Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

urbanspaceman · 28th April 2024, 07:13 PM

Hi Peter. Regarding the quality photography: I’ve spent this last few years photographing objects to produce projections for my girlfriend’s lectures: anything from a Russian gas-mask to a Victorian baby’s feeding bottle.
However: first it has to be understood that grabbing a shot with your camera phone is simply not going to cut it, although the first image - of my Colt SAA – is perhaps a bit of a contradiction as I did use my phone.
So, the first pre-requisite is a good quality, high definition camera, as these French pistol images are pin sharp and highly detailed, and that also means the camera should be tripod mounted.
Second, the light source needs to be large and highly diffused. A bright, cloudy day through white vertical blinds is what I used for the Colt, but a white sheet over the window is the equivalent. I have not superimposed the image of the Colt onto a separate background; to do that we need:
thirdly, a unblemished pure white background. An A1 artist’s board is cheap and readily available, but if you are photographing a sword then it’s not big enough, so use a pure white, smooth sheet stretched (and pinned) on the floor in front of your window. You will need to have your camera elevated and steps to stand on to avoid shadows and in order to present the image without perspective aberation.
Remember, any image can be lit and photographed from any direction if you plan to cut and remove the background using Photoshop; just make sure it is totally illuminated and don’t cast any shadows or produce unlit areas. Look at these French pistols and you will see there are no shadows or excessive dark areas. Again, Photoshop can illuminate any shadows while retaining the average contrast.
In order to present the image (as these pistols have been) variously angled, you need to prop them accordingly. A bright white bean-bag is ideal, although variations on this theme are legion, such as props placed under the background sheet.
Finally, let Photoshop ‘cut and separate’ the item if you want to present it on an alternative background or re-position it.
You did ask!

28th April 2024, 07:13 PM	#30
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 517	photography Hi Peter. Regarding the quality photography: I’ve spent this last few years photographing objects to produce projections for my girlfriend’s lectures: anything from a Russian gas-mask to a Victorian baby’s feeding bottle. However: first it has to be understood that grabbing a shot with your camera phone is simply not going to cut it, although the first image - of my Colt SAA – is perhaps a bit of a contradiction as I did use my phone. So, the first pre-requisite is a good quality, high definition camera, as these French pistol images are pin sharp and highly detailed, and that also means the camera should be tripod mounted. Second, the light source needs to be large and highly diffused. A bright, cloudy day through white vertical blinds is what I used for the Colt, but a white sheet over the window is the equivalent. I have not superimposed the image of the Colt onto a separate background; to do that we need: thirdly, a unblemished pure white background. An A1 artist’s board is cheap and readily available, but if you are photographing a sword then it’s not big enough, so use a pure white, smooth sheet stretched (and pinned) on the floor in front of your window. You will need to have your camera elevated and steps to stand on to avoid shadows and in order to present the image without perspective aberation. Remember, any image can be lit and photographed from any direction if you plan to cut and remove the background using Photoshop; just make sure it is totally illuminated and don’t cast any shadows or produce unlit areas. Look at these French pistols and you will see there are no shadows or excessive dark areas. Again, Photoshop can illuminate any shadows while retaining the average contrast. In order to present the image (as these pistols have been) variously angled, you need to prop them accordingly. A bright white bean-bag is ideal, although variations on this theme are legion, such as props placed under the background sheet. Finally, let Photoshop ‘cut and separate’ the item if you want to present it on an alternative background or re-position it. You did ask! Attached Images