How can I take better pics of my handguns for posting on the net?


My pics of my guns, parts and other small items that I wish to post on the net have been of marginal quality.  I have an Olympus D-390 digital camera.  I know almost nothing about photography.  I find photography boring so I don't like to learn about it.  But I really need to know more 'cause I'd like to be able to post better pics of my handguns mainly.  

I saw a show on DIY network (or similar) about how to take better digital pics of your dog.  Some key points were, they used three lights.  One as a backlight.  They also used (ASA I think. or was it ISO?) camera settings to avoid the flash and they basically just took a bunch of pics at different (speed?) settings and saw what gave them the best light/pic.  

Can I do something like that or what kind of simple light set up can I use and camera settings to take better pics of my handguns and other small parts with my simple digi cam?

Send an IM to member Stickman. He can help.

Try here

The short answer is buy and use a tripod and remove the on camera flash.

Slightly longer answer.
First, buy and use a tripod.  Let me rephrase that.  Buy and use a tripod.  The only time you should not use a tripod is when it is impossible to deploy one.

Second, get rid of the flash on the camera.  When you use the dinky flash on the camera you create very bright spots of glare on metalic/shiny surfaces this will show up as a washed out spot.  When photographing people it shows up as red eye (i.e. the light from the flash goes out, bounces off the persons' retna and comes back into the camera lens).  You don't need $5000.00 of studio strobes.  You can use a table by a window with a piece of poster board opposite the window to reflect some light back onto the subject and eliminate dark spots.

Checkout the tutorial at www.photo.net
Kodak also has a photography tutorial online.

Where can I get a cheap tripod?

Quoted: Where can I get a cheap tripod?

Walmart for probably $15

Quoted: The short answer is buy and use a tripod and remove the on camera flash. Slightly longer answer. First, buy and use a tripod.  Let me rephrase that.  Buy and use a tripod.  The only time you should not use a tripod is when it is impossible to deploy one. Second, get rid of the flash on the camera.  When you use the dinky flash on the camera you create very bright spots of glare on metalic/shiny surfaces this will show up as a washed out spot.  When photographing people it shows up as red eye (i.e. the light from the flash goes out, bounces off the persons' retna and comes back into the camera lens).  You don't need $5000.00 of studio strobes.  You can use a table by a window with a piece of poster board opposite the window to reflect some light back onto the subject and eliminate dark spots. Checkout the tutorial at www.photo.net Kodak also has a photography tutorial online.

For inexpensive studio lights that kick ass, go to Alien Bees.

I solved alot of my lighting/overlighting problems....Things like glare and, reflection
fairly simply.  

I do alot of evidence photography, and, when I'm doing things like car license plates at
night, they used to "Burn-out" on me, due to the flash and, the reflective plate.

1-Buy a flash that you can put on the camera.

2-Ensure the flash has a "Bounce" feature....ie;  you can move the head up and down.

3-Mount a 3X5 index card to the head, with as much overlapping as possible.  For temporaty mouthing, tape will do.  I superglued a strip of velcro to my flash and, to the card I lamintated, so it's semi-perm.

4-Tilt the head of the flash up, so the bottom of the card is pointed down.

5-Take pic.  

The card will diffuse and, re-direct the flash so you will get planty of light, but not over expose.

You can do like I did and pay like 300 bucks for a ring flash unit (that attatches to the lense and looks all CSI) too.

Stickman is defantely the guy to talk to. I guess you could also try calling Ichiro Nagata.

Quoted: Try here

This is an excellent thread, alot of members have done excellent photography with nothing more than a work light, a shower curtain for a diffuser and some white wrapping paper. You'll need a reasonably good camera that will allow you lock your exposure or spot meter.  But read this thread and give it a go, helpful bunch there.

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