# Best one yet for me.... now what?



## Russianwolf (Jan 30, 2008)

This is with the new Fujifilm S500 we got in December. The setting is the stock Wlamart light tent with one light into the side and the other pointing directly at the pen from above the camera. And I think I used the flash on this one as the others were all darker. 

I finally figured out how to use manual focus and macro/supermacro on the camera. But now what else can I do to improve the shots?

I want to list some on Pen Mall, but am holding off until I can get good pictures to go up.


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## R2 (Jan 30, 2008)

Great photo of a great pen.[^] Perhaps apiece of round ,clear acrylic rod for your rest woul add  more zip.


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## gerryr (Jan 30, 2008)

Are you sure about the model number?  I can't find any such model number to understand more about what the camera can do.


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## SuperDave (Jan 30, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Russianwolf_
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For starters, I would change the blue backdrop. I would also try not aiming the light directly at the pen.

My latest pictures were taken with the camera on Aperture Priority at 5.6 at 55MM. 

I had only one small CFL bulb pointed up-wards from the outside of the tent, which was the single biggest improvement, as I had way too much light coming in before. 

I changed the white backdrop to a gray glass (wanted a gloss effect) with dark fabric under it to make it even darker. 

I used the timer so as not the rock the camera and used the manual focus.

I have gone from taking dozens of pictures to get a decent shot to one or two. This is the end result.

If your camera allows manual settings, take a run at some of these changes and plet us know how you do.

Dave


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## Russianwolf (Jan 30, 2008)

> _Originally posted by gerryr_
> 
> Are you sure about the model number?  I can't find any such model number to understand more about what the camera can do.


sorry, It's an S700 from Fujifilm.


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## Russianwolf (Jan 30, 2008)

Dave,
   How exactly did you have the light set up? bare bulb or with a shroud? as you say it was pointing up.

Did you use a flash at all?


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## SuperDave (Jan 31, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Russianwolf_
> 
> Dave,
> How exactly did you have the light set up? bare bulb or with a shroud? as you say it was pointing up.
> ...



It was a CFL bulb that is encased inside a glass housing ( looked like a sun lamp bulb but with a CFL pig-tail bulb inside). Bought it at HD.

I had the light on a vertical stand to the right outer side of the tent approximately 18 inches above the tent base and it was aimed slightly up-wards. No other lights were used, just the settings I mentioned earlier. No flash.

When looking through the viewfinder, the setup looked a lot darker than the photo turned out. The photo was reduced to 900 x 600 pixels for posting and no other enhancements were made.

White balance set to automatic and quality set to the highest JPEG setting. ISO set to 100. Aperture set to 5.6 using Aperture Priority.

Here is a pen using the same setup. (excuse the dust...[:I])


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## galoot_loves_tools (Feb 2, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Russianwolf_
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The picture has too much contrast and color saturation. Is it straight out of the camera or did you post-process it?


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## gerryr (Feb 2, 2008)

It looks like it was post-processed in Picasa.  I used to use Picasa and pictures that are over-processed in Picasa have a fairly distinctive look.

What resolution are you using?  Your should be shooting at maximum resolution, 3072x2304.

Can you post the same picture just as it comes from the camera, nothing more than re-sizing?


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## Russianwolf (Feb 3, 2008)

straight from the camera (reduced to 25% of original size in MS Paint). Not sure which program I have on my Dell Laptop but I used it for cropping and I may have hit the "auto correct" button on it while playing around.


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## Russianwolf (Feb 3, 2008)

double posted


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## gerryr (Feb 4, 2008)

That's a better looking photo although, to me, it still looks a bit over-processed.  Are there any settings on your camera to increase saturation or contrast?  Saturation might be referred to as "vivid."  Is the background really that blue?

Are you shooting at the highest resolution?


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## Russianwolf (Feb 4, 2008)

The original matched the 3072x2304 you mentioned above.

As to camera settings.For now the camera is on the defaults other than me putting it in manual focus mode, macro or supermacro, and using or killing the flash.

I don't believe I've accidentally changed anything else, but it's possible.

The blue backgrouud is the stock blue background that came with the walmart light tent. I may flip it to the gray side and see how that does. I'll get some more pics taken this week.


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## gerryr (Feb 4, 2008)

Mike,
Definitely try the gray background on the next one.  The blue is too intense and distracting.  Check the camera settings and make sure that if there is anything for something like "color mode" or saturation that it isn't set to vivid or that the saturation isn't set higher than normal.  Also, put the pen more parallel to the camera back which makes it easier to get the entire pen in focus.  Also, post it in a new thread so we don't have to scroll through all the pictures taken by someone else.


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## aurrida (Feb 14, 2008)

i agree with a lot before. consider a background that doesnt compete with the pen. 

keep it simple to start with no props, eg the blank the pen is resting on.

if the light you are using is causing a high contrast turn it down, move it further away or diffuse it further.

start by using one light only and a reflector, understand how this works before adding another light. our brains are accustomed to there being only one light source and a photo can look wrong to us if we use more than one light inappropriately. 

another light can be added but remember its only there to fill the shadow and generally its around 1/4 of the power of the main light source. i prefer a refector.

a light can also be added to cause a highlight.

i would always advice start with one light, get it right before you add any more.

i took this through a window, in bright soft daylight, reflecting back on the subject. essentially the same a using one lamp. i cant control the intensity of the sun but i can diffuse it with a white gauze or move the subject further away from the window. your light tent is no different. the advantage you have is you can take the picture when ever you want. lucky you.

this was taken with a compact and i'm saying this because you can get good results from a small simple camera. using auto mode and macro. essentially its all about using light and understanding and working within the limits of yor equipment. 

happy snapping.


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