Robert Santerre on fri 8 sep 00
Bruce,
I've been doing my own photography with a set-up very similar to yours. I also ran
into the bluish background problem. Here's how it happened. Initially I had some
3200K halogen lamps that I bought from a hardware store (construction lighting).
These gave me a nice color balance (no blues), but a pretty crude set-up. Hard to
call yourself a "photographer" when you have a set-up like this.
To "upgrade" my system I bought some good tungsten flood lightss from a local
photog store. They sold me Wiko Stage and Studio bulbs (WIK-EMD, 120 V 750W,
WIK-00107) for these lights. Supposed to be the "best" lamp for this application
(at $30.00 ea they ought to be!). At the same time I bought the Varitone #9 bkg.
Instantly started getting the bluish tint to my bkgs. Tried some different films,
no luck. Talked to the store experts, and on their advice bought some gel filters
(helped with the blues, but killed the colors in my pots). Finally, it dawned on
me that I wasn't having this problem with the old construction lights, so I swapped
out the halogen lamps from the construction lights and VIOLA!, the blues went
away! The lamps I use now are Sylvania double ended quartz FCL (500 W, 120V),
purchased at the local Lowes hardware/home improvement store (quite reasonable, as
I recall ~$9.00 ea). I put these in my fancy, new, special, super dupper flood
lights and I'm happy as a clam - no more "blues". I told the photo store expert
about my solution. He smile, shrugged and commented, "Whatever works."
That's my experience. I haven't lost any money on Wiko stock (although I do have a
couple of Wiko lamps I'll sell cheap) and I don't own any part of Sylvania and I
still don't call myself a "photographer". I hope this can solve your problem. Let
me know.
Bob
rfsanterre@iquest.net
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Bruce Girrell wrote:
> I have a Varitone #9 (white to black) graduated background that I use for
> photographing our pots. Each time that I have used it I have had the same
> result: The background appears in the photos with a strong blue cast. Now,
> I'm no rank amateur at photography, so before you tell me that it's the
> color temperature of my lighting, here's what I've tried:
>
> 1) 3200 oK lighting with Kodak 160T tungsten film
> 2) 3200 oK lighting with Kodak 160T tungsten film with 81B warming filter
> 3) Overcast daylight with Fuji Velvia
> 4) Overcast daylight with Velvia and 81B warming filter
> 5) Sunny day with Velvia and photo setup in broken shade inside an EZ-UP to
> diffuse the light
> 6) Overcast with Kodak Elite 100 SW (saturated/warm)
> 7) Overcast with Elite 100 SW and 81B warming filter
>
> What I have _not_ tried is electronic flash.
>
> In all cases, the background has a blue cast, even though I can see the
> effect of the attempts at warming in the colors of the pots. I'm spending a
> lot of time in Photoshop bringing the background back to a neutral color
> while trying to avoid altering the natural colors of the pots. I have taken
> to creating a path around the pot, converting to a selection, inverting,
> color shifting and desaturating in order to get a decent background, but
> even this is a problem because the color of the pot affects the color of the
> background directly around the pot and it looks unnatural if the color
> shifting/desaturating is not done carefully.
>
> So now the questions:
>
> 1) Do other photographers use the Varitone #9 or is there some other
> graduated background that is being used by the professionals?
>
> 2) Is the Varitone actually designed for electronic flash and not suited for
> daylight or tungsten illumination?
>
> 3) Does anyone know of a white to black graduated background that uses a
> warm black instead of cold?
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Bruce "not looking forward to learning how to do studio flash photography"
> Girrell
>
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Bruce Girrell on fri 8 sep 00
I have a Varitone #9 (white to black) graduated background that I use for
photographing our pots. Each time that I have used it I have had the same
result: The background appears in the photos with a strong blue cast. Now,
I'm no rank amateur at photography, so before you tell me that it's the
color temperature of my lighting, here's what I've tried:
1) 3200 oK lighting with Kodak 160T tungsten film
2) 3200 oK lighting with Kodak 160T tungsten film with 81B warming filter
3) Overcast daylight with Fuji Velvia
4) Overcast daylight with Velvia and 81B warming filter
5) Sunny day with Velvia and photo setup in broken shade inside an EZ-UP to
diffuse the light
6) Overcast with Kodak Elite 100 SW (saturated/warm)
7) Overcast with Elite 100 SW and 81B warming filter
What I have _not_ tried is electronic flash.
