# Picture Feedback



## JBCustomPens (Apr 6, 2010)

Hello everyone,


In this thread, http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60471 , I posted a HRB pen. In post #19, I posted pictures many said they liked. I'd like some feedback on them though. What can be done to improve upon them?


Thanks.


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## jocat54 (Apr 6, 2010)

Gregg that's anice looking pen. Do you use a light box to take your pictures? They look like they could use some light. I am not a expert by any means. I built a light box out of a cardboard box and cut the sides and top out and then covered them with some white tissue paper. Then I place the lights on each side of the box. It really helped my photos but have a long way to go.


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## SDB777 (Apr 13, 2010)

Was the photo in question shot on a white background?

If so, you need to 'meter' on the background, save the settings the camera chose and then focus back on the pen to get the true color.  If it was a gray background, disregard everything I just said.....

While a 'tent' will always give you a controlled enviroment, nothing beats the sun.  Not many people do it anymore, but I can always tell a photo was taken outside in 'real light'.......




Scott (nice camera BTW) B


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## toddlajoie (Apr 13, 2010)

From the looks of the reflections, you're using a relatively small light, mainly from the front, right. What's important to remember when taking photos of shiny things is the "pool table geometry", "Angle of incidence equals angle of reflectance", and when you have very shiny things, you will see the surroundings in the photos. 

Now small light sources make sharp shadows, and small highlights that fall off quickly. That is why you can see the shadow cutout above your pen, and the highlight on the nib end stops about 1/2 way in. A larger light source will soften the edge of the shadow and make the highlight spread out, and this can be done by placing some diffusion material between the pen and the light, but it IS going to reduce the brightness of the light. It's a tradeoff of quantity to quality... 

The position of both the shadow and the highlight are directly related to where your lights are, so think of where you want them to be when you place your lights. If you want to show off the shiny smooth CA finish and quality plating, placing the light close (but diffused) and above the pen (slightly behind even) will give it that nice reflection along the upper edge of the body that really shows the finish.

If you're aiming to get on the main page, you're likely going to need to "dress your image" a bit, create a scene or setting that kicks it up a bit. This can often be just as important as the lighting/exposure. If you just want to see the pen, your shots are fine, but if you're looking to make a promotion image or a more appealing presentation, you'll need to do something more than lay the pen down on something and snap away. Even the ones with the pen stands could use something beyond the flat background.  Contrast is always a good thing, so think about your pen, is it mostly dark or mostly light? Your "set" should contrast that. A black titanium ebony pen is not going to look good on a dark background, and a chrome holly pen will not look good on a white background. One background rarely will work for all pens, and while I rarely see people using pure black, many people try to use all white, and I think it is rarely a good thing. Point and shoot cameras are not going to want to see all that white, so you're going to get dull lifeless photos (from a lighting/exposure perspective).

Sorry, this post got a bit more involved than I had planned, and (lucky for you folks...) I've got to get going before I go off on another tangent....

Overall your photos look great from a "here's a pen" perspective (nothing wrong with that, that's about all I do at the moment with mine...)


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## gketell (Apr 16, 2010)

Metering off a white background normally won't work.  Most cameras think in terms of grey.  If you meter a snowy landscape and shoot with the metered readings the snow is grey.  If you meter on black and shoot based on that, the black turns out grey.  To do a direct meter you need a 18% grey card.  They can be had from most photo shops for about $5.  I got mine from BHPhotoVideo.com.

Now you CAN do custom white balance off a white card.  But then, what is "white".  You can hold two pieces of "white" paper side by side and they will be different colors.  Two "white" cars.  etc.  that is the benefit of investing in a 18% grey card.  They are guaranteed in their color.  

Regarding Todd's comments of "dressing the scene": a subtle dressing is a good thing.  But too much is bad.  Remember that you ARE showing off the PEN; you AREN'T showing off the BACKGROUND.  I've seen printed music under a music themed pen: good.  I've seen big shells supporting the pen on a "sandy shore" background: bad.  (Not dissing anyone's photos.  Just picked two random examples that came to mind).  Blue background for blue pen: bad.  Bright white or solid black is usually bad (too contrasty).  Subtlety is the goal.  

GK


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