John Will -- Lighting your photographs?

**Mike Irwin** · August 7, 2001, 08:28 PM

John,

How are you lighting the gun photos you're doing?

You're getting MUCH better results than anything I've been able to come up with so far, at least anything I'm doing inside.

ahenry · August 8, 2001, 10:58 AM

I obviously can't speak for John but looking at his pictures it appears that he uses side lighting most of the time. He probably has a little bit of direct light (to take care of some of the shadows) and the main light off to the side. The side lighting helps IMMENSELY with creating depth in your 2-D picture. In fact you can see an example of that if you look at the pictures by John of the Nambu 94 and the Ortgas .32. It looks to me like the Nambu had more direct lighting than the Ortgas and you can tell there is some depth in the latter picture. Just my .02 cents....

C.R.Sam · August 8, 2001, 11:13 AM

I agree with aHenry's estimate. In the case of the Nambu, I would bet a penney that two high angle side lights were used, right and left.

Sam

johnwill · August 8, 2001, 04:36 PM

OK guys, I'm busted!

I have three 250 watt photo bulbs in clip-on reflectors. I have two of them clipped to a bench coming at the gun from the side. One I have on a chair back that I can move around to get the best result, or just not use, depending on the situation. The Camera is a Nikon Coolpix 880, which offers manual overrides so I can stop down for good depth of field. I'm still learning about the setup, but it's doing fine for me.

One thing that might be overlooked is that I also load the pictures into Paint Shop Pro and do some "tweaking". Basically, I do:

Automatic Color Balance
Automatic Contrast Balance
Sharpen (keep doing it until it starts to look worse)

The key for me was the adjustable camera and the photo lights. Pictures improved a bunch when I got those two things.

C.R.Sam · August 8, 2001, 06:08 PM

Quote:

(keep doing it until it starts to look worse)

S

IamNOTaNUT · August 10, 2001, 10:17 AM

Here is another method you might want to employ, it is a little bit time consuming to get set up, but works very well.

The technique is called "tent lighting" and is often used for close up and macro photography to get broad even lighting without hot spots, those irritating white spots that result from too much direct light on a shiny surface.

1. Arrange the item you are photographing on a suitable background.

2. Mount your camera on a tripod - essential for crisp clear close up photography.

3. Fashion a stand that has a small opening for the lens and a large round base. The height of the stand should be somewhere in the 18 inch or larger area. This will depend largely on the type of lense you are using.

4. Attach a clear white sheet to the stand, it should look like a small dome tent. If a sheet is not available, raid the kitchen for one of those translucent plastic thingies that you lay out on a counter to roll out dough on, or some waxed paper, or some white nylon similar in texture and weeight to an umbrella lining. If you really want to get great results go to the manliest fabric store in your town and purchase the nylon material just for this type of thing. And while you are there, get one of those round wooden things people use for needle point. Attach your fabric to the round loop for the top section of your tent.

While you are at the fabric store you might just find something that would make a good background. Some nice velvet in a deep rich color perhaps.

5. The set-up can be used with just one light, but two is better. If you use two they should be mounted on opposite ends of the tent to provide a more uniform light.

6. Set up your light on the outside of the tent, facing the object you want to photograph. For shiny objects like a stainless pistol, shoot with the light elevated and pointing down at the gun at about a 45 degree angle. The reason for this is that you do not want any bright spots in thee final photo. The light from the flash will reflect at the same angle that it strikes the object, so setting the flash on an angle will keep the bright spots out of your picture.

If the angle is too steep, the flash will reflect right back up into the lens and you will get dreadful results, similar to what people get if they use an on camera flash on a shiny gun. Come on, we've all tried that one haven't we?

TIP - use aa maglight or surefire or something to help you visualize where to mount the flash unit. Look through the camera at the gun and then move the flashlight around until you get good lighting without any bright spots. Mount your flash in the same position.

7. Shoot using a very small aperature to get the best depth of field. That's the area of the picture that will be in focus, and you usually want more rather than less when taking close up photos of guns.

8. Set the exposure using a flash meter. If you do not have one, use the TTL function on your camera. If that is not possible, read the chart on the back of the flash and set accordingly, and then take additional photos with the camera set for more pictures with more exposure and less to make sure you get a usable shot.

