Best lighting for indoor bead photographs ?

Started by Les, January 14, 2011, 08:55:37 AM

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Fruddy

I've got a Tut for making a lightbox Les, if you want me to send it to you??

garishglobes

Glenn, are you photographing boro inside? I've never managed to do that very successfully at all!

Les

Quote from: Fruddy on January 14, 2011, 12:54:48 PM
I've got a Tut for making a lightbox Les, if you want me to send it to you??

Thanks ! All advice is much appreciated :)

★★Terri★★

On really dull days I use my craft light that has a daylight ring bulb in it.  I make a little hood with greaseproof paper to diffuse the light a bit - just make sure it doesn't get near the bulb in case it gets hot and catches on fire.

I also have a couple of daylight bulbs that I use in clip on lamps - thoough since we moved I can't find them ???

Steampunkglass

Quote from: garishglobes on January 14, 2011, 01:42:27 PM
Glenn, are you photographing boro inside? I've never managed to do that very successfully at all!
Yep, I struggle to get enough light to get any decent photos with daylight here, and it means I can photo stuff at any time as I don't manage to get time during the day so I do most photos late in the day

helbels

My flat is north facing, so always quite dark, so I struggle to get good pictures. I have 2 photographic lights and use a light tent, but even then they tend to come out dark and I have to tweak them to lighten them up.

Dickie

Quote from: helbels on January 15, 2011, 02:17:35 PM
My flat is north facing, so always quite dark, so I struggle to get good pictures. I have 2 photographic lights and use a light tent, but even then they tend to come out dark and I have to tweak them to lighten them up.

That's most likely not a problem with the lights but the camera settings, basically adding 2000 watts of lighting will STILL mean your pictures are too dark. ;)
I discussed this in the Wiki article I wrote

http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/wiki/Photography

basically you need to adjust your exposure compensation.
Dickie-Oh yes! Follow me on Twitter @DickieDooda

★★Terri★★

Quote from: Dickie on January 17, 2011, 12:14:58 AM

http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/wiki/Photography

basically you need to adjust your exposure compensation.


That is probably the best tip I've seen.  But it assumes that the camera offers the option - a lot of the digital compacts don't have this feature.

If the pictures are coming out dark even if you have managed to get enought light to take it then try to sort it out in Photoshop (I don't know other editing software but I am sure you could do something like this)


Open the photo in Photoshop. In 'Layer' make a duplicate as a safety back-up. Then go to Image - Adjustments - Levels (not auto levels) and a window pops up with a graph in it and three pointers directly underneath.  The one on the right (usually - it's the clear one) controls the 'white' or 'light' light.  If the graph ends before it gets to this marker then you haven't got enought light in the photo.  Correct this by sliding the triangular marker towards the end of the graph (technical term is histogram I believe).  You will see the photo start to lighten up.  You may need to move the one at the opposite end a little (just a very little) as well - this controls the darkest areas.  Then perhaps a tweek on the middle one - when you are happy click 'OK'.  Then go back to Image - Adjustments - Hue/Saturation and slide the 'saturation' slider slightly to the left - just a little.  When you are happy click 'OK'.

Well, that's the way I do it - I know that photoshop has many 'ways to skin a cat' - but I find this the simplest whilst giving the most finite contol.  Apart from cropping it's all I use photoshop for really.

Dickie

If your camera does not have exposure compensation (and many do... check your manual) then most will have a setting for taking pictures in Snow/Beach, this will have a similar effect, it won't be exact but the chances are it will give a better result than full auto.

(Note: this assumes you are taking pictures on a white background)

The other alternative is to NOT use a white background but something mid-toned, like slate or something else grey, to allow the camera to expose correctly.
Dickie-Oh yes! Follow me on Twitter @DickieDooda

stuwaudby

Desk light should work fine. The more light there is the better the photos will be. If buying a light then opt for incandescant lights rather than flourescent.

Flourescent lights emit lights at very specific frequencies (colours) which when mixed and enter the eye appear to be white. The sensor in a camera also works at very specific frequencies, if they dont match then the colour is distorted. A flourescent lamp also flickers at high frequency and can cause the photo exposure to be off.

Without spending alot the best type of light to buy is cheap halogen lamps, something like: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20133810 should do the job. Get two to avoid shadows.

The next thing to think about is the light spread, if you just place a lamp on your desk and fire off a picture there will be a very bright spot where the lamp is reflected, the camera will compansate and the rest of the bead will be under exposed. Either use a light tent or place some white objects around to reflect the light in from many directions. A pillow case or sheet hung over half a cardboard box will be enough.

A flash can also work well in a light tent. It will be better if the flash is diffused. A diffuser sits infront of the flash gun and causes the light to be emitted from an area, rather than a point. Anything white and semi trasparant will do it. Have a look in the kitchen for an old ice cream or margarine container, cut it up and position it in front of the flash gun.

Personally I use a conservatory :)

turnedlight

I use my conservatory but recently even in there, in the middle of the day, it's been too dull. I hate photoshop, it's too complicated for me, no matter how many times I'm shown it I just find it has too many buttons.. so I use Picassa which many would probably spit on, but I don't care, it's quick and simple. I use a photo cube (full of black cat fur, he keeps sleeping in it the little b****r and it takes ages to clean up!) and desk lamps though you have to set the white balance on the camera. Daylight is much better though.
kathryn

stuwaudby

Quote from: garishglobes on January 14, 2011, 01:42:27 PM
Glenn, are you photographing boro inside? I've never managed to do that very successfully at all!

Click here for an indoor boro photo: http://runnyglass.co.uk/stus/dslr2.JPG

It was taken with a Nikon on a tripod using a standard lens on a macro extension tube in manual. Exposure about 1/10th of a second and about F5.