I saw some members were wondering about how I took Joe's photos, so I thought I'd share my setup and a few tips.
I use a light tent like this one that I picked up from an electronics store going out of business a few years back. However you can build your own DIY with some instructions here.
Here's a picture of my setup to take a picture of a Squid Head figure.
I do use a DSLR in manual mode for my photos, but you should get similar results with the right settings on a point and shoot. You'll just have to dig out the manual. You'll also notice that I have all other lights off in the room which is important for having full control of the lighting. Also, never use the flash.
These are some settings that I recommend, but you'll want to experiment a bit. I'd suggesting using Aperture priority mode which most cameras have. In basics, the lower the aperture number, the more blurry the background is. Also, the lower the number, the more light the camera is able to collect as the iris is more open. In this example, I chose an aperture of f5.0 which was good enough to keep the squid card/figure in focus, but also blur the blue background a little. In aperture priority mode, your camera will figure out the other settings for you, but I also had to set shutter speed and ISO.
The other setting to make sure of is white balance. With my lights, they give off a yellow tint, so I use the Tungsten white balance setting on the camera, so it know to compensate for this. Basically, with white balance you are telling the camera what color is white, so it gets the colors right. Most cameras have an auto mode for this setting, but they don't ever seems to get this quite right, so I'd recommend using a preset like I suggested or going the extra mile with a custom setting which you can learn how to other places on the net.
I do a little minor tweaking with software afterwards. The main things I do are straighten, crop, and some minor adjustments as needed. I use Apple's Aperture for this, but iPhoto would also work. If you're on Windows, Lightroom would work or probably Gimp as a free alternative. Here's a screenshot of Aperture with the Squid Head after I've made my tweaks.
and finally, here's my exported photo, ready to share.
I hope this helps. I'm by no means a photography expert, but it has become a hobby and I've been learning a few things as I pick them up over the years. I figure we could use this thread for any questions and anyone else that has any tips to share.
I use a light tent like this one that I picked up from an electronics store going out of business a few years back. However you can build your own DIY with some instructions here.
Here's a picture of my setup to take a picture of a Squid Head figure.
I do use a DSLR in manual mode for my photos, but you should get similar results with the right settings on a point and shoot. You'll just have to dig out the manual. You'll also notice that I have all other lights off in the room which is important for having full control of the lighting. Also, never use the flash.
These are some settings that I recommend, but you'll want to experiment a bit. I'd suggesting using Aperture priority mode which most cameras have. In basics, the lower the aperture number, the more blurry the background is. Also, the lower the number, the more light the camera is able to collect as the iris is more open. In this example, I chose an aperture of f5.0 which was good enough to keep the squid card/figure in focus, but also blur the blue background a little. In aperture priority mode, your camera will figure out the other settings for you, but I also had to set shutter speed and ISO.
The other setting to make sure of is white balance. With my lights, they give off a yellow tint, so I use the Tungsten white balance setting on the camera, so it know to compensate for this. Basically, with white balance you are telling the camera what color is white, so it gets the colors right. Most cameras have an auto mode for this setting, but they don't ever seems to get this quite right, so I'd recommend using a preset like I suggested or going the extra mile with a custom setting which you can learn how to other places on the net.
I do a little minor tweaking with software afterwards. The main things I do are straighten, crop, and some minor adjustments as needed. I use Apple's Aperture for this, but iPhoto would also work. If you're on Windows, Lightroom would work or probably Gimp as a free alternative. Here's a screenshot of Aperture with the Squid Head after I've made my tweaks.
and finally, here's my exported photo, ready to share.
I hope this helps. I'm by no means a photography expert, but it has become a hobby and I've been learning a few things as I pick them up over the years. I figure we could use this thread for any questions and anyone else that has any tips to share.
