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Mar. 29th, 2002 02:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tugrikOne of the reasons I've not jumped headfirst into writing about a number of the things I really like to do is the fact that I often don't know where to start. Even the now-tired quip, "From the Beginning" doesn't quite apply, as a lot of times I haven't been able to find the origins of why I have chosen a particular hobby or task.
Some of the more important chunks in this particular lifespan are motorcycling, photography, computers, infrastructure, lucid dreams and music. Eventually I'll find the right notch in one or another of these passions to properly take a journalist swing at... in hopes of properly splitting it open for discussion. Until then I'll just whittle off little bits of bark here and there and see how it goes.
Tonight, it's Photography. In particular, trying to combine learning a new skill with helping a friend. To help illustrate this, go pop open another browser and send it off to load these pictures.
The server software these photos are on was written by one Darren New, a friend met over the Muck. I needed a way to upload the huge original files my cameras produce, and yet still have easy to use thumbnails and websize images for the casual visitor to see, along with basic sorting/filing to keep things straight. It's been a big learning process to work with a programmer from zero on up. I'm used to putting in feature requests and fine tweaks. So far, though, I really like the way this server program is running.
Back to the pictures at hand (or on browser, at least).![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
roon is an upwardly mobile jewelry and bauble maker. He's been having a blast, as you'll see if you go peek at his journal. He's been wanting better photographs of what he's making to show around. Conveniently, I've been wanting to get into tabletoop and macro photography. Keep in mind I knew nothing about this kind of photography work save for some of the basic soncepts that carry over from any normal use of the lens-and-shutter. The professional photographers I know (all two of them) don't really do tabletop work... or at least, don't have much time to talk about it. :) This left me with guessing at a few of the more important variables, and asking the bigger brain, as my friend Frang puts it.
I've already got the basic equipment from my field and portrait work... a good camera (Canon D30), a trio of wireless-controlled flashes, and a small assortment of stands and such. A quick trip to K&S, my local pro-photo store, and I was able to procure a 24-inch "photo table" for about $250. I felt it was a worthwhile investment, as I've got three freinds now asking me for regular photo work of their craft projects, and I've already used the table twice at work for pictures of our chipset. One of those pictures even ended up in a rather high-readership industry magazine, which really made my day.
For the curious, a 'photo table' is a very basic frame upon which sits a curvy piece of pure white lexan. It's shaped kind of like a chair... a short vertical lip that bends smoothly into the flat 'seat', which then again bends smoothly upwards to the vertical 'chair back'. The idea is when viewed from head-on or downwards, the camera is presented with a seamless white surface with no hard edges or creases of any kind. When lit properly, the objects upon the table will be floating in pure white space, with only a gentle shadow and tiny hint of surface reflection. Some photo-tables will even come with a clear acrylic layer a few inches atop the lexan one, to give the objects being photographed the 'floating in space' look, where they're above their shadows completely.
The point is to give the item being photographed all the attention -- instead of having the picture taken over by the background. A side benefit is that the white lexan bounces light very nicely, and helps fill in and soften any shadows that the flashes leave. Keep in mind, this is my take on things... I've not yet properly cracked a book on the subject. I will soon, once I can get back to K&S to browse their how-to book section. In any case... so far, it's worked great. The shots of Roon's baubles are the first ones I'm posting and show my learning process as it goes. As of the writing of this entry, there should be only 4 pictures.... by this weekend there should be many more.
Each shot will show notes that I've left on the images, in hopes to portray the things I'm trying so the viewer can judge for themselves if the changes work or not. There is a comment engine, and I highly encourage the reader of this entry to comment freely and often on any images I post there. Tomorrow I'll be acquiring a few different backdrop cloths (each about the size of a good table napkin) to try the different earrings, pendants, and necklaces against.
Okay, enough basic babble. What am I trying to accomplish here? Well, tonight... it's an attempt to wrassle with the CMOS sensor in my camera and a slew of color processing techniques used on Linear TIFFs in Photoshop 6 in hopes of capturing metals that actually look like metals. In particular, copper. Copper and gold metals just really make my day, when lit correctly; there's this tone to the color that one can almost taste; kind of a synaesthesia. From the luster of a small, perfectly smooth gold ingot in a jewelry store to the simple shinyness of a newly cleaned penny (try it! Just soak a few pennies in a straight mixture of vinegar and salt)... I just really like the way shiny metals feel to look at.
The first shot in the series, on the white lexan... so/so. The later shots... better. The wire hook on the close up shot of the earring? Much better. Note: the 'resized for web' images do not show color well. One must click all the way through to the full, original image; that one has all the color-balancing effort. As an example, the original of the earring picture can be found here.
More pics will go up tomorrow. Hopefully after a few more get processed I'll get off of my "ooo... metal!" kick and get down to presenting Roon's works in a way that would get them best advertised and sold. :)
--Tug
Oh, one other thing. For a 'recent image index' like so many art archives have, one can visit http://images.fbrtech.com/tora/recent.html. As I add pictures in, regardless of directory structure, they'll end up on that page for a while. Comments are always welcome, good and bad; I'm hoping the feedback-loop will help me become a better photographer.
