I Call It A Tool

[thedoctor]

Okay, I give up. How do you guys get such great pictures of your guitars, amps, projects? My stuff all seems to be camera-shy. I have tried neutral backdrops, photo floods, 4 meg Sony cameras, software, the works. You guys can throw an axe on the floor and get excellant detail. Mine all look like the assembly instructions for a mudpie. Assist an old man.

[darren wilson]

Can you be more specific with the kinds of problems you're having getting good photos? (Maybe some examples would help.)

[thedoctor]

Yeah. A good example is my Studio bass in Warmoth's customer Gecko bass gallery. That is the BEST picture I have EVER got and it has that washed-out fog in the finish(it ain't really there) and total lack of detail. I get weak color and those stupid hash marks on the strings. I thought it was low-def problem but I borrowed my son's Sony professional 4meg camera and they are no better. He can't get decent pictures of guitars, either and he runs a videography studio! I think my stuff is camera-shy. Or I try too hard.

[bigdguitars]

its a lot of work to get good pics... I talked to Myka about it, he has a really nice camera and knows what he is doing.

Its is an art after all...

Perry you have some great pics how do you do it?

[darren wilson]

Yeah. A good example is my Studio bass in Warmoth's customer Gecko bass gallery. That is the BEST picture I have EVER got and it has that washed-out fog in the finish(it ain't really there) and total lack of detail. I get weak color and those stupid hash marks on the strings. I thought it was low-def problem but I borrowed my son's Sony professional 4meg camera and they are no better. He can't get decent pictures of guitars, either and he runs a videography studio! I think my stuff is camera-shy. Or I try too hard.

And which one of those basses would be yours?

My first bit of advice would be to turn off the camera's flash. If you're getting what looks like a "fogged" finish, you're probably getting too much glare off the body from the camera's flash. Try turning off the flash and/or shooting the body from a slight angle so the flash isn't being reflected directly back into the camera's lens. Turning off the flash will also generally give you better colour saturation, though with slower digital cameras, you might have to use a tripod and the camera's self-timer to prevent jitter.

[thedoctor]

Mine is the walnut one labeled MVU. I shot it at angle, from the top, never used a flash, moved the lights, AAAGHHH!!! I did find that the truly gloss finished guitars photograph a little better but not consistently.

[darren wilson]

This one?

All things considered, it's not a bad photo. I've seen a lot worse. But with a little bit of enhancement to the brightness and contrast in Photoshop, you get a better result:

Even the pros use Photoshop to correct for colour balance and exposure. The blacks in your image didn't extend all the way down to "zero", and the highlights weren't pure white, either. That's why the image looks a little washed out.

[thedoctor]

That's a lot better than what I had. You didn't even have the bitmap to start with. Back to software, I guess. Thanks, much! You don't have to show me but once.

[westhemann]

one other thing...taking your pictures outdoor in natural light seems to help...

[thedoctor]

Hate to drag this old post back up but I have found my problem! Too much light! My granddaughter came in and took about 20 shots of my stuff with my old Mavica and let the flash "fill" as she calls it with no extra photo lights or anything. They all look great and I will post all the photos I owe people as soon as my SON gets off his butt and shows me how. Kids these days!

[syxxstring]

Get a tripod.

I do a lot of my guitar and auction pics using a tripod.

Less jitter and more stable.

If its a tough shot, Ill set up a tripod(mine cost $10) and then use the delay timer so my hands do goof up the shot.

[Marzocchi705]

though with slower digital cameras, you might have to use a tripod and the camera's self-timer to prevent jitter.

←

i would think that jiter would be the most of your problems, i always need to take the same shot about 5 times to get it right.

[tdog]

Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure. They are all my handy-work. The last photo shows my set up.

http://www.geocities.com/tdog197/DCP_1228.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/tdog197/DCP_1221.JPG

http://groups.msn.com/GuitarGallery/shoebo...hoto&PhotoID=42

http://groups.msn.com/GuitarGallery/shoebo...hoto&PhotoID=72

http://groups.msn.com/GuitarGallery/shoebo...hoto&PhotoID=88

http://groups.msn.com/GuitarGallery/shoebo...hoto&PhotoID=89

[Marzocchi705]

Wow, brilliant photos. The first one is my fav. Youl have to build another guitar or bass just to take its picture now.

[bigdguitars]

I just bought a new canon a85 camera, which my brother who is a photographer for a living said is one of the best deals out there now, and it takes really nice pictures.

One thing that I have learned is that you need a background contrast for example this pic brings out the wood on dark background

This was also taken by a window with natural sunlight coming in. which is the best way to take pics. Artifical light can be too strong and cause shadows... I am no way an expert but I know my pics are much better now than they were before...

-Derek