apicius9
New member
Hi, the money I don't spend on photo gear, I spend on kitchen knives. It's time to shoot my collection again, and I was wondering if you would have some tips for me regarding the lighting. I was thinking about going to the lighting forum, but I don't know anybody there Here is an example:
Ooops, bigger than I thought... Anyway, I have a (slightly too) small 24" 'light tent'/cube that I normally use and 2 or 3 lamps with 'daylight' bulbs that I can arrange around it. I usually set the tent up on the living room table and have the camera on a tripod in front of it, white balance is set with a grey card. But it's still a lot of trial and error to get the lighting right, because the metal - and sometimes the polished handles - reflect and throw unwanted highlights. I'm also not sure what the best backgrounds would be. I have tried just regular cardboard from the crafts store and different fabrics. The structured and colored ones can be a bit distracting and can make white balance more difficult (I have a nice blue 'velvet' piece but I have a hard time getting the 'cold' blue tone out). Black velvet has the best contrast but sometimes it's a bit too dark for my taste. Any better materials? BTW, some shots will be 'action shots' on the cutting board involving fresh vegetables and fish...
I tried shooting with a P&S (Panasonic FZ7) and Picasa the last time (see the example), and this time I will be set up better with a GH1, shooting raw and Lightroom, but it would still be nice to get tips before I get started. I have enough knives to keep me busy for two days or more, so better preparation will pay off in the end. Any tips (besides cleaning the blades better the next time )? What lenses would you use for that? Other ideas?
Thanks,
Stefan
Ooops, bigger than I thought... Anyway, I have a (slightly too) small 24" 'light tent'/cube that I normally use and 2 or 3 lamps with 'daylight' bulbs that I can arrange around it. I usually set the tent up on the living room table and have the camera on a tripod in front of it, white balance is set with a grey card. But it's still a lot of trial and error to get the lighting right, because the metal - and sometimes the polished handles - reflect and throw unwanted highlights. I'm also not sure what the best backgrounds would be. I have tried just regular cardboard from the crafts store and different fabrics. The structured and colored ones can be a bit distracting and can make white balance more difficult (I have a nice blue 'velvet' piece but I have a hard time getting the 'cold' blue tone out). Black velvet has the best contrast but sometimes it's a bit too dark for my taste. Any better materials? BTW, some shots will be 'action shots' on the cutting board involving fresh vegetables and fish...
I tried shooting with a P&S (Panasonic FZ7) and Picasa the last time (see the example), and this time I will be set up better with a GH1, shooting raw and Lightroom, but it would still be nice to get tips before I get started. I have enough knives to keep me busy for two days or more, so better preparation will pay off in the end. Any tips (besides cleaning the blades better the next time )? What lenses would you use for that? Other ideas?
Thanks,
Stefan