paging Ned

Or anyone else that can help me out with really glossy pics. This piece is super glossy and i can't seem to get a good pic no matter how many times i try. Don't have a really good set up so not sure what to do. I have a decent camera as it's a Canon Power Shot sx30is. Not real sure how to use all the features. So if anyone can help a dumb hillbilly i'm all ears. Any way here's the pics i'm trying to get better.
Aprox 7 1/2x 9 1/2, black gum burl. died using Black then sanded back, then a mix of black,yellow, and red ,mixed in a jar,then after that dried, about 10 coats of lacquar. Finial is from some wood my brother gave me that he got when he lived in the bahamas. The small HF in the finial is the same as the big one.
Thanks for any SIMPLE help ya can give me. Remember i need the hillbilly way.

Stephen I'll offer some help. I'm sure Ned will see this as well and jump in when he can. The key to this is going to be shooting at an angle that elimanates the glare. I would set the piece in a well naturally lit room and put your camera on a tripod and shoot a longer exposure. This way you will not have to use any flash or harsh lighting. Shoot at an angle to eliminate any glare. All of these shots have a window in it. Try shooting with the window to the side of you.

Great looking piece BTW.

hmmm well I would do what tom suggested: up the ISO (if you can... set it for 'night' or 'inside' if you don't have ISO control, it amounts to the same thing), the next thing is to try and minimize the specular nature of your light sources. The 'hot' tones of the window or whatever behind you when you shoot are simply how things appear when you have a reflective surface and a bright light source. If you could somehow 'flatten' the light... try hanging a white sheet or drape in front of the window so it is more diffused. Another thing is to use a North facing window for your light source for the same reason, North facing windows are by their very nature 'diffuse' light sources... the sun 'never' shines from the north, whereas the east ,west and south 'always' have some chance of the sun affecting your shot. perhaps not at that moment, but sometime during the day the sun will hit those faces of a building directly.

another way is to 'cheat'...


quick and dirty 'intelligent' healing brush in photoshop

Interesting piece. All sorts of different ways to shoot it.

If you're trying to show off the wood rather than your finishing job, I'd put it on a black backdrop instead of white, shoot on a tripod w/ a LOW ISO (80-100-240, whatever's lowest on your camera) and definitely cover those windows!

HOWEVER. If you don't mind buying a new toy, a "Circular Polarizer" is EXACTLY what you need to solve this problem.

Look at this image:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_JiaqJbiM...s1600/Circular+Polarizing+Comparison+Cars.jpg
You can see the top image has reflections from the window, but not the car body. Bottom image has the polarizer turned, so the window reflections are blocked and the car reflections are brought through.

excellent example david..

Ok i can see that,but what about where it looks muddy?There ain't anything muddy when you see it in real life.

David, don't forget Steve did ask for 'simple' solution. Buying a CPL (if available for his camera) is probably more than he's looking to do.


Steve
Part of the muddiness is that your ISO is up there. Think of the camera's ISO as being akin to sandpaper grit... only opposite. The lower the ISO the finer the 'grain' that it uses to capture the image. Higher ISO = larger 'grain', essentially using a course sensor to collect the maximum amount of light from the subject. That's why David suggests using your lowest ISO you can on your camera (if you can set it at all). In trying to record the dark tones of the wood, the camera 'thinks' it is dark, whether or not there is ample light for you to look at the piece. Our Eye is so much more responsive than the most sophisticated camera, we can see a greater range in person than the camera can record. SO you need to force the camera into lower ISO (below 400 in your camera's case from the review I read). Part of the problem is as David said, the contrast between light background and dark subject. Dark in front of dark would be easier for it to deal with. However you still need the diffuse light source.

Thanks Ned, David, Tom. I guess i should get the book out and at least look at the pics. Seriously i'll look through and read up on this camera and maybe i'll be able to figure out how to set this ISO.

Stephen, bring it to Larry's....I shoot it for ya.....Seriously, I would be willing to help you there get good shots of it. I'll have my camera with me.

Tom Baugues said:

Stephen, bring it to Larry's....I shoot it for ya.....Seriously, I would be willing to help you there get good shots of it. I'll have my camera with me.

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Tom i would if i could get a way from this house i'm building.Just don't see that happing at this time

Sorry Stephen, I thought I had read before that you were going. I was looking forward to learning a few things from you.

Tom Baugues said:

Sorry Stephen, I thought I had read before that you were going. I was looking forward to learning a few things from you.

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Tom i had planed to go till this house came along.I really needed this more than i needed to spend the bucks on a, what i'm sure will be a really great time.