How to make nice keyboards photo

[Gilgam]

Hello

As i see some nice picts taken by sixty i wanted to know to take such nice photo.
What is your lighting and camera ?

Thanks for your recipes...

[nathanscribe]

In my experience, most cameras give best results in good daylight. Strong shadows are distracting and/or obscuring unless you particularly want them so the kind of slightly diffused light you get near a window without direct sun can work well. Shutter speeds below 1/60s are hard to keep steady, so I'd side with something around that or faster if possible. High ISO (eg, over 400) tends to mean grain, less accurate colour and lower sharpness. I try to take shots at standard focal length/zoom positions as there's less chance of camera shake and image distortion (zooming in our out from the standard position can give pincushion or bulging effects).

That said, most of my photos these days have to be taken in poor and often artificial light, often away from the window indoors, and at high ISO and long shutter times... if you really are stuck for optimum conditions, resting the camera on something like a beanbag, books, etc. (or a tripod) will help. If you have to hand-hold, make sure your posture and arms are steady and don't jab the shutter button hard & fast - a slow squeeze is better.

[sixty]

I use a pretty simple setup, and I am still a beginner myself. I always go for more "artsy" shots rather than boring technical shots with perfect white balance (wait for ripster to post on that stuff).

I am using:
3x Light with 5400k "daylight" bulbs:


For the backdrop I use a simple white or black piece of fabric. The black one I am using in many pics is fabric that is normally supposed to be used for the roof of drop-top cars. I got it very cheap on eBay in huge amounts:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Cabrio-Verdeck-Stoff ... _902wt_905

My camera is an older Sony Alpha a230 along with this lens.

[Gilgam]

Thanks for your advices i'll try to get them th best i can. Having enough time is the best way to get some nice pictures. And a good camera. I only have some nikon compact camera, maybe with children i can justify a dslr

@sixty
I really like the very subtle lighting of your keyboards, shades and soft light are nice for the eye. So you have a DSLR too.

[ripster]

I'm too lazy to setup a shot for just a keyboard. Flash and burn baby.

I spend more time on the Lego shots. That's ART.

[Daniel Beaver]

Nothing about white balance? Damn, and I was hoping for a webwit/ripster flame war...

[Gilgam]

Nothing about white balance? Damn, and I was hoping for a webwit/ripster flame war...

don't start the fire

@ripster
Ah we miss you, i was wondering if you were working at last...
lighting is still much more white for your legos picts. They look nice too but they are less artistic.


Only a photo noob opinion...

[nathanscribe]

Also, if you are going to use artificial light (lamps, flash etc) you can soften it by bouncing it off white sheets, walls, etc.

[xbb]

Also, if you are going to use artificial light (lamps, flash etc) you can soften it by bouncing it off white sheets, walls, etc.

I do that with the flash

[ripster]

Nothing about white balance? Damn, and I was hoping for a webwit/ripster flame war...

don't start the fire

@ripster
Ah we miss you, i was wondering if you were working at last...
lighting is still much more white for your legos picts. They look nice too but they are less artistic.


Only a photo noob opinion...

I ignore photo noob opinions.

[webwit]

Boring lighting and composition, derivative subject. Unless you don't count the million other lego otaku who had the idea earlier to shoot these kind of pictures. Overall an inherent lack of imagination.

[ripster]

I ignore photo noob opinions.

[webwit]

Such lack of self-respect to ignore oneself.

[ripster]

We used to call those British Nut Connectors. Kind of like the Royal Family.

[nathanscribe]

If either of those two ever make any connection with any nuts, I'd be surprised.

[webwit]

The best part of this is that your lego painter is French.

[ripster]

I recommend Dexter's rig.

[webwit]

So much hardware, so little result.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

[Half-Saint]

How does Dexter make any pictures with the lens cover on?

[Daniel Beaver]

Ripster/Webwit flame war

[ripster]

The secret to proper lighting is....

Nickels.

[sixty]

You are getting better. I actually laughed at that!

[webwit]

Of course, since I warned him against thread crapping, he continues to crap on various threads. Consistent thread crapping is considered spam, is something we do moderate. This is your second warning, and your last.