Photography How-to

[Pyzik]

I've been trying to figure out stringing up rifles too. Problem for me is that our backroom where I take pics has a drop ceiling and I'm afraid to damage it.

For your lighting issue, try lighting the backdrop more with it's own light to blow it out.
(Not to sound like I REALLY know what I am doing, just trying to help. I was having the same white outline issue you're having until I blew out the backrgound with it's own light.)

[voodoo_man]

I've been trying to figure out stringing up rifles too. Problem for me is that our backroom where I take pics has a drop ceiling and I'm afraid to damage it.

For your lighting issue, try lighting the backdrop more with it's own light to blow it out.

Believe it not it was done on a green screen bacakground and a white screen - tried both. So the green is the only one that blew the colors out

[Pyzik]

Believe it not it was done on a green screen bacakground and a white screen - tried both. So the green is the only one that blew the colors out

Gotchya. I haven't tried my black or green yet. Just white.
Maybe I'll play with the other two this weekend. I need to take some product pictures anyway for my local gun org.

I was doing the same as you. Too much post processing.
Example: The yellow on my shoulders in these and too much shadow on one side. I tried editing myself out. Having a hard time.





Might just have to breakdown and either leave myself in the photo as the "model" or buy a torso.

[UWone77]

Bumping yet again for the new guys who want to take pictures.

[toolboxluis00200]

i so need to build a box

[Thompson]

... so I'm curious, just hear what all lenses you guys use to shoot with - I guess for what I'll call firearm portrait photography (ie: the pictures that UW posts on Facebook). Do you guys shoot with anything less than a 35mm (I feel like any smaller and it will distort the picture due to fringing). Is 50mm a common focal length to shoot with (I know it's commonly used for people portrait photography).

Currently I have a 35mm f/1.8 and a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

[CarbonScoring]

I use a 50mm 1.8 and a 100mm 2.8 macro almost exclusively. I've got other lenses, but I find I never use them.

[alamo5000]

... so I'm curious, just hear what all lenses you guys use to shoot with - I guess for what I'll call firearm portrait photography (ie: the pictures that UW posts on Facebook). Do you guys shoot with anything less than a 35mm (I feel like any smaller and it will distort the picture due to fringing). Is 50mm a common focal length to shoot with (I know it's commonly used for people portrait photography).

Currently I have a 35mm f/1.8 and a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

This is going to be dependent on the camera and sensor size. With a medium format camera your field of view is much wider with the same focal length. With a 35mm it will be another and with a 1.5 crop (or any other crop) it will be yet another. So you could have a 50mm lens and have three different fields of view. Focal length is merely the measurement from the front element to the sensor. On my camera it's a 1.5 crop sensor so you have the whole equivalency thing.

[Thompson]

I use a 50mm 1.8 and a 100mm 2.8 macro almost exclusively. I've got other lenses, but I find I never use them.

Figured the 50mm would be ideal. Something I've been meaning to pick up ... until I got into guns Macro is way out of my budget for the foreseeable future. Guess I'll be stuck with renting it for now.

I remember, a while back, someone posted a link (GOST maybe) to a website for camera gear rentals - does anyone remember what website that was?

Would like to take a shot at doing some portrait work when the Jack comes home.

This is going to be dependent on the camera and sensor size. With a medium format camera your field of view is much wider with the same focal length. With a 35mm it will be another and with a 1.5 crop (or any other crop) it will be yet another. So you could have a 50mm lens and have three different fields of view. Focal length is merely the measurement from the front element to the sensor. On my camera it's a 1.5 crop sensor so you have the whole equivalency thing.

Yeah, I got a Nikon D5100 - it's a half frame camera (1.5x crop).

If I remember correctly though, that crop factor only comes into play between a half frame camera and a full frame lens, right?

[CarbonScoring]

This is going to be dependent on the camera and sensor size. With a medium format camera your field of view is much wider with the same focal length. With a 35mm it will be another and with a 1.5 crop (or any other crop) it will be yet another. So you could have a 50mm lens and have three different fields of view. Focal length is merely the measurement from the front element to the sensor. On my camera it's a 1.5 crop sensor so you have the whole equivalency thing.

