Photographic Skills: Upping the Game

[Philip1231]

I decided recently to find out how the professionals get those great shots of furniture: the ones you see in FWW, etc.
I followed the advice of Michael Pekovich in FWW July/August 2010.  Here is a sample of what I came up with:

[hbmcc]

That turned out very nice! Both the table and photo. However. You might want to turn off the date stamp..... 

Just for reference, can you list the three major dimensions? Thanx.

Bruce

[Handplanesandmore]

Nice shot. Yes, nice build, too.

Try if you can move (away or to either side) the secondary light so you don't get two shadows on the legs, or minimize the contrast of the two shadows. One more try: What happens if you turn off the secondary light? I sometimes do that and see no difference, except no more unwanted shadowing! Other times, the secondary light is indispensable.

Another trick to try: there is a shadow on the drawer side. See if you can hold a reflective board near that to soften the shadow.

What setting did you use for that shot?

Simon

[Philip1231]

Thanks. Yes the date stamp does not add to the picture: I've been taking a lot of practice shots and I have been using the date stamp to keep things straight.

Dimensions: 29-1/2" long x 21-3/4" wide x 22" high

That turned out very nice! Both the table and photo. However. You might want to turn off the date stamp..... 

Just for reference, can you list the three major dimensions? Thanx.

Bruce

[Handplanesandmore]

Philip1231

Dimensions:  29-1/2" long x 21-3/4" wide x 22" high



The legs look much longer than the width in the photo! They look as long as the length.

Simon

[Philip1231]

Thanks.  The two shadows are a result of using two primary lights: I was trying to get the most mileage out of the curly cherry top and to highlight the chatoyance, and found that the two lights worked better than one.   I used a secondary on the floor to the right to highlight the drawer front.  I plan on working with the black baffles at some point, but I've only been at this for a few days, so its been a steep learning curve.  

I used a Canon Powershot SX40-HS which is a point and shoot with a non-interchangeable telephoto.  I've shot mostly in either
Aperture Priority mode or manual mode. This shot was
ISO 100
f 4.5
Shutter Speed 1/20
14.81 depth of field

I'm not a photographer (i.e. I usually set to automatic, point, and shoot) so learning the ins and outs of all the manual settings has
been interesting, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it.  

Nice shot. Yes, nice build, too.

Try if you can move (away or to either side) the secondary light so you don't get two shadows on the legs, or minimize the contrast of the two shadows. One more try: What happens if you turn off the secondary light? I sometimes do that and see no difference, except no more unwanted shadowing! Other times, the secondary light is indispensable.

Another trick to try: there is a shadow on the drawer side. See if you can hold a reflective board near that to soften the shadow.

What setting did you use for that shot?

Simon

[Philip1231]

Maybe I'm doing trick photography and don't know it?  

Philip1231

Dimensions:  29-1/2" long x 21-3/4" wide x 22" high



The legs look much longer than the width in the photo! They look as long as the length.

Simon

[Handplanesandmore]

I used a Canon Powershot SX40-HS which is a point and shoot with a non-interchangeable telephoto.  I've shot mostly in either
Aperture Priority mode or manual mode. This shot was
ISO 100
f 4.5
Shutter Speed 1/20
14.81 depth of field

That certainly was a good shot from your camera!
I am still puzzled by the "distortion" that the photo (as seen on my monitor) seems to have projected, which could happen if the camera was placed too close to the subject.
Simon

[Philip1231]

I set my tripod up about 10 feet from the table. I will try further distance to see what it does.

That certainly was a good shot from your camera!
I am still puzzled by the "distortion" that the photo (as seen on my monitor) seems to have projected, which could happen if the camera was placed too close to the subject.
Simon

[mbholden]

I set my tripod up about 10 feet from the table.  I will try further distance to see what it does.  

Interesting discussion.
I attended a seminar at Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago given by the staff photographer. He would bring the piece into the studio and using lights and scrims, light the piece, and take the shot. Then in photoshop he removed the background, created a new one to suit, and added shadows as he saw fit.
Quite a lot of modern trickery for 18th century artifacts.
Mike