[meteorite-list] Re: THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING Pictures 101

From: thornysahuaro <thornysahuaro_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue May 24 17:28:00 2005
Message-ID: <20050524212757.59615.qmail_at_web30612.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

--- Dave Freeman mjwy <dfreeman_at_fascination.com> wrote:

> Dear Tom, List;
> Here we go. Get a dark (black felt) non reflective cloth square
> maybe

Tom, Dave, and List;
Over the last several years I have been taking lots of photos of
various mineral specimens and a few meteorites I would like to pass
along some of what I have learned.
*Background color makes a difference in attracting buyers on Ebay.
*A poor photo is worse than no photo.
*Unless you have perfect supermodel's hands keep your thumbs out of
the picture.
My photo studio is a heavy cardboard box about 2 foot square with the
top and front cut out. My background is a swath of fabric draped
inside the box and held in place with cloths pins. I went to several
fabric stores and bought one yard each of fabric in various shades of
the primary colors plus black and Gray. My lighting is two 150W
halogen work lights clamped to the top sides of the box. I don't
remember the wavelength but somewhere I read that halogen light is
good for color photography. It works for me and I can't imagine
waiting for outside light conditions to be just right. I bought my
lights from The Home Depot for about $10.00 each and they come with a
sturdy clamp and pivoting head for adjusting the angle. Two lights
eliminate the shadow but still allow for depth. The concave
shapeless area with drapes and folds from the cloth in the box draws
the eye of the viewer to stone in the center. By putting a small
stand under the stone you can make it appear to float on air against
the background. Experimenting with this set up, I have found that
different color backgrounds will bring out patterns and details in
the subject stone. The background cloth reflects it's color onto the
subject just enough to enhance the contrast and bring out the detail.
 This is the most dramatic in material with highly reflective areas
adjoining duller areas, like metal flakes in meteorites.
By experimenting with a variety of different color cloths and moving
the lighting around you can take a lot of pictures and get that one
that really sets off your subject.
Ebay buyers are drawn in by the gallery picture. If that half inch
square picture in the left hand column doesn't grab their attention
they may go right past your auction. Make that picture stand out.
My limited experience is that bright red or bright blue backgrounds
work.
When you are done just fold up your fabric, unplug your lights and
store everything in the box.
Art Brasher

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Received on Tue 24 May 2005 05:27:57 PM PDT