A pair of A13's but i need your help Bugbear

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
bugbear":1sot1y66 said:
I will point out that Alice gets excellent photos without using half of my tricks, by using the world's biggest light tent (a workshop with a translucent white roof, and the right time of day!)
Fwiw, auto setting, macro, no zoom, tripod some of the time but mainly for the freaky-hands-included shots, Fuji Finepix A330 - Picasa to tidy up afterwards. But put me somewhere without that roof and it all goes to pot. Ergo, I'd say lighting was everything...

Mind you, shiny planes are a nightmare to shoot. Why d'you think I don't review many LNs? :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
Thanks Bugbear.....I'm just back from college...a lot earlier than normal due to a power cut :cry: ....the photography department is closed on a Friday so no luck there.
I dropped in by IKEA and bought a couple of desk lamps and a couple of similar floorstanding ones which i'll have to fight the kids for when i try and do a photoshoot again. IKEA....what can i say about this place....first time i've ever been in...i got lost trying to find the lighting section.

I'm away to read the camera manual and have another go with your suggestions

thanks for all the suggestions....photographing planes isnt quite as easy as i thought it wood. excuse the pun.

good to see you back on full swing Alice.

I'll post more piccies later if thats ok with the mods if any come out ok

regards

Ian
 
DSCF2495.jpg


This one was taken with the camera set on auto (again) the manual i have for some reason is in every language except english unless there is 2 manuals for it and i seem to have only one...i'll check fuji for a download
This time i setup the new lights with them directed more to the ceiling of the tent. I think i'll end up with some photoshop trickery. I'll also try with different colour backgrounds.
I am reasonable pleased with the picture in the last batch...as has been mentioned its quite difficult to get bright metals and dark woods photographed together well.

it is only really for my website but i wanted as good as i could do

BB and all thanks very much for all your imformative relies

Ian
 
I dropped in by IKEA and bought a couple of desk lamps and a couple of similar floorstanding ones

That'll help - just play away, move the lights around, and see how it looks.

I note from the Exif of your final (much nicer) shot that you're running at f3.0, 1/50 second exposure.

If you're using a tripod (IIRC you are), I'd switch the camera to aperture priority mode, and use f6 (or even f8).

This will increase the depth of field, and sharpness, at the "cost" of a longer exposure (which the tripod will allow)

Probably not essential - sharpness in your photo looks OK, but every little helps.

BugBear

P.S. Here's the Fuji download centre

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartn ... cat=616757
 
No probs Ian, no matter how they are shot, they are still DAMN fine pieces of art in their own right!!! 8)

If only Scotland wasn't so far away I would offer to call in and have a go at shooting them myself. Any excuse for a 'play'! :lol:

...or are they for exhibition purposes only....?

Gary
 
Cheers Gary,
I'll play with them for a while then they'll get shelved...i'll move on and make others. They are actually one of the best planes i've used but i'm only playing at this game. I'll keep doing them until i get either perfection or bored whatever comes first, hopefully perfection because i'm thouroughly enjoying making my own tools.

cheers

Ian
 
I know alot has been said, but I thought id add my 2 pennys worth.

I would close the aperture down to F8 (the smallest hole you can have on your camera I think). Lenses have a sweet spot and on DSLR's this is usually f8 to f11, although I am aware your camera is not a DSLR.

Because of the high contrast between the wood on the handles and the plane blade you might want to consider taking two shots. Set the camera to aperture priority and change the metering mode to spot metering. Meter on the wooden handle and note the settings, then meter on the plane blade and note these settings. The chances are you will get two different exposure settings - say F3 for the wood and f8 for the blade for example. Now position the camera on a tripod and switch to manual mode. dial in the settings you noted down for the handle - take the shot, reset for the blade and take the shot.

What you should see is the first shot (metered on the handle) will have the handles looking right, but the blade over exposed. On the second shot the blade will be correctly exposed and the handle under exposed.

If you use Photoshop CS2 then you can use the merge HDR feature (High Dynamic Range). This should merge the two shots together. If you do not have CS2 then you can download a 30 day trial version.

I would not use flash but angle poise lamps. If the light is still to harsh for your liking then reflect off of white card or drape tissue paper over them.

A couple of other things. I would take your pictures in RAW and not JPEG. RAW is as it hits the sensor. JPEG will perform in camera manipulation and compression. Also, I notice on the EXIF that the shot is in sRGB. I dont know if this is a result of a conversion for the web, but you have a significantly higher colour space if you use Adobe RGB.

Hope it helps?
 
Ok Ian, are these just for your own use or do you make them for sale? If so do you have a web site and what kind of wait time is to be expected? Thanks John.
 
