Photographing a build

[Oldiron]

Are there any threads here with tips on taking photographs to post of your build? I am NOT good at taking pictures in general and only have an iPhone to work with. As a build thread is no good without pictures I need helping that department. Any threads or help? Bob

 

[minh-thanh]

I usually choose a bright place or I'll increase the brightness on my phone's camera if needed . I do not use flash when photographing engine parts
If I need to capture and clarify a detail of a part, I will use the "focus" mode in the camera .
In general, you don't need to be as professional as a photographer, just having a relatively clear image is fine

 

[SmithDoor]

Are there any threads here with tips on taking photographs to post of your build? I am NOT good at taking pictures in general and only have an iPhone to work with. As a build thread is no good without pictures I need helping that department. Any threads or help? Bob

Ok try Android just joking

The biggest problem I have is forgetting to take photos.

I try different places to find good lighting and spot.

Dave

 

[GreenTwin]

I have tried a light box, and that helped a bit, but still not the results I wanted.

JasonB seems to have the lighting down.

I have found that bright sunlight outdoors just creates harsh shadows.
It has to be some sort of mix from multiple directions.

I need to take a photography class.
.

 

[ChazzC]

Years ago I attended the Nikon School (2-day intensive course in taking better photos, and using your equipment to improve your results; this was before cell phone cameras and the top pro Nikon was the F-4: “F” means film).

The key points from those two days:

• Let your equipment do its job - in most cases it will produce better results by itself without your “tweaking,” unless you are a seasoned professional. This is particularly true with today’s equipment.
• If something needs to be “fixed,” it can best be done in post production/processing. Again, with digital photography this is increasingly easy.
• Take lots (and lots) of photos, multiples of the same scene/subject. For example, I attended the first figure skating “Stars on Ice” exposition and had a front row seat on the ice (I was not and am not a professional photographer, just an avid amateur). I had two 35mm film cameras, one with a long zoom and the other a short zoom; during the show, I went through four, 35-exposure rolls of film and came away with a lot of good photos, maybe a dozen very good ones and one magazine cover worthy photo of Kristy Yamaguchi at end of a spin - 0.7% success rate. There’s a reason pros bought film by the case!

My recommendations:

• If you’re going to take photos to document your builds for your own records or this forum, a decent smartphone camera or point & shoot digital camera will do what you need.
• If you’re thinking of publishing anything, you’ll want to step up to an SLR; you don’t need the best or new. I document my builds with a Nikon D5100, a 12 year old 16 megapixel/1080 camera which works with almost any Nikon/Nikon-mount lens; I have newer Nikons with more resolution, tech & capabilities, but this fills all of my shop needs. I also use an inexpensive ring flash to reduce shadows and take multiple shots of the same setup with different lighting.
• Which ever system you choose, get a photo app for your computer (not just whatever comes with your OS): with this app you can crop, automatically correct exposure and selectively blur areas or reduce unwanted reflections/glare. Good apps are not expensive and you don’t need to become an expert in their use.
• Use a decent tripod or other stable platform to keep your camera from moving. I add a link to a post with my set up once I find it. EDIT: I didn’t post here, buts here’s my setup.

Feel free to ask questions - I’ll be happy to try to help.


Charlie

 

[Richard Carlstedt]

My friend Ron recently passed on and he was a photographer's photographer
Having worked his whole life in TV studios.
I am a terrible camera user but he did teach me a few things.
He cringed when he looked a our hobby engines and parts.
1. get rid of all clutter- nothing in the picture but the object ( No rags, No chips,clean table top ect)
2. No flash , and use diffused light ( I aim my spot lamp(s) away from the subject- towards a white poster board (s) which in turn bounces the diffused light back onto the subject)
3. Cardinal rule for video !!- If object moves, camera is stationary--if object is stationary, camera can move !
Those were key to start with
Rich

 

[ShopShoe]

1. Your camera needs to focus well at close distances.

2. Indirect, difuse lightling is wanted, not "spotlights."

3. Camera support if you can do it. Besides keeping the camera steady it allows you to set up your shot then pay attention to your subject without having to hold the camera and look through the viewfinder.

4. Clean background, but sometimes context is needed and sometimes you need to include something to show the size and scale of your project.

5. I can't remember which photographic-magazine author wrote it: "There is no such thing as over-shooting, only under-editing." As said above you take a lot of photos with small differences and choose the best to show what you want.

6. You can't make a good judgement of a photo on a camera-back screen or on a small cellphone. You need to get the photo on a good computer monitor to evaluate it. That's OK, because you may need to crop or enhance the photo and resize it for posting. Besides, it is a good idea to organize, file, and backup your photos for possible re-use later.

7. Practice. Take an adult-education class if one is available. Some computer vendors and camera dealers arrange classes in photography and also in using photo-editing software. I once went to the Nikon School back in the film days and once of the "nuggets" from the instructors was money spent on one or two rolls of film a week was better spent than on another lens or other piece of hardware.

