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HAmbONE posted:Well thank you. My dad takes care of his stuff so everything looks to be in good shape. I won’t be taking them to Goodwill. I guess find a place to test/appraise them once I get over Covid If you aren't interested in trying to sell them on Ebay/etc yourself, KEH is a reasonable site that will appraise them and buy them from you. You can probably send them the whole lot and they'll appraise everything. https://www.keh.com/sell
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Jul 25, 2023 23:54
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hi!
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Aug 10, 2023 19:10
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hey
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Aug 10, 2023 19:21
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erephus posted:hi! Hello hi and chat
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Aug 12, 2023 22:09
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Apparently this would be a proper thread for this. I've been wasting time trying to figure out how to shoot photos of lenses. It is difficult. Especially the dust... the dust... Anyways, perhaps this works. Grid on main light, a pocket flash on a side (don't have anything else). Apparently the fancy photos lens makers take use 3d models or more lights to get so nice results. White background was meh, so people suggested adding radial gradient. Using a color which complements the colors of the item, not a pink hue.  These are probably good enough to use now. Not as clean and exciting as real product images, but I can't figure out what to change with the current gear I have.
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Aug 29, 2023 09:59
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Just taking a look at other product photography of lenses it seems like yours has the highlights a little blown out and the resulting contrast from that gives a slightly harsh look. Do you have any way to soften your fill flash? maybe experiment with shooting it through the sides of your light box. If the slightly dramatic look is what you're going for then I think it looks good.
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Aug 29, 2023 10:58
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I'd agree - softer light and you already know it but the dust has gotta go
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Aug 30, 2023 15:45
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Does this make any difference? I shot the speedlight through the diffusion box, as suggested. Still working on the dust. Probably need a clean room for that instead of my goon lair. I wish my vision was good enough to actually see the smudges and dust before opening the picture on my pc.
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Aug 30, 2023 16:59
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Seems like it needs that softer light but dialed back a bit (maybe low with another one on the other side?) but also stronger blacks to make the lens really pop. The Art badge is blown out and I'm seeing what almost looks like oil or sunscreen residue with the new lighting so it is just a bit too "real" if that makes sense. I don't know enough to say if it's more processing or just a lighting issue - never done product photography. I liked the light across the lens a lot more in the prior example so maybe you can just mask that out and combine as you experiment. Not that it is a fair comparison with their equipment, but BH Photo nails it here for me: 
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Aug 30, 2023 |
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Aug 30, 2023 17:22
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It looks like they have 2 similar lights on both sides. Left side is slightly less powerful. I don’t have two equal powered lights - one is 400Ws and another is 2 AA battery pocket flash. Maybe I could buy a cheap corded studio flash. I wish I knew what kind of setup they have - placement, light modifiers etc to achieve such result.
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Aug 30, 2023 17:27
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Probably some pipeline of a studio we shouldn't try and replicate, then passed to some interns with photoshop for all kinds of editing that one person couldn't be bothered with. I bet there's an army of youtube photofluencers trying to sell you gear that you could at least glean some techniques from, though. "The TRUTH about 100 ISO for Product Photography. The answer will SHOCK you."
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Aug 30, 2023 17:31
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Thanks. What about this? Reflections of the lens are bad, left side is maybe too dark, not enough light on the right top side inside filter threads?   
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Aug 30, 2023 18:03
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That looks way better and I think will get you where you wanna go if you can dump the rest of the dust. That's pro poo poo right there! Left side looks good to me but could vary based on different lens features / switches. Yeah, you may end up compositing for the little lens pop. Way to figure it out!
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Aug 30, 2023 18:34
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Thanks. I tried adding some highlights to the lens elements: I draped a white cloth to a chair behind the lens, so it picks the white reflection. I added more light to the left side button, and to left side in general. Maybe this setup is finally good enough so I can try to take other kinds of photos of the lens too  I'm trying to write a lens review, and doing a comprehensive lens review is a daunting task. I have tons of great example photos, but I need photos of the actual lens, some coma, sharpness, sunstars, bokeh shape, (Lo)CA, vignetting etc test photos. I'm working on the product photos first. Review has been written already ages ago.
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Aug 30, 2023 18:59
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Bingo - you are there! Be sure to cross one leg over as you pontificate on the lens. That seems to be a thing with the big boys on YT.
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Aug 30, 2023 19:04
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Dust chat makes me wonder.. are the new crop of AI denoise tools any good at cleaning that up? It would be cool to mash that button and be done with it.
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Aug 30, 2023 19:15
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Please tell me too. If there’s one thing I want from AI photography wise - a “de_dust this object thanks”.
