Lesson #1
OK. There certainly seems to be plenty of interest, so let me give this a shot (no pun intended...)
Obviously, the better your camera equipment, the easier this will be, but fancy camera gear is definitely not required. Although, I would suggest something better than a CVS disposable digital camera.
Photography is about light. Natural light is best, and the more the better. Even the most basic cameras will allow you to turn off the flash, so that leads us to:
Rule #1: Turn off the flash!
Flashes will result in all kinds of glare off stainless and blued guns, which is anything but good. Flashes can also give certain cameras an unnatural yellow tint that we want to avoid. So now that we have gotten rid of the flash where will light come from, which leads us to:
Rule #2: Use natural light.
By natural light I mean daylight and not lamps inside the house. This also doesn't mean direct sunlight. We don't want direct sunshine which will cause glare and funky shadows. The pictures that I posted were taken in front of a window on an overcast day. But it doesn't have to be overcast. Just find a nice spot close to a window and you'll be good to go. But even a good deal of natural light may not be sufficient, which brings us to the first piece of equipment that you may have to purchase:
Rule #3: Use a tripod.
The tripod doesn't have to be anything fancy. Any tripod that is sturdy enough to support your camera will suffice. There are any number of tripods available for very little money.
Let's talk a little bit about positioning the shot, or what is called framing. Find a nice flat surface. I used my dining room table which happened to be by the window, but anything will work. Even a sturdy TV tray can make for a suitable portable surface. Pay attention to the color and the texture of the surface. If you are photographing a stainless or polished gun, then a dark surface is better. I like wood because it has a rich color and texture, but other material can work well. A piece of leather would work very nicely or a piece of solid color fabric. Try to avoid anything with a busy pattern because that will distract the eyes from focusing on the subject of our photo. If you have a dark gun then you want the surface to be lighter, but certainly not white. Light brown, green or burgundy would work nicely.
Now, for the love of God, please don't just put the gun flat on a table and snap a picture. If you want that deep 3-D look, you want to suspend your gun. I used a small flashlight positioned in the trigger guard, but I have also seen shotgun shells and other items used. Be creative, but don't just use a wooden dowel. Clear the surface, position the gun, and make sure that there is nothing else in the frame that doesn't belong there. Since you will be shooting at close distances it should be easy to clear all other objects away from the gun.
OK, we have light, we have a tripod, we have a gun sitting on a nice surface without any junk around. Now let's talk camera settings. I am not going to get super technical and I will talk in general terms so that what I say will apply to just about any camera out there. You may actually have to get the instruction manual out because we are not going to be shooting in the fully automatic mode. Remember, photography is about light and there are only two basic adjustments on a camera that change the amount of light that gets inside the camera. The first is the amount of time that the shutter is open. This is called the shutter speed. The second is the F-stop, which is the size of the aperture. The aperture is the opening in the lens through which the light passes. So the bigger the hole, the more light. The longer the exposure, the more light. The smaller the aperture the less light and the faster the shutter speed, the less light.
If you have a digital SLR adjusting the F-stop and the shutter speed is very easy. Look in your manual and figure out how to put your camera into Aperture Priority (AE) mode. You folks with the point and shoot camera may also have this setting. When shooting in AE mode you will be adjusting the f-stop and the camera will adjust the shutter speed for what it thinks is the appropriate time. Most modern cameras have good light meters so I feel comfortable with this method. The range of f-stops is dependent on the lens. Even if the lens is not removable, like on a point and shoot camera, it will still have a f-stop range. The minimum f-stop is usually printed on the lens. A point and shoot may be something like F2.4 and a high end lens may go to F1.2. The smaller the number the bigger the aperture and the more light that will get into the lens. But for our purposes, a very low F stop is not required and actually not desired.
Once you figure out how to put the camera into AE mode, set the f-stop to about 5-7. Then when you push the shutter release button half way the camera should automatically focus on the gun and also set your shutter speed. The reason we want a tripod is that with a f-stop of 5-7 the camera may set the shutter speed very slow. The pictures that I took actually had shutter speeds of 2 seconds. With such slow shutter speeds it is impossible to hand hold the camera because any movement will blur the picture. So the tripod is essential.
Rule #4: Use the timer.
