Phil Davenport on mon 20 jun 05
Dave:
It doesn't matter what type of camera you are using--all cameras/lenses
have a minimum focusing distance. Anything closer than that distance
and the image will be out of focus. If you look at some of your
images--the pot that is close to the camera is out of focus while the
pots in the background are in focus.
I know you are testing BUT keep a record of everything you
do--camera-to-subject distance; type of lighting used; on camera used or
not used and etc. By doing this you can eliminate some problems and
determine what the cause of some of your problems are.
Place the pots in a setting where you control the lighting--direction
and intensity. You also want to control the background. It shouldn't
be distracting.
Are you using a tripod? This will allow you to have control of the
shooting situation. Is the camera level or tilted? Is the back
parallel to the pot or is it tilted?
What type of editing program are you using? You can crop and do some
color/contrast corrections with an editing program. I would not use the
image right out of the camera. I would do some cropping as well as
color correction before I would consider any image finished.
All cameras produce depth of field. That is--an area in front of and
behind your point of focus that appears to be in focus. That area is
controlled by camera to subject distance; focal length (wide angle lens
or telephoto lens and how much of one); and f/stop (a function of the
lens). If you are using a point and shoot type camera (where you have
no control over some of the camera functions) then you will be limited
in how you control depth of field. Look at some of your pictures--the
front side of the pot is in focus and the back side is out of focus. Or
the front is out of focus--then the middle is in focus--and then the
back side is out of focus. This is depth of field.
Lastly--eliminate as many of the variables as possible and then only
mess with one variable at a time. Keep good records and compare all of
the results.
Hope this helps.
Phil Davenport
Garland, TX
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of David
Gallagher
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 12:03 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: new camera and new pots
In trying to figure out how to make my new digital camera take decent
close up pictures I ended up takeing a few shots of my newer work.
As you can tell the close up thing was only semi successfull as well as
the pots!
So heres my request... any comment, like/dislike, questions would be
greatly appreciated. Im still very new to this (year and half) so any
response to work is good thing. Hope you like em, or hate em, as long as
there is a reaction :)
Dave
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=374458047&key=IBPMap
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David Gallagher on mon 20 jun 05
In trying to figure out how to make my new digital camera take decent close up pictures I ended up takeing a few shots of my newer work.
As you can tell the close up thing was only semi successfull as well as the pots!
So heres my request... any comment, like/dislike, questions would be greatly appreciated. Im still very new to this (year and half) so any response to work is good thing. Hope you like em, or hate em, as long as there is a reaction :)
Dave
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=374458047&key=IBPMap
---------------------------------
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David Gallagher on tue 21 jun 05
Haha.... Hey Phil.
Thanks for the advice, I was trying out the camera as we had just gotten it. No tri pod, no lights just seeing what it could do with no flash in an underlit room. The auto focus is a bit weird, or at least different than what I am used to. And the bugger is tiny, maybe 4" by 2".
Funny, I was just really looking for comments on the pots, but i suppose the pictures were distracting enough to have everyone comment on them. Even funnier is that I used to be a semi-professional photographers assistant, this was just a 5 min before I get out the door "lets see what this can do" kind of thing. I normally use photoshop to edit things, but these were straight off the camera. Ill have to set up my lights and actually shoot them, thats the next thing. Some time between work and school I'll get it done. Probably a 4 in the morning job.
Phil Davenport wrote:
Dave:
It doesn't matter what type of camera you are using--all cameras/lenses
have a minimum focusing distance. Anything closer than that distance
and the image will be out of focus. If you look at some of your
images--the pot that is close to the camera is out of focus while the
pots in the background are in focus.
I know you are testing BUT keep a record of everything you
do--camera-to-subject distance; type of lighting used; on camera used or
not used and etc. By doing this you can eliminate some problems and
determine what the cause of some of your problems are.
Place the pots in a setting where you control the lighting--direction
and intensity. You also want to control the background. It shouldn't
be distracting.
Are you using a tripod? This will allow you to have control of the
shooting situation. Is the camera level or tilted? Is the back
parallel to the pot or is it tilted?
What type of editing program are you using? You can crop and do some
color/contrast corrections with an editing program. I would not use the
image right out of the camera. I would do some cropping as well as
color correction before I would consider any image finished.
