# Help for pen photography -Canon EOS 600D



## Stephen

I am using a Canon EOS 600D and am completely at a loss. I want to take pictures of pens and wish to know how to set the camera. I am unable to follow the manual instructions. 
Simple  instructions for a non photographer will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Stephen


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## jsolie

Hi Stephen,

Couple of questions first: Do you have a tripod?  Do you have any lighting other than the pop-up flash?


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## allmaclean

Also what lens do you have on the camera?


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## Stephen

jsolie said:


> Hi Stephen,
> 
> Couple of questions first: Do you have a tripod?  Do you have any lighting other than the pop-up flash?



Yes, I have a tripod and wish to use indirect daylight. I wish to know the settings for quality photos and how to set the camera up.
Thanks 
Stephen


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## Stephen

allmaclean said:


> Also what lens do you have on the camera?



The lens: Canon zoom lens EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II 58mm.


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## darrin1200

Here is a link to a great thread over on FPN that I have been following lately.

Offering Photography Advice - Pictures & Pen Photography - The Fountain Pen Network


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## Stephen

Thanks Darrin,
Great information. I will spend  time to read them all.
Thanks again
Stephen


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## farmer

*Photography*



Stephen said:


> jsolie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Stephen,
> 
> Couple of questions first: Do you have a tripod?  Do you have any lighting other than the pop-up flash?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, I have a tripod and wish to use indirect daylight. I wish to know the settings for quality photos and how to set the camera up.
> Thanks
> Stephen
Click to expand...


I have the same camera you own ....
Your camera is a programmable camera ,,,,,   the only way to walk you through what you need to know is to re-write the manual .

You don't have a choice ,, if you wish to ever switch the camera from auto to manual mode you are going to have to study the operators manual....

When I shoot in manual mode 
I set my white balance first 
Then my ISO 
The my F stops or Apature 
Then my shutter speed 

Your white balance will be the sunny day .
Your ISO will be set at 100
your f stop at f 9 to f 11.
try 1/160th  and above on the shutter speed .

don't know why you got the thought the manual is to complex for you to understand ,  but in the photography world its sink or swim .
Without the knowledge of knowing how to set your camera your chances of producing a good photo of a pen is low .....

There is tons of videos on line teaching people how to set their cameras .
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+set+white+balance+on+a+t3i+you+tube&FORM=VDRE


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## Stephen

farmer said:


> Stephen said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jsolie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Stephen,
> 
> Couple of questions first: Do you have a tripod?  Do you have any lighting other than the pop-up flash?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, I have a tripod and wish to use indirect daylight. I wish to know the settings for quality photos and how to set the camera up.
> Thanks
> Stephen
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I have the same camera you own ....
> Your camera is a programmable camera ,,,,,   the only way to walk you through what you need to know is to re-write the manual .
> 
> You don't have a choice ,, if you wish to ever switch the camera from auto to manual mode you are going to have to study the operators manual....
> 
> When I shoot in manual mode
> I set my white balance first
> Then my ISO
> The my F stops or Apature
> Then my shutter speed
> 
> Your white balance will be the sunny day .
> Your ISO will be set at 100
> your f stop at f 9 to f 11.
> try 1/160th  and above on the shutter speed .
> 
> don't know why you got the thought the manual is to complex for you to understand ,  but in the photography world its sink or swim .
> Without the knowledge of knowing how to set your camera your chances of producing a good photo of a pen is low .....
> 
> There is tons of videos on line teaching people how to set their cameras .
> https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+set+white+balance+on+a+t3i+you+tube&FORM=VDRE
Click to expand...


Thanks. Looks like I have read the manual to better understand and follow your instructions.
Thanks again.
Stephen


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## farmer

There is after market manuals 
They are more like a book.

You could join a photography club .

Pens are not the easy to get professional photos 
https://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-Re...id=1487674950&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+t3i+books

I have this book and think the book is ok .
https://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-Re...id=1487674950&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+t3i+books


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## Stephen

farmer said:


> There is after market manuals
> They are more like a book.
> 
> You could join a photography club .
> 
> Pens are not the easy to get professional photos
> https://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-Re...id=1487674950&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+t3i+books
> 
> I have this book and think the book is ok .
> https://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-Re...id=1487674950&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+t3i+books



Thanks
Stephen


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## Mortalis

DIY your own small light box. Use the auto on the choice for shutter/aperature selector and shoot away. Plenty of YouTube vids on how to use your camera settings. Not necessarily an easy two sentence answer.


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## law_kid

Camera settings:  A pen is a stationary object, so shutter speed is not particularly important.  But you do want maximum depth of field (i.e. the amount in focus), to make sure that you capture the entire pen.  Set the camera to aperture priority mode (on Canons, this is the "Av" setting) and set the aperture to f/16.  Use a tripod and a shutter release cable; if you don't have a shutter cable, set the timer to 2 seconds to help eliminate camera shake.  The camera will select the appropriate shutter speed. Canons also have native ISO of 160, so I usually set my ISO there.  If your subject is still coming out too dark, try bumping it up to 320 or 400. 

Lighting: As was previously suggested, a lightbox is a great idea.  If your using the pop-up flash, you can also try shooting with a piece of white tissue paper covering or just in front of the flash, to knock down shadows.  The ideal setup is to use the pop-up to trigger an off-camera flash, but I don't know if the 600D can control a slave flash with IR .    

If you shoot in RAW, white balance (i.e. color cast) won't be an issue as you can always adjust it in post.  If not, follow the instructions in the camera manual to set a CUSTOM white balance.  This usually involves placing a white object or sheet of paper in your first photo and letting the camera register off of that.


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## Old Bus Driver

I worked in a commercial studio for 11 years. We had 2 studios. Did work for Coke, John Portman, Ad Agencies, Lithonia Lighting and many others. Most studio work was table top. 4X4 plywood or larger. We also did location work. Rolls of paper for background. Lighting is the hardest part to get right.  Shadows can be good or bad. Remember F stop controls depth of field or what is in focus. Larger ones there is less in focus. In case you don't know F 2 is larger than F 16. Shutter speed is important in moving things. I use Paintshop Pro for editing. I am now 77 and photography is a hobby. I miss the old Black and white darkroom work. Experiment. Digital makes it so easy. Film was expensive.


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## Sylvanite

Have you looked in the library?

Pen Photography - Concept and Practice


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