Ian,
much obliged for your input...i've downloaded and printed the user manual and will have a good read this weekend...i'll also have a go at your suggestions. pm sent

John,
I'm flattered by your response but i am just a hobbiest at planemaking. I dont sell planes as yet... maybe sometime in the future i'll make some available for sale.
thankyou for asking

kind regards

Ian
 
bugbear":z4960oco said:
Personally I'd use flashguns, several of them triggered by slave units.
Benefit of that is that the light is already daylight balanced

Any reason to use flash, not table lamps? Lamps are cheap, readily available, provide their own modelling light (!) and can be used as table lamps later ;-)

I find them more controllable. You can direct them easier, add effects, diffuse change the exposure just by modifying how you place the flashes.
Exposure can be easily determined as well. Set your shutter speed then either:
a) choose an aperture and then set the flashes the distance from the subject required for that aperture setting.
or
b) set you flashes and determine the aperture from the flash to subject distance.

bugbear":z4960oco said:
Buying multiple slave flash units sounds spendy.

I suppose it can be but you don't need expensive fully automatic also make you a cup of tea flashes. Just buy second hand ones. For this sort of work you won't even need very powerful ones. If they are to be used off camera on slaves, then the make doesn't matter either. In fact the simpler the flash, the better. I managed to build up a fair number of flashes by checking out second hand shops and the like. Although I did manage to ruin my nicest one by dropping it into the stream in Allt nan Uamh Stream Cave. :(

bugbear":z4960oco said:
Given modern digital cameras the light balance thing is not a big issue. Correct in camera, or post-camera.

I guess you are right there. The majority of my photography has been done using print and slide film. I have got the Fuji Finepix S7000 which is a fine camera that I bought to do a bit more experimentation with but unfortunately work has gotten in the way for quite sometime now.

bugbear":z4960oco said:
I like your thoughts on using/placing the light on the subject.

Thanks. It mostly comes from a fair amount of underground cave photography that can be a very unforgiving environment. You have to place flashes very precisely and calculate all the exposures just to get a half decent picture.

Which reminds me of a technique that you can only use with the digital camera and photoshop. You also only need one flash and a long sync cable.
Basically you place the camera on a tripod and use the flash to light individual parts of the subject. Set the flash to light one part and then take a picture. Don't move the camera but move the flash to light another part, then take another picture.
What you end up with is a number of pictures of different parts of the subject.
Load them all up into photoshop and use layers to add them together.
It was one of the techniques I wanted to try out with the camera but haven't been able to yet.

Not sure if it would be suitable for Ian's planes but it maybe a good way to highlight different parts of the subject if the spread of the light can be tightened up enough. I would try to expose the wood and metal independantly. Expose the background with the flash angled from behind the plane and maybe a diffuse all over spread from a flash reflecting off a piece of card. Could be worth trying. You may also be able to take a single picture of the whole thing and then try to take another with the handles only getting some light. A bit difficult though I suppose.

This site gives an explanation as it's practiced for cave photography.
 
Ian, the heck with the photography...those are just gorgeous.

Even though I've sold off many planes, including my infill :cry: , another infill and a panel are on the "to purchase" list once I get back to wood working.

I may try a kit or two, but to go from scratch like you? Nope. I can only hope the kits would turn out half as nice.

Take care, Mike
 
MikeW":ukkw0aj2 said:
Ian, the heck with the photography...those are just gorgeous.

An interesting statement, given that you're making the judgement based on photographs :)

BugBear
 
[/quote]

An interesting statement, given that you're making the judgement based on photographs :)

BugBear[/quote]

Cheers mike,
your saws take a bit of beating to.......
BB given we are a few miles apart how else could he assess them :lol:

Ian
 
I cant help with the pictures -they look fantastic to me.

But I have to say that is some very nice work. I showed my Dad, he's a model engineer. He is very impressed with you're work.

Stunning, well done.

lee.

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> :tongue9: :tongue9: :tongue9: :tongue9: :tongue9:
 
bugbear":2d1py8f5 said:
MikeW":2d1py8f5 said:
Ian, the heck with the photography...those are just gorgeous.
An interesting statement, given that you're making the judgement based on photographs :)

BugBear
Oh now BB, the point of the post was in soliciting help to improve the photography--that I cannot help with.

As well, the subjects of the photographs speak well for themselves--that be my point. Somehow I think you knew that :wink: . But if not, there is a statement of what I meant to end any confusion.

Now, if I was able to play--or own such a tool, I might be able to move beyond mere speculation based upon a photograph.

Take care, Mike
 
MikeW":2ragql7e said:
Oh now BB, the point of the post was in soliciting help to improve the photography
Oh Mike, you don't really believe that, do you? More like a thinly veiled excuse to make us all drool ourselves dry... :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
Alf":3qaoosod said:
MikeW":3qaoosod said:
Oh now BB, the point of the post was in soliciting help to improve the photography
Oh Mike, you don't really believe that, do you? More like a thinly veiled excuse to make us all drool ourselves dry... :wink:

Cheers, Alf
Well, can't speak to Ian's motive--but my reaction to the photos made me need a towel...

As much as I like the photos of the completed planes, the wip pictures and even the saga of building the milling setup were even more fascintaing to me.

Take care, Mike
 

Latest posts

Back
Top