Great info and photos from everyone!!
OP, thanks for asking the question!
OP, thanks for asking the question!
Taking Pictures of guns
- Thread starter Bullet99
- Start date
Don't waste time and money on special lighting setups. Take the gun into the shade of a building and it will provide what you want - diffused lighting that will not give you harsh shadows or glare.
Use a tripod.
Use the appropriate lens for the size of the gun. Wider lens for long guns; tighter lens for handguns.
Use a good digital camera; an SLR by choice.
Take a number of shots. Always use F8, and vary the time duration a bit. Choose the best for sharpness and clarity of the background. I like a plain white background - use posterboard or white tabletop plastic from Home Depot or other store. Get two sizes - one for handguns and one that will accommodate your longest long guns.
Use post-processing like Photoshop if you have the software. Start with a RAW image that appears over-exposed. Then darken the subject, sharpen if necessary, convert to .JPG.
Straighten and crop to taste.
Done.
Here's my typical outdoor shade setup. Dogs are optional. My old dog Joe was always there to give me support...
Here are samples. Click 'em for larger image.
John
Use a tripod.
Use the appropriate lens for the size of the gun. Wider lens for long guns; tighter lens for handguns.
Use a good digital camera; an SLR by choice.
Take a number of shots. Always use F8, and vary the time duration a bit. Choose the best for sharpness and clarity of the background. I like a plain white background - use posterboard or white tabletop plastic from Home Depot or other store. Get two sizes - one for handguns and one that will accommodate your longest long guns.
Use post-processing like Photoshop if you have the software. Start with a RAW image that appears over-exposed. Then darken the subject, sharpen if necessary, convert to .JPG.
Straighten and crop to taste.
Done.
Here's my typical outdoor shade setup. Dogs are optional. My old dog Joe was always there to give me support...
Here are samples. Click 'em for larger image.
John
Last edited:
Clarkey
Member
I take photos often. And I just use my Samsung Galaxy 20. But then I adjust the color, brightness, contrast and sharpness using several old photo programs I've had for years.
Clarkey
Member
I take photos often. I use my Samsung Galaxy 21. But I then adjust the color, brightness, contrast and sharpness using several photo programs I've had for years.
digi-shots
Member
All great photo ideas…. Just don't be afraid of taking multiple shots and leave a bit of open space around the gun. This allows you to crop out unwanted background and/or straighten the image. I chuckle everytime I see a photo that includes the shooter's feet or toes poking into the photo!
Lighting is key in just about all photos… less or more - depends what you want the final pic to convey. Once you get the basics down, you can play around a bit.
Lighting is key in just about all photos… less or more - depends what you want the final pic to convey. Once you get the basics down, you can play around a bit.
Attachments
Thanks to the professionals for their recommendations, thoughts, and ideas. I'm always learning.
As a self-taught rookie about 30 years ago I learned about using a gray card to help set exposures. I still have that old gray card, but now I typically use a piece of barn wood I tore out of a Kansas barn as a back drop to achieve a similar goal. Works best outdoors (no auxiliary lights) on an 100% overcast day, but we don't get many of those so results vary.
Attachments
DWalt
Member
All you really need is outdoor open shade (in the shade but subject is exposed to the sky) and Photoshop (or similar) to adjust color balance, brightness, and contrast. Overcast days also work. I have a home-made copy stand and use a remote shutter release. You can experiment with different backgrounds, I prefer pastels. Whatever color you like best. As previously mentioned, white backgrounds can cause exposure problems. My kitchen counter also sometimes works well as a studio for me as it has very good and even lighting above it. I do not usually need a tripod, hand-held usually works OK with the amount of light I have indoors.
At one time I had a lightbox, but came to the conclusion that I could do just as well, if not better, without it. I gave it away.
Most (at least many) better digital cameras have an exposure setting feature by which the lens aperture can be given priority. To get the sharpest possible picture, set the aperture to f/11 or f/16. The camera will set the correct shutter speed automatically to get the proper exposure. My camera is a Nikon D90, old but still gives good results. I often use close-up lenses on a wider zoom lens if I need to get in close to show fine details, my favorite being a 28 - 90 mm.
One other thing, I always use manual focus instead of the camera's autofocus if possible.
At one time I had a lightbox, but came to the conclusion that I could do just as well, if not better, without it. I gave it away.
Most (at least many) better digital cameras have an exposure setting feature by which the lens aperture can be given priority. To get the sharpest possible picture, set the aperture to f/11 or f/16. The camera will set the correct shutter speed automatically to get the proper exposure. My camera is a Nikon D90, old but still gives good results. I often use close-up lenses on a wider zoom lens if I need to get in close to show fine details, my favorite being a 28 - 90 mm.
One other thing, I always use manual focus instead of the camera's autofocus if possible.
Last edited:
Walter Rego
Member
Many of the photos I have shown on this forum were taken with a Canon Powershot digital camera. I had a built in lightbox in that my upstairs bathroom had a translucent skylight and between about the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM I got wonderful light. I just sat the gun on whatever background I wanted to use and took a bunch of photos, often adjusting the tilt of the camera a few degrees one way or another to eliminate any glare that I saw.
Then I deleted the poor photos and cropped the best ones. Sometimes they needed minor exposure, contrast or other adjustments and I used a free program named Picasa for that. I also use Microsoft Paint to compose "collage" type photos combining several images. My new home doesn't have a similar set up and I struggle to get good photos. I may just build a lightbox. Here's one of my better pics taken in my bathroom "studio".
Then I deleted the poor photos and cropped the best ones. Sometimes they needed minor exposure, contrast or other adjustments and I used a free program named Picasa for that. I also use Microsoft Paint to compose "collage" type photos combining several images. My new home doesn't have a similar set up and I struggle to get good photos. I may just build a lightbox. Here's one of my better pics taken in my bathroom "studio".
Attachments
Palidine85020, I think you just lost about half of the members with the technology you described. Most AI know are using a point and shoot "automatic" exposure digital camera and don't even know what RAW image even is.
An advanced amateur can appreciate your comments.
An advanced amateur can appreciate your comments.
I use my Android phone, I try to use a decent background behind the gun, and I try to avoid shadows. Nothing fancy.
On a blanket:
On a granite countertop:
On a sliding writing "table" in a desk:
On a blanket:
On a gun rug on a sofa:
On a dish towel:
On a place mat:
On an upholstered chair:
On a blanket:
On a coffee table:
On the hood of a truck:
I hope that answers your question - using a decent camera/modern smart phone (it doesn't even have to be very smart if the camera is reasonable) will get you excellent photographs with no additional equipment, no cost involved, easy deal. Just upload them to your albums here on the Forum.
On a blanket:
On a granite countertop:
On a sliding writing "table" in a desk:
On a blanket:
On a gun rug on a sofa:
On a dish towel:
On a place mat:
On an upholstered chair:
On a blanket:
On a coffee table:
On the hood of a truck:
I hope that answers your question - using a decent camera/modern smart phone (it doesn't even have to be very smart if the camera is reasonable) will get you excellent photographs with no additional equipment, no cost involved, easy deal. Just upload them to your albums here on the Forum.
HughD1
Member
Ok, y'all are making me feel real bad about my I-Phone 7 and the tailgate of my truck pictures. Y'all take some excellent pictures though!
Hugh!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hugh!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
hkcavalier
US Veteran
I like natural light on a bench or stump. It's not exactly auction photo quality but they end up pretty.
Similar threads
- Locked
