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Tips for taking pics for posting?

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  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Atlanta, Georgia
Tips for taking pics for posting?
Posted by RTimmer on Sunday, January 10, 2010 8:26 PM

Hi All,

Are there any particularly good threads here or other sites for taking photos with a digital camera of models/WIP for posting here? Alternatively, what are your best tips?

I have a decent digital camera, albeit not an SLR.  I took some photos yesterday to do my first post of a WIP at this forum, but I was not happy at all with how they came out.

Finally, is Photobucket the service most folks are using for hosting their pictures?  Any other picture sites people are using?  Any issues with Photobucket?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers, Rick

fox
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Narvon, Pa.
Posted by fox on Sunday, January 10, 2010 8:46 PM

There are probably good threads for taking pics if you take the time to check back a ways. I use my wifes little digital camera. I put it on a tripod to get steady pics. There is a setting on my wifes camera that lets you take close-ups. When you put it on that setting, an outline of a flower appears in the upper left hand corner of the screen. This lets you get almost right up against the model or parts. Then I just use the in-and-out focus to clear up the pic.

I use Photobucket, but there are a few other places that people use.  You can probably find them back among the threads. Use the one that works better for you. Good Luck.

JimCaptain

 Main WIP: 

   On the Bench: Artesania Latina  (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: fort mill SC
Posted by Robert92562 on Sunday, January 10, 2010 9:02 PM

I would like to find a post that help's me with photobucket. Taking pictures takes pratice and imagination. I can't get past the posting and uploading with photobucket. Some times it loads some times not. It discourages me from posting. I'm never happy with the posting.....Just my thoughts...

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Monday, January 11, 2010 3:54 AM

I would say that Photobucket is the main site that I've seen people using. I've used it for over three years now and only occasionally ever had a glitch with it--certainly no more, or less, than any other online site or service. The only other photo sharing site that I tried and can report nothing but disappointment and frustration with was "Webshots"--stay away from that nightmare, IMO. High speed internet certainly helps, as does taking a few minutes to actually read the "How to use" section of the site. When all else fails, read the directions!

One of the most important issue affecting photo quality is lighting. If you're hoping to get a good photo with just one single, standard 60-watt light bulb, you're going to be disappointed nearly every time. Your photos will have a yellow tint, and harsh shadows. Get either fluorescent bulbs, or shoot in natural light--I have a huge picture window that I use to light my shots, augmented by a fluorescent overhead.

As far as taking photos for the website, first of all, make sure your camera is at least decently new; that is, one preferably less than two years old. Another trick is to use a photo-editing program like "PaInt" to "hone in" on your photo subject, and use this feature to "zoom in", rather than trying to get too close with the lense or camera zoom itself. Many times, the zoom feature can give you problems in reducing depth-of-field, and you get sharp focus in the foreground, and then blur along the length of the model. Shooting from further back, and then "zooming in" by shrinking and centering the photo in "Paint" can be a huge boon.

I also use Microsoft Office Picture Manager to correct tones and lighting. Open a photo with that program, and select "Auto Correct" and watch the magic, In many cases, you can work miracles with this convenient program.

Hope this helps you improve!

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Monday, January 11, 2010 7:56 AM

All these guys give excellent tips.  One last thing I can't help but throw in for anyone who might be reading this:  Please do NOT use a cell phone camera!  It's a big pet peeve of mine when someone posts a cell phone picture and then apologizes for it being so blurry.

And even if you use a regular digital camera, please don't post pics that are out of focus.  Check out any post which contains pictures and you're guaranteed to find one which contains out of focus pictures.  If it's not clear then please don't post!

Otherwise, if you can lay your hands on a good photo-editing software, I say go for it.  Get a nice hi-rez camera and then use the software to zoom in on those close-up shots.  My wife is a graphic artist and she's taught me just enough to be a danger to myself and others.  Whenever I use the programs it makes me wonder how the world got by without them.

Eric

 

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Monday, January 11, 2010 8:04 AM

Here is an article from my original blog site I did when all I had was two pocket digital cameras.

How I do model photography

Since that time I have a new camera, though I still have and use the pocket cameras, especially while at the workbench. My photo studio has also seen transformations such as the addition of more lights, more background color choices and some new strobes.

 

An unedited shot

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Cave City, KY
Posted by Watchmann on Monday, January 11, 2010 8:11 AM

Here's a FSM article from their How To section. Link

If you need some good image manipulation software, try GIMP, it's free, and is comperable to Photoshop.  www.gimp.org

Hawkeye, that's a very nice photography setup!

m@

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Edmonton, Alberta
Posted by Griffin on Monday, January 11, 2010 8:33 AM

I use a free downloaded program called paint.net to manipulate photos.

Another thing you could try is a quick and simple photo light box: http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

 

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Atlanta, Georgia
Posted by RTimmer on Monday, January 11, 2010 12:53 PM

Thanks to everyone for your replies - I've got a bit of homework, experimentation and possibly a little light box/tent building to do.

Watchman - I've downloaded and installed GIMP and will be playing around with it.  I've also installed Paint.net to try as well.  I had a number of the programs that came with my laptop (Roxio Photosuite, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and Windows Photo Gallery; and, I later installed Picassa).  However, none of the programs I had dabbled with leaped out in terms of ease of use or user interface.  I hoping for better things with either GIMP or Paint.net.

Griffin - thanks for the link to the photo box/tent.  I'll be contriving something like this for use.

Doog - thanks for the tips (and I always enjoy your posts over in Figures)

Gerald - excellent article, and between your article and Griffin's link above I should be set for a light tent.

Eric - Yep, out of focus was a big issue with my initial pics and the major reason I wasn't happy with them.

Jim - thanks for the comments on photobucket.

Off to experiment some more... Cheers, Rick

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