oldRoger
US Veteran
You have to ask your self a basic question, do you want a really good photo of a gun (think Doc44) or do you want composition and background, in other words an art component as in some of the photos above.
How to photograph a gun
- Thread starter SLT223
- Start date
Both
In my opinion it depends on if you want to create a atmosphere or a standard "product" type photo for commercial or historical documentation purposes. Ofcourse, it completely depends on what the client is looking for.
One key to firearm photography is light. Taking a picture on the floor of your house with a pop up flash will make a image. But taking the picture with good light, proper technique and camera control will make a better image.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Don't sneak up on the gun and take it's picture while it is in the shower (this also applies to wives as well 
)
)oldRoger
US Veteran
Jay5oh I agree that both are desirable at least more interesting. I think that SLT223 has to decide what he wants. If it is to take a good clear photo of a firearm he can learn fairly fast. If it is to have an artistic component that will take longer and require more input then he can get in a few posts.
The lighting for the strictly informational photograph is fairly simple and easily controlled. Art is something else.
The lighting for the strictly informational photograph is fairly simple and easily controlled. Art is something else.
Glock 'em down
Member
Cocked & Locked takes some of the best pics I've ever seen.
I love the way he adds other related accessories like vintage ammo boxes and various leather gear.
So far, out of all the pics I've seen here on this forum, these two (or three
) are my favorites.
Here's a cool pic from our ol' buddy Keith44spl.
I like to call it "Tools of the trade."
And this, guys and gals, is probably my very favorite pic of ALL the pics I ever saw here at the S&W forum.
I like to call it "Grandpa's hammer and nails."
I love the way he adds other related accessories like vintage ammo boxes and various leather gear.
So far, out of all the pics I've seen here on this forum, these two (or three
) are my favorites.
Here's a cool pic from our ol' buddy Keith44spl.
I like to call it "Tools of the trade."
And this, guys and gals, is probably my very favorite pic of ALL the pics I ever saw here at the S&W forum.
I like to call it "Grandpa's hammer and nails."
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smith41mag
Member
How do you get the smoke to work with the gun pics?
As a student of gun photography I'll add a few thoughts
Lighting needs to be diffused / indirect. Harsh reflections are ugly! I use a home made light box, sometimes adding light "bounced" off the ceiling. Occasionally I use natural light from a window and very rarely do I shoot outdoors as the bright sun is too intense. Over exposed areas in a digital photo loose all detail and appear as pure white, those areas are "blown out" and the details are just not there in the file. Conversely, areas that appear too dark can often be saved in post processing and the details made visible. So, if anything underexpose a bit - there is a lot of detail hiding in the shadows!
Mount your camera on a tripod and use a remote release to eliminate vibration. This will accomplish a few things that make your photos better. First, shoot at your camera's base (lowest) ISO setting - virtually all digital cameras will capture a "cleaner" image than at higher ISO settings. Second, shoot at a smaller (higher number) f stop. f8 to f11 is good with most DSLR cameras. This will provide a greater depth of field (the depth of the area in sharp focus). For example, if you shoot an N frame revolver from the side, at f2.8 the close edge of the cylinder might be in perfect focus while the frame & barrel are blurry. At f11, all of the gun will be likely to be in focus. This too can be overdone, set your aperture (f stop) too small and the entire image may loose sharpness due to defraction - keep it around f8-f11 with a DSLR. Speaking of focus, autofocus used skillfully will do; manual is better if your camera (an your eyes!) allow it. Shooting from a tripod allows the resulting slow shutter speed (often 2 or more seconds) without picture ruining motion blur.
Set your camera to shoot the largest JPG images it can, or even better RAW files if available. Capture all the detail and information that you can with your camera. Then, use it by getting to know your post processing software - Photoshop, etc. It can provide a multitude of options for making you images look great, and the better the images and more data that you provide, the better the final product will be.
Hope that helps without being too confusing
Here are a couple recent images taken with my D300 and a 30+ year old manual focus lens:
Lighting needs to be diffused / indirect. Harsh reflections are ugly! I use a home made light box, sometimes adding light "bounced" off the ceiling. Occasionally I use natural light from a window and very rarely do I shoot outdoors as the bright sun is too intense. Over exposed areas in a digital photo loose all detail and appear as pure white, those areas are "blown out" and the details are just not there in the file. Conversely, areas that appear too dark can often be saved in post processing and the details made visible. So, if anything underexpose a bit - there is a lot of detail hiding in the shadows!