All cameras produce depth of field. That is--an area in front of and
behind your point of focus that appears to be in focus. That area is
controlled by camera to subject distance; focal length (wide angle lens
or telephoto lens and how much of one); and f/stop (a function of the
lens). If you are using a point and shoot type camera (where you have
no control over some of the camera functions) then you will be limited
in how you control depth of field. Look at some of your pictures--the
front side of the pot is in focus and the back side is out of focus. Or
the front is out of focus--then the middle is in focus--and then the
back side is out of focus. This is depth of field.
Lastly--eliminate as many of the variables as possible and then only
mess with one variable at a time. Keep good records and compare all of
the results.
Hope this helps.
Phil Davenport
Garland, TX
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of David
Gallagher
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 12:03 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: new camera and new pots
In trying to figure out how to make my new digital camera take decent
close up pictures I ended up takeing a few shots of my newer work.
As you can tell the close up thing was only semi successfull as well as
the pots!
So heres my request... any comment, like/dislike, questions would be
greatly appreciated. Im still very new to this (year and half) so any
response to work is good thing. Hope you like em, or hate em, as long as
there is a reaction :)
Dave
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=374458047&key=IBPMap
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Sports
Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football
________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
---------------------------------
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David Gallagher on tue 21 jun 05
Hey Roly
Actually no I'm stuck here on the east coast of states, born and raised here. What Fantasy foot ball tag? you've totally got me curious now.
the responses to your questions:
how are you learning?:
I take classes at a local community college, with a great pair of teachers a i also just plain throw a lot as I have my own wheel so I throw almost every day, at least one thing.
are they your glazes?
Well, I guess thats subjective? The bases are not mine that is for sure, I ended up makeing the majority of the glazes for my class this semester so I made extra batches for myself and tweaked them a bit. Unscientificaly I might add.... more like "hey lets see what happens when..." So they are a variation, but I wouldn't say mine?
what is the purpose (of the pots and the photographs), decorative /
functional / personal amusement / art / business?
All of the above? These pots are really just me developing my throwing skills to in the future make more meaningfully/artistic things. My hopes are to teach in the future, so I suppose the true purpose is to aquire enough information to pass it on and in the process help myself?
Roly Beevor wrote:
Dave,
You'll get plenty of advice on these lines, but I'm writing it too for my
amusement and to say hello. I guess you are in UK from the fantasy football
tag? I am in Gateshead.
So firstly congratulations on getting to where you are in a year and a half,
you appear to have some things well worked out. There are several questions
you could answer that would make responses to your post, particularly with
respect to the pots, more specific: how are you learning; are they your
glazes; what is the purpose (of the pots and the photographs), decorative /
functional / personal amusement / art / business?
As to the photographs, these are the things I would consider: lighting,
background, framing, viewpoint, camera setting.
You want the subject to be visible, so you need lots of light, but you don't
want hard shadow. You don't want things in the picture which distract the
viewers attention. So you want a plain background (like a sheet of white
formica), and a strong diffuse light, preferably casting a shadow forwards
so that the subject does not appear to be floating in space.
Then you want the subject to fill the picture with the right amount of
border, you want to see the shape of the piece (unless you are taking a
picture to show a specific thing like the foot or part of the glaze). You
want the piece to be in focus and not distorted, so you want sufficient
depth of field from a small enough aperture and a narrow angle lens. So
zoom in as far as the lens allows and move back until the piece looks
comfortable in the frame.
If you look at the photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayart/ you can
see examples of how to and how not to do it. Bear in mind that the best
work is by highly regarded professionals, but probably not professional
photographers. Also that a glossy glaze is not easy to photograph, you need
to get rid of all unwanted light.
Good potting
Roly
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Gallagher"
To:
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 6:02 PM
Subject: new camera and new pots
> In trying to figure out how to make my new digital camera take decent
close up pictures I ended up takeing a few shots of my newer work.
> As you can tell the close up thing was only semi successfull as well as
the pots!
> So heres my request... any comment, like/dislike, questions would be
greatly appreciated. Im still very new to this (year and half) so any
response to work is good thing. Hope you like em, or hate em, as long as
there is a reaction :)
> Dave
> http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=374458047&key=IBPMap
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Sports
> Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
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