 

[RM-MN]

I like it when the photographer puts some kind of measuring device in the picture so I can see the scale of the object. Photographed in the right circumstances a full size engine and a minature look the same.

 

[Oldiron]

Thanks everyone. What I'm getting so far is use diffuse lighting, uncluttered surroundings, get a tripod or camera mount for the phone and take lots of shots. I've never posted a build but am thinking about it. I suppose you all can tell me what to do better as I go along. Bob

 

[timo_gross]

My friend Ron recently passed on and he was a photographer's photographer
Having worked his whole life in TV studios.
I am a terrible camera user but he did teach me a few things.
He cringed when he looked a our hobby engines and parts.
1. get rid of all clutter- nothing in the picture but the object ( No rags, No chips,clean table top ect)
2. No flash , and use diffused light ( I aim my spot lamp(s) away from the subject- towards a white poster board (s) which in turn bounces the diffused light back onto the subject)
3. Cardinal rule for video !!- If object moves, camera is stationary--if object is stationary, camera can move !
Those were key to start with
Rich

It seems I do not need a light box, but a "anti clutter box". If it has some light it might serve dual purpose.

@Oldrion: so far I never saw any complaint about pictures on this forum.

 

[Scott_M]

Actually, I really enjoy seeing what people have on the workbench. I probably spend as much time looking at the crap "clutter" as I do the intended subject matter +1 on providing an object for scale!

Scott

 

[ChazzC]

It seems I do not need a light box, but a "anti clutter box". If it has some light it might serve dual purpose.

@Oldrion: so far I never saw any complaint about pictures on this forum.

As someone with multiple interests, I try to focus on the primary topics of the forum I’m visiting (engine builds and directly related topics in this case). I have frequently been frustrated when uploading photos & links when using my phone so try to use my workstation whenever possible. I also don’t comment on quality of photos or other documentation in posts as this is secondary to the content. I do try to contribute meaningful responses to posts where I believe I can help.

 

[minh-thanh]

1. get rid of all clutter- nothing in the picture but the object ( No rags, No chips,clean table top ect)

Rich

That's a good thing but not necessary and that's only suitable when the part has been completed, but while it's being processed...not possible. Just a little neatness is fine
But I pretty much agree about rags

 

[Jasonb]

I mostly use the phone these days, just turn the flash off, point and shoot, hand held. This is good enough for magazines and some of the images in my book so SLR not really needed

Lighting is just the workshop lights with any spot light turned off, as most of my photos show the machining sequence which is what you want in a build thread they need to be taken on the machine not set up somewhere with a clear background.

Avoid too much back light which makes the subject dark

Get in close so people can see the item not half your workshop

Rest your hand against something if you can't hold the camera/phone steady

Finished models I set up a simple sheet of paper to give a plain background, don't bother with a tripod much these days

 

[Richard Hed]

1. Your camera needs to focus well at close distances.

2. Indirect, difuse lightling is wanted, not "spotlights."

3. Camera support if you can do it. Besides keeping the camera steady it allows you to set up your shot then pay attention to your subject without having to hold the camera and look through the viewfinder.

4. Clean background, but sometimes context is needed and sometimes you need to include something to show the size and scale of your project.

5. I can't remember which photographic-magazine author wrote it: "There is no such thing as over-shooting, only under-editing." As said above you take a lot of photos with small differences and choose the best to show what you want.

6. You can't make a good judgement of a photo on a camera-back screen or on a small cellphone. You need to get the photo on a good computer monitor to evaluate it. That's OK, because you may need to crop or enhance the photo and resize it for posting. Besides, it is a good idea to organize, file, and backup your photos for possible re-use later.

7. Practice. Take an adult-education class if one is available. Some computer vendors and camera dealers arrange classes in photography and also in using photo-editing software. I once went to the Nikon School back in the film days and once of the "nuggets" from the instructors was money spent on one or two rolls of film a week was better spent than on another lens or other piece of hardware.

Your point No. 5 is something I learned at least 40 years ago in the dark ages, that is, the days of film cameras when the film and processing were "relatively" expensive. This was in the days just as the light was beginning to shine, at the beginning of the days of cruize control but many years before the internet. I have to say, it was near the end of the days of darkness, the end of Hibernia and the death of Conan.

And I learned that the more photos one took, the more likely one was to get a good photo. Notice I said "good" not GREAT. Good being acceptable and GREAT being prize worthy. In those dark days, it could get very expensive but magically, and no-one was expecting it, the digital days appeared, bright and shiny for those who would come to learn to use it and angering a dark lord called "Kodak" who was late to learn of the "digital"

My point is that digital costs NOTHING to take ten thousand shots, as many as yuou can press the magic button in a day without your fingers getting arthritis (which of course comes from King Arthur before Conan). So whomever has any form of the magic digital can afford to click 10,000 photos just to find one or two good, usable ones. I've noticed in some photos on the net that the subject is barely noticeable or barely able to be seen or understand what it is. I thimpfks this is because they simply took a photo or two and called it good.

