# First pictures with a light tent



## monstersdad99

These are a couple of my first attempts with a light tent. I am using a Nikon Cool Pix P90.  It isn't a DSLR it is in the "super zoom" class of cameras.  The first two pictures are a mesa pen in Eucalyptus burl and the last two are a Gatsby pen in cocobolo. 
I appreciate your constructive feedback.


----------



## triw51

I like the fact there are no harsh shadows and the softer light brings out the character of the wood nice work.


----------



## plano_harry

Very nice.  I am not an expert on this topic, but here are my comments:  Pictures 3 and 4 have better lighting exposure on the base to show the edges of the black hardware, so that is good, but the glare washes out the wood a little.  I use HDR to help with that.


----------



## Richard Gibson

I like them. What type of light tent did you get??


----------



## monstersdad99

plano_harry said:


> Very nice.  I am not an expert on this topic, but here are my comments:  Pictures 3 and 4 have better lighting exposure on the base to show the edges of the black hardware, so that is good, but the glare washes out the wood a little.  I use HDR to help with that.



What is HDR?


----------



## monstersdad99

Richard Gibson said:


> I like them. What type of light tent did you get??



I got the light tent from amazon for 13.95.  

It is a:  Neewer® 16x16 inch/40x40 cm Photo Studio Shooting Tent Light Cube Diffusion Soft Box Kit with 4 Colors Backdrops (Red Dark Blue Black White) for Photo.


----------



## 76winger

Very Nice!  I like the low lighting on the right side, it really brings out the 3-D qualities of the pens as well as the prop.


----------



## sbell111

My preference is for a white background.  Also, the dust in the pics is distracting to me.  I find that a fabric background allows me to manage dust better and eliminates reflection.


----------



## BSea

Those are very good.  If i would suggest anything, is would be to use a lighter background.  It's a little hard to see the black parts of the pen.  But the wood grain really pops against the black background.  I use a piece of black plexiglass when I want a black background.  I normally use a gray background.  I got a piece of gray foam board from Michaels that works great.  




monstersdad99 said:


> What is HDR?



HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.  In simple terms, it brings out the detail in shadows.  Many newer point & shoot cameras have this feature.  It's even on the iphone 4s and later.  Maybe earlier too.  HDR might help give better definition of the black parts against the black background.


----------



## monstersdad99

BSea said:


> Those are very good.  If i would suggest anything, is would be to use a lighter background.  It's a little hard to see the black parts of the pen.  But the wood grain really pops against the black background.  I use a piece of black plexiglass when I want a black background.  I normally use a gray background.  I got a piece of gray foam board from Michaels that works great.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> monstersdad99 said:
> 
> 
> 
> What is HDR?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.  In simple terms, it brings out the detail in shadows.  Many newer point & shoot cameras have this feature.  It's even on the iphone 4s and later.  Maybe earlier too.  HDR might help give better definition of the black parts against the black background.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice


----------



## Quality Pen

Nice pictures!

You'll notice the "fuziness" of the black, called noise, will go decrease nicely with a better camera as well.


----------



## G1Pens

Overall, pretty good. The purpose of a light tent is to remove possible reflections and provide even lighting. That said, your light is much stronger from the right. This is causing a hot spot on the pen. Play with moving the lights around and try to better distribute the lighting.

As others have mentioned a lighter background would help. Try a neutral grey.

Also as others have mentioned, you need some editing software to get those dust spots out.


----------



## farmer

*CPL*



monstersdad99 said:


> These are a couple of my first attempts with a light tent. I am using a Nikon Cool Pix P90.  It isn't a DSLR it is in the "super zoom" class of cameras.  The first two pictures are a mesa pen in Eucalyptus burl and the last two are a Gatsby pen in cocobolo.
> I appreciate your constructive feedback.


 

Can you put a CPL on that camera ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vvz_d6APXk
If so buy one if it doesn't work out for pen photography it is a must to have for outdoor photography.

Pens looks small, hard to see any details


Farmer


----------