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Aug 30, 2023 19:21
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Ihmemies posted:Thanks. I tried adding some highlights to the lens elements: I draped a white cloth to a chair behind the lens, so it picks the white reflection. I added more light to the left side button, and to left side in general. Maybe this setup is finally good enough so I can try to take other kinds of photos of the lens too This looks much better. Good idea adding the white cloth reflection. Ziggy Smalls fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Aug 30, 2023 |
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Aug 30, 2023 20:50
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Thanks! Still on the case. I realized I can reduce the amount of reflected background by covering upper part of the background with black cloth.  But as you see, the "interface" between two cloths is not even, so I assume because of that the line of the reflection is wavy, uneven. Maybe by using stiff cardboard as background I could get a sharper, more evenly curved line of the reflection? I guess I need to go buy some.. 2nd question, what I could do to the vertical reflections on the base of the lens? Assuming this photo from Sigma is "real", how do they do it? They don't have those, instead everything is so smooth. And how do they get the "A"rt tag to be less bright. It's a polished piece of plastic, shiny as crap, it gets blown out no matter what. 
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Aug 30, 2023 20:51
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Maybe two different exposures on two PS layers and then brushing in at a certain blurred opacity to blend. Like how real estate photographers handle some window pulls before putting a gun in their mouth
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Aug 30, 2023 21:01
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For those longer reflections I imagine you could use a pair of something like these rectangular softboxes. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1342020-REG/godox_sb_nb_50130_sb_nb_50x130cm_softbox_bowens.html
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Aug 30, 2023 21:01
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Then you gotta figure out how to light and shoot the softboxes....
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Aug 30, 2023 21:05
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Incredulous Dylan posted:Maybe two different exposures on two PS layers and then brushing in at a certain blurred opacity to blend. Like how real estate photographers handle some window pulls before putting a gun in their mouth Multiple exposures sounds like cheating  I have a rectangular softbox, and now I remembered I have a diffusor for it. So I added one, also I added an extra diffusor cloth to my speedlight. I added a polarizing filter and it noticeably shifts the glare around on the lens, and reduces glare from front lens element. BUT...Ziggy Smalls posted:For those longer reflections I imagine you could use a pair of something like these rectangular softboxes. More gear, that sounds always better! I still wonder how do they get the borders so SOFT... so smooth, so wide.. with my diffusor the harsh lines became basically a square box instead. But how do they get the super smooth graduation. A bigger softbox? Magic tricks? The but with a polarizer: can cheap rear end polarizers add a tint to photos? It made the front element red, and I think the left side of the lens has now a reddish tint too. Or maybe that's just an effect of polarizing light, I have no idea. 
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Aug 30, 2023 21:47
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I don't know anything so don't take my word for it but that kind of looks like the color you see on coated lenses
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Aug 31, 2023 06:21
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I have an etiquette question. Yesterday I took photos at my stepson's high school football game, just for fun and to get some practice with sports photography. We were the visiting team, and there was one other photographer taking photos for the home team's school, he was chill, we chatted a bit and he gave me his business card. The game was a blowout for the home team, so I have a lot more decent shots of those kids. If any of them end up being keepers, I thought maybe their parents might like to have a few nice photos for free. It's a pretty small, rural school. Would it be weird to reach out to the other photographer and ask if he can send them to the parents? Then again, I checked out his website and his photos are better than mine (and he sells them) so part of me feels like I would be overstepping/butting in on his business. E: thought about it some more and I don't think it's a good idea. cats fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Sep 2, 2023 |
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Sep 1, 2023 14:01
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Question about a possible repair. I have a Canon Rebel T7 for my photojournalism class. A few days ago, some students noticed that through the viewfinder you can see some thin black lines (not straight) in the left corner and a black speck in the other corner. When taking a picture though, the image comes out fine without issue. I cleaned the viewfinder on the outside but it is still there.  I had a student last week that left the camera (in its case) in her car for half a day when it was more than 90 outside. I looked online and it sounds like it is the focus screen. Could that have caused this? Also, does this group think it is the focus screen or something else? If it is the focus screen, how much may it cost to fix? Since the pictures are fine, it is not a “has to be fixed now” issue but I am interested in seeing what it could take.
