Taking photos of furniture

[rodger.]

I have some pieces I want to put in the critique room, but I am never happy with the photos I take. I use an SLR camera, with an external flash that can be rotated to bounce the light off of the ceiling, etc. it's a Nikon d90.

Anyone have any tips for good photos?

[Vic]

Pug, you need both good lighting and a decent backdrop.  In a pinch, I've used work lamps.  Also, I usually color balance for interior shots with either Gimp or Photoshop.

[Eric.]

Photography is a lot like woodworking...not as easy as one might assume.  I thought I could buy a decent camera and put some lights on a subject and magic would happen.  Not so.  It requires not just a decent camera and an appropriate quality lens, but the knowledge of how the camera and lens works; not just bright lights, but the right lights set up the right way; background consideration, creative vision, photo editing knowledge, etc, to get pro-quality shots.  It's involved.  I have a couple friends who are excellent photographers, and they've taken the time to explain to me what I do wrong, and I still can't get it right.

 

I've decided I don't care.  I have neither the time nor desire to get sucked into the photog wormhole...I'm busy enough with this thing we do.  So I do the best I can, take LOTS of shots, and post the best few.  Some turn out surprisingly well...by accident.  Most are junk, but they're good enough to post in the critique room...we'll get the idea.    The point is to critique the woodworking, not the photography.  Look forward to seeing some of your stuff, Pug.

[bgreenb]

There is an article in Fine Woodworking #213 that Rob Bois turned me on to.  It was pretty helpful.  My pics still aren't awesome, but they're way better than they were.  It might be worth buying the back issue or doing an online trial of FW.com to get the article.

 

http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/a-woodworker%E2%80%99s-guide-to-photography.aspx

[wdwerker]

A lot of good photography is take a bunch of pictures, keep changing the lighting, angle etc until you get the results you like. Then edit down to the good pictures . I am not a good photographer but if you take a bunch of pictures a lot of different ways one might be useable!

[G S Haydon]

Get those photos up! We are just interested in the work  . Having said that I am sweating over putting a job on here  . 

[rodger.]

Get those photos up! We are just interested in the work  . Having said that I am sweating over putting a job on here  . 

Haha! I know, it's a bit intimidating with all the talent on here!

[ChetlovesMer]

I agree. There is so much talent in this forum, I sometimes feel like a shmo.
But, if you look at the woodworkers challenge thread I put my 1 board foot mallet up first. See by putting it up first there's nothing to compare it to. Then when everyone puts up their awe-inspiring projects, I don't have to worry about following a tough act.

So, the moral of the story is put your stuff up first.

[Nyles]

I agree with wdwerker.  While I havnt taken many photos of my work, I do take alot of photos of my kids.  I just take a bunch, different angles, different lighting, flash on flash off, etc.  Its the shotgun approach to photography, one of themsusually acceptible if not good!  Other option might be to read up on it.  I am not sure what your skill level is with the camera but theres usually a wealth of info on stuff like that on the internet obviously and are you sure the cameras settings are correct for what your trying to do with it?  a SLR camera has to have alot of options and settings, I know my cheap ones do.  One or two tricks or tips could be the difference between happy and unhappy with a photo.  A perfect example is my hunting buddy.  He always has much better photos of his trophies then i do, so one day i asked and he told me he just read an article in a hunting magazine that had suggestions for better photos and he started using some of them.  So one small article made all the differnce in the world in my opinion.  might want to check out this link if you are interested:

 

 

 

Nyles

[jHop]

I recently started as a staff writer for my college paper.  I figured "sure, I've got a camera, I can take a couple photos for the paper to go with my articles."

 

 

 

Everything I've taken has been shot down.  I realized I need to take a lot more photos before I get a good one, particularly if the subject is moving.  (Plus, I have a basic Kodak digital...)

My uncle, on the other hand, has invested thousands over the years into his 35 millimeter camera... which is now outdone in quality and price by his iPhone4.  He still uses it, but not as often.  He's had years of experience under his belt, and he still takes four or five photos for a single shot.  On the 35 millimeter, it was more in the line of "hope this turns out, so we're going to take a little more time to set up the shot."  Now, in the digital age, it's a matter of "we can review it right away, and decide if we need to take the shot over, and what we need to do differently."

 

If you have the opportunity, I'd take a photography course at your nearby community college.  For starters, it's cheaper.  Also, the community colleges often get part time professors who are serious subject matter experts: they might just be filling spare time they have.  Lastly, community colleges often have equipment you can borrow or use as a benchmark for your own gear.  This is sometimes worth more than trial and error.  (You don't have to get a degree in it, just speak with the department head to explain what you are trying to do.  They also may be able to direct you to something that doesn't take the resources the class will.)