info on photographing wood

[Cabincrafts]

hi
i cut names and assorted stuff out of wood but feel i could make them look like they should be if i could photo them properly, can anyone give me any tips or hints as how to get the best from my shots.

thanks

steve

[keystamp]

Steve

The first thing you must decide is what background you want to use. Looking at your website you have such a variety of colours and surfaces, it looks messy. It is fine to use a room set for some displays, but never allow any line to cut across the background. The fabric you are using in some shots looks crumpled, you would be better to use it flat or use a crushed velvet fabric (this never shows any creases if badly stored).

For best results you should standardise your lighting. Luckily for you wood is not a high gloss surface, so lighting reflections should not cause you problems. Have a look at these lighting solutions available on eBay and choose one that is the right size for you.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4522.m570.l1311&_nkw=photo+light+tent&_sacat=See-All-Categories

For my key rings I have reflection problems and use a light tent with a pair of very bright 175w daylight balanced bulbs shining through the fabric. Even this is not a perfect solution for me, but glossy plastic is very difficult to photograph well. I have just added a horizontal arm to my tripod, to get the camera into a better position. As yet I have not had the time to play with it due to Christmas orders.

Roger

[Cabincrafts]

hi Roger
many thanks for your honesty and advice, i agree most of my photos are rushed as i need to get the orders out but want to retain a record of them, but i really need to get better results with my photos. I will be ordering a lightbox and lights straight after christmas and i shall see what the difference brings.
Once again many thanks..

steve

ps. do you have a website i can visit please.

[keystamp]

Steve

I have a few photos in my gallery in the forum, click on keystamp to bring up my profile and then look at my gallery of photos.

However I moved business premises during the late summer and early autumn, the main business (I am a picture framer and gallery) web site has been totally reworked and should have been loaded yesterday, but I cannot find the ftp codes I need to change the site. So later today or tomorrow I shall be locating them and once loaded I will be posting on the forum about the new site. Photographing anything framed is a nightmare as you know the frame edges are straight and square, but try getting the camera in the correct position to obtain it! Then the lense can cause a barrelling effect if used in too low a light. Not to mention the reflections from highlights or glass.

My craft side is key rings with commemorative stamps that are researched and details provided on the reverse. So far I have written up over 700 stamps, and my general knowledge has improved remarkably. So many stamps were issued that have additional references to places, e.g. a series of 1971 Christmas stamps showing stained glass images of nativity scenes, are all from Canterbury Cathedral. The commemorative stamps start in 1935 and I am currently at the end of the 1980's and start of the 1990's (different sized stamps) and once I get to about 2005 I will start creating a web site for them. This will be a massive undertaking as it will have photos of every stamp, a full searchable database and e-commerce with PayPal shopping trolley. Once this has been finished I still have several other projects to add and the website will need to be increased still further.

Roger

[Kelspicknell]

Sometimes products can look their best in a setting type photo, such as on a shelf or window sill.
I wouldn't worry about light tents and lights as all you need is a little bit of camera knowledge, of which there is a lot of on the Internet.
if you find a set up which is easy to use each time then stick with it and build yourself a 'look' or brand, so as when people see your photos they will know its your work. You also need to remember that your customers need to know how to 'use' your product so you could show them in your pics. How about setting up a little corner in a room/shed with a clean surface and background with good light. Daylight really is best on a cloudy, but not dark day so as the light is diffused nicely.
Get a pic of the whole product and then a close up to show detail.

Hope this helps a bit. Just remember that you really don't need all the equipment to get good results - I run a workshop which shows people how to get the best results by simply using a piece of white card as a background in front of a window.

[Cabincrafts]

hi kellie
many thanks for the enlightening insite into the world of still art, i really enjoyed it. I have just looked through your site and i find the photos and settings are brilliant and i must do something staged for my own names.
Its too late to stop the tent and lights as i have already ordered them, and i hope they will prove useful to me, but i am starting to get ideas about putting the names in babies bedrooms, shelves and hopefully wedding table settings.
Once again many thanks

steve

[Mojo_77]

Hi Steve, had a look at your site and I've noticed that quite a few of your shots seem to slope down to the left, try using a hotshoe mounted spirit level or cropping your shots in PS to sort this, it may look arty but the consumer generally is not interested in this, they just want to see the product as best they can before spending their hard earned. Agree with the comment above about using a lifestyle shot, try to imagine what setting the customer may use the product in.

[Cabincrafts]

hi Kath
wow oh wow i just looked at your website, i was fascinated by your leather craft and loved the utube video's. I was particularly taken by the swivel cutter, looked so easy to cut but didn't see any excess coming out of the groove, absolutely stunning stuff thank you for your information.

I really need to spend more time on my site and make it better, its just so people can see the sort of things i cut but so long as i can find a silhouette/profile picture i can actually cut anything and any name, there is so many weird spellings out there (i'm glad to say)..
I also want to embellish my Bride/Groom name plaque so i can show it to Wedding shops and the like but not sure how to go about it (as yet) any idea's..

many thanks for your time on this.

steve

[Mojo_77]

Thank you for your kind comments, the leather is damp when I tool it, so it cuts easier, you cut a channel into it rather than cutting bits out of it! Good luck with your site!

[blackcoffeeforme]

Congrats on your works! They are wonderful, however I do agree you could work a bit on the presentation of the profucts.
What I have noticed is that you sometimes take the picture from a slighlty weird angle. Try photographing them from a right angle. Just a thought :)

[Cabincrafts]

many thanks for the kind words, i sometimes feel that i stand on a tilt;) however just bought a new photo tent and some new software for a more modern site so hopefully i will get it sorted shortly.