Look in your manual and figure out how to set the timer. Anything from a 2-10 second timer will work fine. The reason for the timer is to eliminates any shake from the release of the shutter button. So the camera will be perfectly still when the shutter open. This eliminates any blurring that might occur from camera movement.
Those are the basics. I didn't really get into the details as to why we set the f-stop where I said, but I can certainly elaborate if anyone wants me to. Please post the pictures that you take in this thread and do not hesitate to ask questions. I will gladly answer them and make suggestions, if you so desire.
Good luck!
I am pasting the following section here just to keep the information all in one place. It is also repeated later in the thread.
Nice helpful tips. You can go more advanced. I would like to know more.
Remember, the f-stop setting control how big the aperture is. Here is a great graphic to illustrate what I mean:
So you might be thinking, why not have it wide open all the time because photography is about light, right? As we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch. More accurately various f-stops can be used to get desired effects. What the f-stop effects is the depth of field. The depth of field is best illustrated by example. Check out the following photo:
The depth of field determines the distance that will appear to be in focus. The above photo has the same framing, same subject, just different f-stops. Notice the tape measure on the left. That photograph was taken at f2.8 and the depth of field is maybe 1" (from 5-6" on the tape). Now look on the right. With an f-stop of 22 the depth of field is about 10". The tape looks to be in focus from zero to the ten inch mark. Obviously various setting between 2.8 and 22 will vary the depth of field accordingly.
Neither setting is right or wrong it is adjusted based on the type of effect that you ware trying to achieve with your photograph. When shooting portraits photographers will often want a low f-stop. Look at this portrait:
Notice that her nose and the eye that is closest to the camera is where the focal point is. Everything in the background is quickly washed away which allows her smile to shine through. I can't recall exactly, but I bet I took that picture at f 1.8 or 2.
Good luck to all and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's work. Feel free to post "before and after" pictures.
Andrew
Lesson #2
The information in this lesson is mostly redundant with the information that I posted above regarding the f-stop, but I wanted to offer a few pictures that will further demonstrate the changes that occur when the f-stop is manipulated and the corresponding effects that occur as a result. (All photos were taken at ISO 100 and AE priority mode, and the focus was maintained on the same spot).
Picture #1
F1.8 Shutter 1/10 second
The main thing to notice in this photo is the extremely shallow depth of field. I attempted to focus on the "CZ 75B" lettering, but the rest of the gun gets quickly washed out and out of focus. This setting is great if you want to focus on a particular feature of your firearm. Let's say a safety lever, logo, sight, or anything else. The eye will be automatically drawn to the spot that is in focus.
Picture #2
F3.2 Shutter 1/3 seconds
Here you can see how the bigger f-stop increased the depth of field. Also note that the shutter speed had to be increased to maintain the same level of overall exposure.
Picture #3
F6.3 Shutter 1.3 seconds
At this f-stop about half the gun is in focus. The CZ 75 logo is nice and crisp and the depth of field continues back past the slide release. Also note that the red safety dot is still blurry as is the logo on the grips.
Picture #4
F9.0 Shutter 2.0 seconds
Now the vast majority of the gun is becoming clear. The front sight is almost crisp and the red safety dot is almost in focus. Also note that the shutter speed is now 2 seconds. Do you see why the use of a timer and a tripod are mandatory?
Picture #5
F13 Shutter 4 seconds
Now, finally, the whole pistol is crisp and clear. All features are in focus, starting from the front sight all the way back to the logo on the grips. Also note that the required shutter speed at this f-stop is 4 seconds.
Hopefully the above series of photographs demonstrated how just changing the f-stop can have an impact on the overall picture. In AE Priority mode the camera adjusted the shutter speed automatically based on the f-stop that I set manually. The overall exposure of the pictures is fairly consistent as is the framing. The only thing that changed was the depth of field. Also note that there is no "right setting." Each setting is correct because it delivered the same level of overall exposure. The point to consider is the effect that you are trying to achieve. If you want to focus on a particular feature of a gun, then low f-stop values will do best. However, if the goal is to show all parts of the gun in focus, then consider higher f-stop values and position the gun so the bore axis is closer to being perpendicular with the lens. Although shots from the side are a little boring in my opinion, but that is a matter of taste.
Andrew