In all cases, the background has a blue cast, even though I can see the
effect of the attempts at warming in the colors of the pots. I'm spending a
lot of time in Photoshop bringing the background back to a neutral color
while trying to avoid altering the natural colors of the pots. I have taken
to creating a path around the pot, converting to a selection, inverting,
color shifting and desaturating in order to get a decent background, but
even this is a problem because the color of the pot affects the color of the
background directly around the pot and it looks unnatural if the color
shifting/desaturating is not done carefully.
So now the questions:
1) Do other photographers use the Varitone #9 or is there some other
graduated background that is being used by the professionals?
2) Is the Varitone actually designed for electronic flash and not suited for
daylight or tungsten illumination?
3) Does anyone know of a white to black graduated background that uses a
warm black instead of cold?
Thanks for your help
Bruce "not looking forward to learning how to do studio flash photography"
Girrell
John Hesselberth on sat 9 sep 00
Bruce Girrell wrote:
>So now the questions:
>
>1) Do other photographers use the Varitone #9 or is there some other
>graduated background that is being used by the professionals?
>
>2) Is the Varitone actually designed for electronic flash and not suited for
>daylight or tungsten illumination?
>
>3) Does anyone know of a white to black graduated background that uses a
>warm black instead of cold?
Hi Bruce:
I can't answer your questions directly, but I can give you some
information that might help you surround the problem.
First, I use the same background with an electronic flash and Kodak
EliteChrome 200. I get pretty good grays and blacks on the resulting
slides. I have had an ocassional roll go blue when I use an off-brand
processor. If you are not using a first class processor that serves the
professional photographers in your area, that would be the first thing I
would try. Someone who does E-6 processing and whose living depends on
doing it right. If there is no such lab in your area, then try Kodak
processing by mail.
The second thing I would try would be electronic flash. I believe it
consistently gives better color balance than photofloods or daylight. I
don't believe it is the background that is the problem but rather that
the match of photofloods with tungsten film and/or real daylight with
daylight film is not as true a match as electronic flash and daylight
film are. I guess I am suggesting (and I will admit it is speculation)
that the industry has gone so heavily to electronic flash that has become
the only standard you can trust--particularly when it comes to getting
good blacks.
Good blacks are the hardest color to get on film or on color prints.
When I use print film (any brand) I almost always have trouble unless I
take a print that has the background good and black with me to the
processor and say "match this". They can do it if they try, but if I
don't get very explicit they come back blue or purple almost every time.
John Hesselberth
Frog Pond Pottery
P.O. Box 88
Pocopson, PA 19366 USA
EMail: john@frogpondpottery.com web site: http://www.frogpondpottery.com
"It is, perhaps, still necessary to say that the very best glazes cannot
conceal badly shaped pots..." David Green, Pottery Glazes
JCullen845@AOL.COM on sat 9 sep 00
I shoot all my pots on a sweep of background paper. Any color that's
available or one that suits the pots I'm shooting. The gradation comes from
how I light (or don;t light) the background. Using a softbox light (flash)
that actually casts a shadow (or doesn't allow light to fall) on the
background causes the natural gradation. A modeling light in the softbox is a
real benefit for previewing the effect of the light on the subject and the
background.
Matching film to type of light is critical. 3200K is tungsten, indoor type
lighting. 5600K is sunlight, outdoor lighting or flash. Check the lamp itself
for a K or Kelvin listing. This is important. If you are using a bare bulb
and it does not indicate the Kelvin, it is probably, almost definitely 3200k
tungsten. This is okay, as long as the film is rated for indoor, tungsten
light. Outdoor film indoors or indoors film outdoors leads to color shift
problems. Newer cameras can compensate for some of these discrepancy but
that's only for birthdays and baby showers. Not for putting your pots in
their "BEST LIGHT."
For color accuracy it is best to shoot a single frame of a Macbeth Color
Chart at the beginning of the roll under the exact lighting conditions you
will be shooting with. An 18% gray card is also advisable. The color chart
and gray card should cover 80% or more of the frame. These will only be
beneficial if the processing lab has people over 30 in their employ. (Sorry)
The corner drugstore one-hour processing will look at these frames as
mistakes and probably trash them or, worse yet they'll print them and charge
you for the prints. These frames are to be used for calibrating the remaining
pictures on the roll to the quality of light used to shoot the Award Winning
pots that was the sole purpose for going to all this trouble in the first
place.
The Steve Metzer book on Photographing your Crafts is an excellent book that
walks you through each step of lighting, film to use and what to look for in
processing. This book is advertised in the back of CM in the classified ads.
KEEP CENTERED and properly exposed
Cullen
Naperville, Illinois
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