# Closeup photo settings?



## Woodchipper (Aug 5, 2022)

I'm intrigued by the closeup photos in threads and galleries. I have a Canon T7 with an 18-55mm lens that I use for close work. Would it be possible to share camera settings for photos as f stop, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, flash if used, etc. Thanks. I just posted two photos but they didn't turn out as I wanted.


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## MedWoodWorx (Aug 5, 2022)

I use my phone and i don't mess the settings but what i have learned is never to use the flash in closeups and also to cover the lights with rice paper ( not sure if the english word is that; its a thin kind of paper that makes the lighting soft). I have also a diy light box made from a cardboard where i can use a piece of matt white paper as a font and take pictures of small objects ( i use ordinary lights on top or the sides depending on the result i want). Pay attention to your font it can ruin or upgrade your photos. Cheers


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## its_virgil (Aug 5, 2022)

Woodchipper said:


> I'm intrigued by the closeup photos in threads and galleries. I have a Canon T7 with an 18-55mm lens that I use for close work. Would it be possible to share camera settings for photos as f stop, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, flash if used, etc. Thanks. I just posted two photos but they didn't turn out as I wanted.


I have a Canon DSLR with several lenses. I find taking photos with ny phone much easier than setting up my camera equipment.

The library has some photo taking articles. 
Do a good turn daily! 
Don


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## Woodchipper (Aug 5, 2022)

Thanks. I find indoor photos to be more challenging than outdoor photos. I do have a setup in one room. I just finished a session with Photoshop Elements to try and improve one photo. Not exactly what I wanted. I find that I don't take time to check camera settings. My wife sets her camera at Auto and takes some great photos from the kitchen window!


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## jrista (Aug 5, 2022)

The exposure settings are going to be light-dependent...so, there isn't any way to share "canned" settings for. you there. The f-stop may also depend on just how close you are and the DOF you need to fit the whole pen in, and if you want maximum detail then there are going to be some limits there (by around f16 or so diffraction will start limiting your resolution.) 

I am not great with flash, so I purchased some fixed lighting, a couple diffusing light boxes to enlarge the light source and give me softer lighting and shadows (which, is not necessarily always what you want...large diffuse lights can eliminate reflections you may want to keep in place on shinier pens!), and some booms, reflectors, and some other things to help me control primary and fill lighting and all that. Not terribly expensive, most of these items can be found for anywhere from $15-$30 each, although a good large light with an umbrella and diffuser may cost more like $50 or so. 

With fixed lights, its easy to see exactly how your pen will be lit, get it set up just right, and then set up your camera at the various angles you want and get your shots. If you know your lighting, you can manually set your white balance, otherwise if you shoot RAW you can adjust that after the fact as well. I usually try to use a white balance that matches the kind of lights I use, so 5000k, 6500k, 2800k, etc. depending on the light. Gives me a more realistic view on the camera while I'm setting up shots.

I've tried to use my phone for photos...but, it just doesn't give me the quality or control I'm used to. I've been using DSLRs for close to 15 years, and I'm too used to being able to control every aspect of my shot.  You can get excellent results with a DSLR though, if you put a little bit of money into lighting gear, and spend a bit of time getting the lighting right.


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## Sylvanite (Aug 5, 2022)

Check out IAP Library - Pen Photography Concept and Practice


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## KateHarrow (Aug 5, 2022)

Woodchipper said:


> I'm intrigued by the closeup photos in threads and galleries. I have a Canon T7 with an 18-55mm lens that I use for close work. Would it be possible to share camera settings for photos as f stop, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, flash if used, etc. Thanks. I just posted two photos but they didn't turn out as I wanted.


I've been posting a lot of my finished work lately. Every one of those photos has been taken on my iPhone 13 and edited in an app called Snapseed


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## its_virgil (Aug 5, 2022)

KateHarrow said:


> been posting a lot of my finished work lately. Every one of those photos has been taken on my iPhone 13 and edited in an app called Snapseed


Samsung S9+ for me (Yes, I know its time to upgrade) and Snapseed. Love snapseed.


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## KateHarrow (Aug 5, 2022)

its_virgil said:


> Samsung S9+ for me (Yes, I know its time to upgrade) and Snapseed. Love snapseed.


Great minds, Don!


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## Woodchipper (Aug 5, 2022)

I took one photo and played with Photoshop Elements 2021. I enjoy trying different things with my Canon T7. I do take photos with my Android but only pets and grandkids...all nine.


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## jcm71 (Aug 5, 2022)

Take a look for posts by Sylvanite, a member who I do not think has posted recently.  He had some great posts on photography.


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## jrista (Aug 5, 2022)

BURLMAN said:


> Take a look for posts by Sylvanite, a member who I do not think has posted recently.  He had some great posts on photography.



 Scroll up!!


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## jcm71 (Aug 6, 2022)

BURLMAN said:


> Take a look for posts by Sylvanite, a member who I do not think has posted recently.  He had some great posts on photography.


Oops.


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## Woodchipper (Aug 6, 2022)

Sylvanite said:


> Check out IAP Library - Pen Photography Concept and Practice


Downloaded and saved the file for reference.


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## Dannv (Aug 28, 2022)

My suggestion would be to get a good macro lens.  An older Canon 100mm Macro would be great and cheaper than the new L version.  The new consumer version isn't terribly good.  Tamron has a 90mm and Sigma has a 105mm that also look pretty good.  (Read reviews before buying.)  Then, get a good book on product photography and one on macro photography.  Get ones aimed at how to take good pictures not how to photoshop them.  That will do you WAY more good than me telling you what settings I have on my camera for a specific photo.  Unless you are using the same lights at the same distance from the subject with the same lens and the same size sensor, etc. my settings aren't going to give you the same results.  FWIW, I am backlighting all fo my pen pics, either dark field or just a softbox, depending on the pic.  Then I place white cards to give me fill and bright reflections where I want them.  Looks way better than flash from the front or a flat light "light box" setup.


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