, maybe a little too "warm", but, workable. Some basic editing software can easily handle that. Backgrounds can make a big difference... the less busy the better. I use a backdrop, but you can use a solid-colored blanket, an uncluttered wall, or similar. In fact, a pale-colored wall, preferably an earthtone, will reflect more light and help get the picture you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 31, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'll give it a try, thanks! The camera isn't bad (Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38, which is the EU equivalent of the FZ35), and I'm pretty good at adjusting colours in iPhoto. Cheers! Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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