Your suggestion and other peeps' suggestions about getting the light right and not having wrong shadows or reflective light is important. Every once in a while like the age of Hibernia there are exceptional photos. Notice how clean their background is and one can easily understand the subject. Of course, ZOften it is best to see two or three angles and sometimes a vid for any processes.

Any blurry, off color or any other problems can simply be deleted, no cost, no fuss, no muss.

 

[GreenTwin]

Something I have noticed is that getting a good high resolution close up sometimes can reveal all sorts of things, like dirt/dust, imperfections, etc. that would not normally be noticed when viewed at a typical viewing distance.

I watch blondihacks on ytube, not to learn what she is teaching for a particular topic, but to study her video methods and lighting.
I think she really has the light down, but I am not sure exactly how she does it.
Its not something I have ever been able to achieve.

https://www.youtube.com/@Blondihacks/videos

.

 

[TonySteamHobby]

My suggestion is to pay attention to focus, especially in videos. Try a web search on “depth of field” and learn to control that.

It is probably best to reduce clutter but I too enjoy looking at others tools, machines and unfinished projects on the shelves. Perhaps we need more “here is my shop” threads.

 

[somniosus]

Hi all: having a second career as an underwater photographer and documentary film producer for the last 30 years , with 2 illustrated guide books to my credit, I have been behind the lens since Bd (before digital). I have looked through the many useful comments and condensed below my own approach.



The commonest errors made by amateur camera operators are:

Poor focus

Bad lighting, shadows, hot spots,over/under exposure

Moving camera/camera shake-blurry image

Bad composition/screen clutter/too far/close to subject/weird orientation or POV

Lack of scale



Equipment; even with 100K in advanced pro camera gear I use for work the good news on the first 3 items above is these can largely be overcome by the features in newer phones and cameras which have raised the general level of quality of amateur images tremendously. I use my iPhone 13 for most images. Its quick, easy and has excellent close focus and light capabilities, fast image transfer to desk top.I carry it everywhere I go so ease of use and transport are great. I rarely post produce my images and rely on a good shots to start with, not hours in processing.



Lighting_ very inexpensive options available for diffuse lighting notably the LED ring light which you can get on Amazon or equivalent for 20 bucks. Reflectors can be made from pieces of white cardboard or thin plastic , flags ( cut out hotspots) can be made from dowel and smaller pieces of cardboard

Steady rests- just like on your lathe, these essential tripods, monopods and other devices decrease camera movement and allow hands free operation. The Gorilla pod and its friends are great and can be mounted on travelling items like compounds for video shots.



Lack of scale- use a ruler or credit card/known size object as close to the subject as possible



Composition- reams written on this, for documentary purposes of artifacts a few essentials -clean background, entire object in field of focus, subject at least one third to one half of entire image or crop in, closer is better but avoid shadow by using fill lighting, use parallel or upward camera angles where possible, rule of thirds for pretty pictures, birds eye view can cause disorientation unless there is context in the image if complex artifacts are being imaged



Sequence- I recently rebuilt a Bauer dive compressor and photo documented the process step by step so I had a guide for re assembly. Its helpful to add hand written notes and photo them as you go along as sign posts to remind you of what you did which will log in chronological order when you download your images. Of course you can also use the metadata on the images but the use of a pad and pencil is easiest for me. I have also used these notes during project builds to remind me of where a difficulty was encountered and overcome if the images don’t realty tell the story. I will often doodle draw a sequence of actions when executing a particular project, kind of story board the build if you like, before starting. This walks you through the whole process before you start cutting metal and gives you clear bench marks for the build, rather than staring off into space in your shop thinking “whats next?”



Last rule-clean your lens regularly especially in the shop with dirty hands and soil around.

 

[Oldiron]

The Gorillapod is definetly going on my christmas list. Any way to get an iPhone to focus closer than the 10 or so inches away that mine seem to bottom out at? Bob

 

[peterl95124]

close ups are all wrong, you want high magnification from a distance.

a close up both distorts the image because of perspective (and also
possibly fish-eye effects in the lens) and has poor depth of field.

a shot from a reasonable distance is going to be nearly perfectly isometric
IE nearly free of perspective, and have full depth of field

when I say "from a distance" I don't mean what camera makers consider
distance shots, for the small subjects we're shooting I mean 36 to 48 inches
distant for an entire engine and 24 to 36 inches for individual parts, but then
I still need higher magnification than what my iPhone offers, so might end up
buying a full featured digital camera some day, but in the mean time those
iPhones are awfully handy (mine has a built in 2.5X lens which is close but
not quite enough for model engine work) !!!