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Sep 2, 2023 02:58
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cats posted:I have an etiquette question. Yesterday I took photos at my stepson's high school football game, just for fun and to get some practice with sports photography. We were the visiting team, and there was one other photographer taking photos for the home team's school, he was chill, we chatted a bit and he gave me his business card. Honestly I'd just reach out to him and say thanks for the chat and maybe something might come out of it where you're their backup in case they need coverage or something -- but don't expect anything more or push anything. If any of the other team photos turned out good you can still use em for your portfolio so they're not all wasted v  v
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Sep 2, 2023 17:30
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Hello fellow dorks, Just hoping to get some thoughts from you. After many years of photography (mostly birds but also a lot of other things), I find myself in a place where I can reasonably make a handful of ”serious” photo trips a year (kids are old enough, wife doesn’t mind it, and I can afford it). So now I’m faced with trying to decide just _what_ to do. I loving love my birds so it seems like it would be a slam dunk to make some week long bird trips (there are for instance a couple of companies doing trips to Varanger in the far north of Norway and the birdlife there is fantastic), but part of me also wants to develop in other areas. I’ve always mostly sucked at landscapes (struggling with finding good compositions and especially using really wide angles) so maybe it’d make more sense to try to put some effort into that? I booked a three day workshop with a landscape photographer in November, and it’s in a national park a couple of hours away. So that’s at least a start. But for a ”big” trip next year I don’t know if I should go shoot landscapes in Iceland, birds up north, maybe big cats in Africa (but that feels so ”overdone” yet something that’s sort of a bucket list thing). So, yeah, I don’t know. Try to hone what I’m already pretty decent at or attempt to broaden my skills? I really would love to be able to shoot good landscapes but maybe that’s just not for me? Aware that I am in a position that many are not and I am thankful for it so I feel like a bit of an rear end griping about which awesome option to go for. Gear wise I am all set for just about anything. Maybe would need a few more filters for landscapes. (Edit: and maybe a Sprocket Rocket, I have a soft spot for weird lovely cameras) Clayton Bigsby fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Sep 3, 2023 |
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Sep 3, 2023 15:32
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Broaden your understanding of photography. It will help with what you're already good at. Photography is more than photos
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Sep 3, 2023 15:53
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Clayton Bigsby posted:Hello fellow dorks, Do what brings you joy. Follow the birds, but it's a good idea to tickle the landscape skills anyway to take advantage of opportunity. With your skill and equipment on long lenses, you're gonna shoot those for landscapes, anyway.
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Sep 3, 2023 18:51
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I don’t have the cash to do what you’re doing now but your thought process definitely rings a bell for me. I’d love to do a landscape and/or night photography workshop. Probably the ideal solution is to book a landscape trip somewhere interesting and then tack on a couple extra days to fart around by myself or hire a guide to maximize the extra time for some local wildlife (or more time with the new landscape techniques). If I liked the workshop/group trip experience I could do more of those along with wildlife focused trips.
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Sep 3, 2023 19:46
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What's a cheap genre to shoot? I have a decent body (Nikon D850) and a range of lenses (range of primes and a 100-400.) And a mediocre tripod. However I used to love travel officially, but a child and a divorce have left me broke. Aside from landscapes, any suggestions? I don't have any lighting equipment or backdrops, no macro lenses, no other specialty equipment but a single speedlight.
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Sep 4, 2023 01:24
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Depending on where you live you could try your hand at street. Landscapes is broad tho. You could go to industrial areas, up mountains, find abandoned buildings, do modern suburbia hellscapes. Gotta find a subject that appeals to you and work on something bigger.
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Sep 4, 2023 01:59
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Megabound posted:Depending on where you live you could try your hand at street. Landscapes is broad tho. You could go to industrial areas, up mountains, find abandoned buildings, do modern suburbia hellscapes. Gotta find a subject that appeals to you and work on something bigger. I live in a lovely suburb outside of Seattle. I'm always afraid of trying street because I'm afraid people will think I'm some kind of pervert (I'm trans, so bigots have that perception of me already,) or that someone will assault me or break my camera. Industrial areas could work. Do you know any examples of anyone who shoots suburbia hellscapes? I'm curious to see examples.
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Sep 4, 2023 02:29
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I did my first workshop back in the spring and it was kind of bittersweet. I got to visit a world class location and get shown the best spots by a local who's work I really, really enjoy. So that's awesome. But did I learn anything? Not really. It's like I know what makes a good photo (whether or not I can do it is irrelevant) so paying someone to tell me what works doesn't feel worth it. So it was mostly paying for a guided tour so I can go back in ideal conditions and bag the epic shots.
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Sep 4, 2023 02:38
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LiterallyATomato posted:Do you know any examples of anyone who shoots suburbia hellscapes? I'm curious to see examples. https://www.collective.photos/development-application/
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Sep 4, 2023 02:48
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LiterallyATomato posted:I don't have any lighting equipment or backdrops, no macro lenses, no other specialty equipment but a single speedlight. If macro interests you, for the record, you can get in really cheap, with all the optical quality of your existing kit, by getting a reverse-mount ring. It turns your box stock 50mm lens into a 1:1 macro (with an admitted price of extremely tight working distance). Fine focus is done with the ring (if your lens permits this); gross focus you provide by moving the camera. Some of the newer electrical-aperture-control-only lenses do not like being mounted this way, or you have to do set-preview-unmount-reverse dances, but overall I think it's some of the most fun you can have in photography for literally  - .
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Sep 4, 2023 02:56
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LiterallyATomato posted:Do you know any examples of anyone who shoots suburbia hellscapes? I'm curious to see examples. Steven B Smith https://www.stevesmithphotography.net
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Sep 4, 2023 02:58
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LiterallyATomato posted:I live in a lovely suburb outside of Seattle. I'm always afraid of trying street because I'm afraid people will think I'm some kind of pervert (I'm trans, so bigots have that perception of me already,) or that someone will assault me or break my camera. Sounds like you're a street photographer in your soul with some hurdles ahead on your journey. Street in suburbia hellscape is possible.             
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Sep 4, 2023 03:36
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That's not street, that's landscapes. Street is candid shots of people out in public
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Sep 4, 2023 03:41
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