Some of the more important chunks in this particular lifespan are motorcycling, photography, computers, infrastructure, lucid dreams and music. Eventually I'll find the right notch in one or another of these passions to properly take a journalist swing at... in hopes of properly splitting it open for discussion. Until then I'll just whittle off little bits of bark here and there and see how it goes.
Tonight, it's Photography. In particular, trying to combine learning a new skill with helping a friend. To help illustrate this, go pop open another browser and send it off to load these pictures.
The server software these photos are on was written by one Darren New, a friend met over the Muck. I needed a way to upload the huge original files my cameras produce, and yet still have easy to use thumbnails and websize images for the casual visitor to see, along with basic sorting/filing to keep things straight. It's been a big learning process to work with a programmer from zero on up. I'm used to putting in feature requests and fine tweaks. So far, though, I really like the way this server program is running.
Back to the pictures at hand (or on browser, at least).
roon is an upwardly mobile jewelry and bauble maker. He's been having a blast, as you'll see if you go peek at his journal. He's been wanting better photographs of what he's making to show around. Conveniently, I've been wanting to get into tabletoop and macro photography. Keep in mind I knew nothing about this kind of photography work save for some of the basic soncepts that carry over from any normal use of the lens-and-shutter. The professional photographers I know (all two of them) don't really do tabletop work... or at least, don't have much time to talk about it. :) This left me with guessing at a few of the more important variables, and asking the bigger brain, as my friend Frang puts it. I've already got the basic equipment from my field and portrait work... a good camera (Canon D30), a trio of wireless-controlled flashes, and a small assortment of stands and such. A quick trip to K&S, my local pro-photo store, and I was able to procure a 24-inch "photo table" for about $250. I felt it was a worthwhile investment, as I've got three freinds now asking me for regular photo work of their craft projects, and I've already used the table twice at work for pictures of our chipset. One of those pictures even ended up in a rather high-readership industry magazine, which really made my day.
For the curious, a 'photo table' is a very basic frame upon which sits a curvy piece of pure white lexan. It's shaped kind of like a chair... a short vertical lip that bends smoothly into the flat 'seat', which then again bends smoothly upwards to the vertical 'chair back'. The idea is when viewed from head-on or downwards, the camera is presented with a seamless white surface with no hard edges or creases of any kind. When lit properly, the objects upon the table will be floating in pure white space, with only a gentle shadow and tiny hint of surface reflection. Some photo-tables will even come with a clear acrylic layer a few inches atop the lexan one, to give the objects being photographed the 'floating in space' look, where they're above their shadows completely.
The point is to give the item being photographed all the attention -- instead of having the picture taken over by the background. A side benefit is that the white lexan bounces light very nicely, and helps fill in and soften any shadows that the flashes leave. Keep in mind, this is my take on things... I've not yet properly cracked a book on the subject. I will soon, once I can get back to K&S to browse their how-to book section. In any case... so far, it's worked great. The shots of Roon's baubles are the first ones I'm posting and show my learning process as it goes. As of the writing of this entry, there should be only 4 pictures.... by this weekend there should be many more.
Each shot will show notes that I've left on the images, in hopes to portray the things I'm trying so the viewer can judge for themselves if the changes work or not. There is a comment engine, and I highly encourage the reader of this entry to comment freely and often on any images I post there. Tomorrow I'll be acquiring a few different backdrop cloths (each about the size of a good table napkin) to try the different earrings, pendants, and necklaces against.
Okay, enough basic babble. What am I trying to accomplish here? Well, tonight... it's an attempt to wrassle with the CMOS sensor in my camera and a slew of color processing techniques used on Linear TIFFs in Photoshop 6 in hopes of capturing metals that actually look like metals. In particular, copper. Copper and gold metals just really make my day, when lit correctly; there's this tone to the color that one can almost taste; kind of a synaesthesia. From the luster of a small, perfectly smooth gold ingot in a jewelry store to the simple shinyness of a newly cleaned penny (try it! Just soak a few pennies in a straight mixture of vinegar and salt)... I just really like the way shiny metals feel to look at.
The first shot in the series, on the white lexan... so/so. The later shots... better. The wire hook on the close up shot of the earring? Much better. Note: the 'resized for web' images do not show color well. One must click all the way through to the full, original image; that one has all the color-balancing effort. As an example, the original of the earring picture can be found here.
More pics will go up tomorrow. Hopefully after a few more get processed I'll get off of my "ooo... metal!" kick and get down to presenting Roon's works in a way that would get them best advertised and sold. :)
--Tug
Oh, one other thing. For a 'recent image index' like so many art archives have, one can visit http://images.fbrtech.com/tora/recent.html. As I add pictures in, regardless of directory structure, they'll end up on that page for a while. Comments are always welcome, good and bad; I'm hoping the feedback-loop will help me become a better photographer.
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Date: 2002-04-05 11:35 am (UTC)I do get back here eventually, and I'm always pleased with what I find, even if I don't always leave a note (right away).
I didn't know Roon did jewelry. Makes me wonder whether we should get him and Kitty together on a geek session. Good pictures, too. Very sleek, without looking too artsy.