Mount your camera on a tripod and use a remote release to eliminate vibration. This will accomplish a few things that make your photos better. First, shoot at your camera's base (lowest) ISO setting - virtually all digital cameras will capture a "cleaner" image than at higher ISO settings. Second, shoot at a smaller (higher number) f stop. f8 to f11 is good with most DSLR cameras. This will provide a greater depth of field (the depth of the area in sharp focus). For example, if you shoot an N frame revolver from the side, at f2.8 the close edge of the cylinder might be in perfect focus while the frame & barrel are blurry. At f11, all of the gun will be likely to be in focus. This too can be overdone, set your aperture (f stop) too small and the entire image may loose sharpness due to defraction - keep it around f8-f11 with a DSLR. Speaking of focus, autofocus used skillfully will do; manual is better if your camera (an your eyes!) allow it. Shooting from a tripod allows the resulting slow shutter speed (often 2 or more seconds) without picture ruining motion blur.
Set your camera to shoot the largest JPG images it can, or even better RAW files if available. Capture all the detail and information that you can with your camera. Then, use it by getting to know your post processing software - Photoshop, etc. It can provide a multitude of options for making you images look great, and the better the images and more data that you provide, the better the final product will be.
Hope that helps without being too confusing
Here are a couple recent images taken with my D300 and a 30+ year old manual focus lens:
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digi-shots
Member
It took quite a bit of time for that series of pics... I probably took a good 75 shots just to get 1 good one.
It worked best with semi-autos with the magazines removed. The smoke is real, I used 12" incense sticks and 1/2" copper tubing in the magazine well. Smoke naturally rises and with no air circulation you just sit back and start shooting til you think you got the shot you want.
I "fanned" the smoke a few times to create the swirls.
The background is black tarpaper (also fireproof!
). I used 2 small photo lights to light both the gun and the smoke. It was fun and interesting ... I had to air the room out for a day or so afterwards to get rid of the aroma!
I agree.
And if it's to say "hey look what I just bought" just about anything will work.
Re: bouncing light from the ceiling...I used to do that with 3 or 4 strobes but then put together a light set and let me tell you, it is nice...
Re: the smoke pics....awesome! Even my non-photo-enthusiast wife commented on how cool and different it was...good job!
One other thought, take a minute to wipe off the lint, cat/dog hair, dust etc. It will ruin a otherwise nice image..and cloning it out sucks when you have 100 images to process.
Last thought for now... try to get the best image you can out of the camera, use post processing for "touching up" and minor adjustments. Not only does it increase your workflow but you will be a better photographer if you know how to use the camera.
onebilly43
Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2012
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Backgrounds
Ron I am like you in pefereing to add a few props to my pictures when I feel like messing with them.
This is really a great picture you have posted here
Thanks for shareing
When I'm in the mood I prefer a few props and an appropriate background. Usually I'm too lazy and shoot the most basic documentary pics.
Ron I am like you in pefereing to add a few props to my pictures when I feel like messing with them.
This is really a great picture you have posted here
Thanks for shareing
HAWKEYE10
Member
This photo was made by accident. The reason it is an accident I could never make a photo this good on purpose. This is just the best I have done others put me to shame. I took this photo when I won the "Shoo Boy" hammer he gave away. Don
Alnamvet68
US Veteran
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skennedy
Member
Walking Dead
Member
I am new to the forum. Can someone please tell how to post a photo ? Walking Dead
sipowicz
Member
This photo was made by accident. The reason it is an accident I could never make a photo this good on purpose. This is just the best I have done others put me to shame. I took this photo when I won the "Shoo Boy" hammer he gave away. Don
too bad you didn't win sheets too...
s1mp13m4n
Member
What do you do when your camera options are an iPod Touch and iPad?
Gun photography
You'd be surprised how easy it actually is to take decent or even professional looking pictures with minimal work.
I am in no way a professional, but with a few tricks I take some pretty good photos. Heck, I don't even have a good camera. I use an Android phone camera. the trick in in the filters.
If you want to see some more of my work (I'll leave one of my pictures on this thread) Then go to my page Here and check out some of those pictures. (Any pictures that do not say "Cred to (page name)" are mine. Also, Message me if you have questions about anything, I'd be happy to share!
You'd be surprised how easy it actually is to take decent or even professional looking pictures with minimal work.
I am in no way a professional, but with a few tricks I take some pretty good photos. Heck, I don't even have a good camera. I use an Android phone camera. the trick in in the filters.
If you want to see some more of my work (I'll leave one of my pictures on this thread) Then go to my page Here and check out some of those pictures. (Any pictures that do not say "Cred to (page name)" are mine. Also, Message me if you have questions about anything, I'd be happy to share!
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