9. Take your film to the processor and wait anxiously for the results.

10. Accept the compliments of your friends with a certain amount of humility.

The idea here is that the fabric will diffuse the light from the flash, this gives a softer light that is not as likely to result in a hot spot. In addition, the light will bounce around the tent and help to fill shadows from the off side. Keep in mind though that the larger the tent, the less effective this aspect becomes.

Two flash units are almost always better than one.

If you set this up to take a photo of your favorite gun, do it someplace that you can leave it for a couple of days. Once you get your pictures back you can look at them and decide if you need to make any adjustment to get a perfect shot. Or you can do your other guns once you see how good the results are.

Finally - if you use this, post the pictures on TFL so we can all enjoy them!

Johnny Guest · August 10, 2001, 11:57 PM

IamNOTaNUT--

Sounds like excellent advice on how to do it. I'm going to try it myownself, one of these days.

Best,
Johnny

johnwill · August 11, 2001, 02:35 PM

IamNOTaNUT, you're right about one thing. That sure does sound time consuming!

I'm sure you get excellent results with that technique, I'm just too damned lazy to put that much effort into it. One day, I may have to get professionally setup like that and shoot the whole safe full of guns. I'd hate to spend all the setup time and only take a few pictures.

IamNOTaNUT · August 12, 2001, 02:37 PM

johnwill - I can be a bit of a perfectionist (anal?) where my photos are concerned. I agree with you though, if you only want to photograph one gun it may be more headache than its worth. Unless it's your favorite custom BBQ gun.

I have used this with great effect at work (crime scene and evidence work) on a number of occasions, so I know that it will give you great results. Heck, I even used this to take a picture of a message in lipstick written on a mirror one time. Guns, knives, shell casings, body parts, as long as you have the patience to set it up you will be amazed at the results.

Then again, you seem to be getting pretty good results with your photofloods, so why change?

johnwill · August 12, 2001, 03:15 PM

I do intend one day to get some of the reflector umbrella lights and do some pictures. I think they'd result in a softer and more defused light. I'm sure that there's improvement to be had, but I'm limited in the amount of time I can spend to get it.

August 7, 2001, 08:28 PM	#1
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,380	John Will -- Lighting your photographs? John, How are you lighting the gun photos you're doing? You're getting MUCH better results than anything I've been able to come up with so far, at least anything I'm doing inside. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 10, 2001, 10:17 AM	#6
IamNOTaNUT Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2000 Location: Michigan Posts: 477	Here is another method you might want to employ, it is a little bit time consuming to get set up, but works very well. The technique is called "tent lighting" and is often used for close up and macro photography to get broad even lighting without hot spots, those irritating white spots that result from too much direct light on a shiny surface. 1. Arrange the item you are photographing on a suitable background. 2. Mount your camera on a tripod - essential for crisp clear close up photography. 3. Fashion a stand that has a small opening for the lens and a large round base. The height of the stand should be somewhere in the 18 inch or larger area. This will depend largely on the type of lense you are using. 4. Attach a clear white sheet to the stand, it should look like a small dome tent. If a sheet is not available, raid the kitchen for one of those translucent plastic thingies that you lay out on a counter to roll out dough on, or some waxed paper, or some white nylon similar in texture and weeight to an umbrella lining. If you really want to get great results go to the manliest fabric store in your town and purchase the nylon material just for this type of thing. And while you are there, get one of those round wooden things people use for needle point. Attach your fabric to the round loop for the top section of your tent. While you are at the fabric store you might just find something that would make a good background. Some nice velvet in a deep rich color perhaps. 5. The set-up can be used with just one light, but two is better. If you use two they should be mounted on opposite ends of the tent to provide a more uniform light. 6. Set up your light on the outside of the tent, facing the object you want to photograph. For shiny objects like a stainless pistol, shoot with the light elevated and pointing down at the gun at about a 45 degree angle. The reason for this is that you do not want any bright spots in thee final photo. The light from the flash will reflect at the same angle that it strikes the object, so setting the flash on an angle will keep the bright spots out of your picture. If the angle is too steep, the flash will reflect right back up into the lens and you will get dreadful results, similar to what people get if they use an on camera flash on a shiny gun. Come on, we've all tried that one haven't we? TIP - use aa maglight or surefire or something to help you visualize where to mount the flash unit. Look through the camera at the gun and then move the flashlight around until you get good lighting without any bright spots. Mount your flash in the same position. 7. Shoot using a very small aperature to get the best depth of field. That's the area of the picture that will be in focus, and you usually want more rather than less when taking close up photos of guns. 8. Set the exposure using a flash meter. If you do not have one, use the TTL function on your camera. If that is not possible, read the chart on the back of the flash and set accordingly, and then take additional photos with the camera set for more pictures with more exposure and less to make sure you get a usable shot. 9. Take your film to the processor and wait anxiously for the results. 10. Accept the compliments of your friends with a certain amount of humility. The idea here is that the fabric will diffuse the light from the flash, this gives a softer light that is not as likely to result in a hot spot. In addition, the light will bounce around the tent and help to fill shadows from the off side. Keep in mind though that the larger the tent, the less effective this aspect becomes. Two flash units are almost always better than one. If you set this up to take a photo of your favorite gun, do it someplace that you can leave it for a couple of days. Once you get your pictures back you can look at them and decide if you need to make any adjustment to get a perfect shot. Or you can do your other guns once you see how good the results are. Finally - if you use this, post the pictures on TFL so we can all enjoy them! __________________ IamNOTaNUT I didn't do it, but I thought about it. Next time I might. NRA