I didn't feel like typing all that up. Glad you did

I use a Nikon D700, which has a full frame sensor. My 50mm is 50mm.

[alamo5000]

Figured the 50mm would be ideal. Something I've been meaning to pick up ... until I got into guns Macro is way out of my budget for the foreseeable future. Guess I'll be stuck with renting it for now.

I remember, a while back, someone posted a link (GOST maybe) to a website for camera gear rentals - does anyone remember what website that was?

Would like to take a shot at doing some portrait work when the Jack comes home.

Why do you need a special lens for macro? I shoot macro all the time. I have a decent legacy lens that is completely manual with an aperture ring on it ($100) and a $20 reverse ring and you have instant 1:1 magnification. With a 28mm lens you get even MORE magnification. (about 3x to be exact) It all depends on how small of stuff you want to shoot.

One of the perks of my camera system is it is 100% reverse compatible. Any lens ever made I can use... and they've never changed the lens mount. I have lenses that are at least as old as I am and I can use them so my 'macro' lenses are dual use...frontwards for normal shots and backwards for macro.

And if you get extension tubes you can get even really really macro.

You can use any lens for macro pretty much as long as it has an aperture ring on it. Primes are the best. 28mm and 50mm are the most common.

[alamo5000]

[alamo5000]

Check this out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmMcCjEU68Y

Here is his website.

http://thomasshahan.com/#photos

[CarbonScoring]

Figured the 50mm would be ideal. Something I've been meaning to pick up ... until I got into guns Macro is way out of my budget for the foreseeable future.

My macro is a Tokina 100mm 2.8. It's relatively inexpensive at around $400.

Yeah, I got a Nikon D5100 - it's a half frame camera (1.5x crop).

Technically, that's 2/3 the size of a full frame sensor.

If I remember correctly though, that crop factor only comes into play between a half frame camera and a full frame lens, right?

Think of it like this.... (and I realize I may just make this more confusing)

A lens projects a circular image into the camera. The sensor has to fit inside that circle. Standard 35mm format lenses produce an image circle big enough to fit a 35mm piece of film (or a full frame sensor equivalent).

A cropped sensor is just smaller and will use the center of that same projected image. Because you are, in effect, cropping the image down to show a smaller field of view, you are getting an image more similar to a image taken on a full frame camera with a longer focal length lens.

See this illustration:



The difference is, though you are basically zooming in (a 50mm lens on a 1.5x cropped sensor has a field of view of a 75mm lens), the focal length is still 50mm.

On a cropped sensor of 1.5x, using a 35mm focal length lens, you get the field of view of 52.5mm, but you still will have the wide angle distortion of a 35mm focal length lens.

50mm is, generally, equivalent to the human eye and shows the least distortion. Shorter and you start getting barrel distortion (like a fish eye lens) and longer that 50mm and you start getting pin cushion distortion. For portraits of people, a slightly longer lens is generally favorable because it's more flattering and it puts the photographer at a good distance from your subject. Thus an 85mm-135mm lens is a popular choice. For art reproduction, you want to eliminate distortion, so 55mm Macros are popular.

I find that 50mm is really good for shooting entire rifles and 100mm is good for parts or sections of rifles. That's me, and you may be different.

Sorry if that was a bit of a ramble. I'll try to explain better if anyone wants clarification.

This is a good article if you want more info: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...dslr-mag.shtml

[alamo5000]

Yeah, I got a Nikon D5100 - it's a half frame camera (1.5x crop).

If I remember correctly though, that crop factor only comes into play between a half frame camera and a full frame lens, right?

No. This is incorrect. The larger the sensor the different the field of view. Or vice versa. There are about a dozen different sensor sizes and all will be different. What you see through the lens is called your field of view... or angle of view.... the smaller the sensor the tighter the shot. The larger the sensor the wider the shot...with the same focal length.