August 10, 2001, 11:57 PM	#7
Johnny Guest Moderator in Memoriam Join Date: August 28, 1999 Location: North Texas Posts: 4,123	Compliments to - - - - IamNOTaNUT-- Sounds like excellent advice on how to do it. I'm going to try it myownself, one of these days. Best, Johnny

August 12, 2001, 02:37 PM	#9
IamNOTaNUT Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2000 Location: Michigan Posts: 477	johnwill - I can be a bit of a perfectionist (anal?) where my photos are concerned. I agree with you though, if you only want to photograph one gun it may be more headache than its worth. Unless it's your favorite custom BBQ gun. I have used this with great effect at work (crime scene and evidence work) on a number of occasions, so I know that it will give you great results. Heck, I even used this to take a picture of a message in lipstick written on a mirror one time. Guns, knives, shell casings, body parts, as long as you have the patience to set it up you will be amazed at the results. Then again, you seem to be getting pretty good results with your photofloods, so why change? __________________ IamNOTaNUT I didn't do it, but I thought about it. Next time I might. NRA

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August 8, 2001, 10:58 AM	#2
ahenry Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 1,764	I obviously can't speak for John but looking at his pictures it appears that he uses side lighting most of the time. He probably has a little bit of direct light (to take care of some of the shadows) and the main light off to the side. The side lighting helps IMMENSELY with creating depth in your 2-D picture. In fact you can see an example of that if you look at the pictures by John of the Nambu 94 and the Ortgas .32. It looks to me like the Nambu had more direct lighting than the Ortgas and you can tell there is some depth in the latter picture. Just my .02 cents....

August 8, 2001, 11:13 AM	#3
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,858	I agree with aHenry's estimate. In the case of the Nambu, I would bet a penney that two high angle side lights were used, right and left. Sam

August 8, 2001, 04:36 PM	#4
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	OK guys, I'm busted! I have three 250 watt photo bulbs in clip-on reflectors. I have two of them clipped to a bench coming at the gun from the side. One I have on a chair back that I can move around to get the best result, or just not use, depending on the situation. The Camera is a Nikon Coolpix 880, which offers manual overrides so I can stop down for good depth of field. I'm still learning about the setup, but it's doing fine for me. One thing that might be overlooked is that I also load the pictures into Paint Shop Pro and do some "tweaking". Basically, I do: Automatic Color Balance Automatic Contrast Balance Sharpen (keep doing it until it starts to look worse) The key for me was the adjustable camera and the photo lights. Pictures improved a bunch when I got those two things.

August 11, 2001, 02:35 PM	#8
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	IamNOTaNUT, you're right about one thing. That sure does sound time consuming! I'm sure you get excellent results with that technique, I'm just too damned lazy to put that much effort into it. One day, I may have to get professionally setup like that and shoot the whole safe full of guns. I'd hate to spend all the setup time and only take a few pictures.

August 12, 2001, 03:15 PM	#10
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	I do intend one day to get some of the reflector umbrella lights and do some pictures. I think they'd result in a softer and more defused light. I'm sure that there's improvement to be had, but I'm limited in the amount of time I can spend to get it.