Goals for 2014

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Weird Wood Pusher
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These are a few goals of mine for 2014.

Better photos.
I was experimenting today with new lighting and I think they are getting a little better.
1_zpsba97134e.jpg


Lots more unusual woods.

More good kitchen knives.

Make a rack and sayas for all my knives.
 
How about a white backdrop for your photos and softer, preferably natural, light?
 
The white background works with some woods.
1_zpsc025efdb.jpg


It is looking like I will need different backgrounds for different woods.
My goal is photos that will come as close as possible to show true coloring of the wood and not wash out the figure.
I should probably learn to use my camera correctly.
I have a Canon SX30IS. Not a great camera but I should be able to get better photos than I have in the past.
 
Photography is all about light, so while better camera would potentially allow taking better pictures, a simple lightbox would also help. Consider this for example http://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Inexpensive-Photography-Lightbox

Achieving true coloring (I mean TRUE coloring) isn't easy. It actually would require a pretty special setup with calibrated light/camera/monitor. That would be necessary for magazines or other printed materials, but for the internet, where most of us are using uncalibrated monitors/phones to browse photos true coloring isn't the thing to pursue.

I like your photos. Maybe lightbox could make them better. Maybe not :)
 
When shooting objects with semi-gloss or glossy surfaces, the reflected surface becomes very important. If you put the pieces against a white wall and photograph at an oblique angle, you're really photographing the reflection of the wall on the surface of the wood. Depending on the material, sometimes a white surface works better for drawing out details, and sometimes a black or grey suface works better.

Don't worry too much about the camera. Softboxes work sometimes when controlling shadows and point reflections, but any good light source and an appropriate reflecting surface are usually all you need.
 
Thank You for the input Anton and Robert.
I have tried a light box and that worked well for straight grained, non figured woods.
With most of the figured woods that have a lot of chatoyance the multidirectional light can wash out the figure.
As an example a piece of curly koa can show very bold figure when the light hits from one direction. Then from a different angle it can show much more subdued.
So for me it is kind of a balancing act to show the grain clearly, the colors as close to true as possible and still show the figure.
Yesterday I tried using the camera closer on macro and a burlap background. Looked a little better.
For lights I am using those 100w daylight curled flourescent bulbs in a aluminum bowl type reflector.

A problem I am having is the photos looking too orange or too blue.
 
Mark, do you do any post processing for your photos? Changing white balance should allow you to tweak blue/red coloring.
 
I have tried the different white balance settings on the camera and seem to get the best results using the setting that automatically adjusts the white balance.
I don't have real photo processing software, just the free version of IrfanView.
I do adjust the contrast to try to match the piece in hand with the image on my computer.
 
That looks Honorable Mark send All the wood in the first Photo to me so you don't have to suffer the embarrassment looking at them any more . <Grins>

Well Done Brother Mark !

Sam
 
Lots more unusual woods.

More good kitchen knives.

Make a rack and sayas for all my knives.

Extra discounts for Mike


I made a revision to your goals Mark. Thanks for everything you have done for me, the excellent service, and products.
 
I knew I could count on you to help Sam.
But...one of the others in this thread grabbed about half of them.

Mike,
You get the double secret invisible discount for 2014.
 
Your goal for 2014 should be to shave that ferret off your face.
 
Since you were here I have gone from a goatee to a full beard now.
I was thinking the more hidden the better.
Looking more and more like my avatar as time goes by.
 
A little more practice with the camera today.
This is closer lights and no flash. The colors look accurate but the figure is diminished a bit.



I am about ready to give up on the idea of group photos though.
 
What is your reflecting surface? That is, if you were to lay a mirror atop the blocks, what would be in the reflection of the mirror when looking through the camera?
 
Have you built a photo Box yet Mark ?

Sam
 
I did a quick and dirty light box but it seemed to wash out the figure in Koa and darker woods.
Looks like a directional light source is going to work out best for the figured stuff.
I am still doing a bit of experimenting with the camera, backgrounds and light sources.
Things are looking a little better but nothing dramatic.
 
I wouldn't use the onboard flash. It'll wash out everything. If you don't have a tripod you should get one. With a tripod you can have almost no light and still take pictures. I usually use aperture mode and have the camera pick out the rest of the settings. If you have a macro mode on your camera, you should probably use it and have your aperture set to 8. This is when you need a tripod since the shutter speed would be too slow for you to hand hold and then everything would be blurry. You can also get a white balance card to setup your white balance more easily with your light source. You don't need a light box but you should try to diffuse your light source so that it wouldn't look harsh/washed out. Moving your light source or having multiple light sources can bring out the figures you're looking for.
 
Thanks Talim.
I will try diffusing my lights and get a white balance card.
I'll also try the aperature at 8.
In the past my flash makes some things look too yellow.
I do use a tripod and will try the macro mode.
I am sure the camera will do what I want, now I just have to figure out how to make the operator function correctly.
 
Either one would work but something like the ones on the bottom is what I would get.
 
Thank You Talim.
I will order the bottom one and then later post what I am able to accomplish.
 
I did a quick and dirty light box but it seemed to wash out the figure in Koa and darker woods.
Looks like a directional light source is going to work out best for the figured stuff.
I am still doing a bit of experimenting with the camera, backgrounds and light sources.
Things are looking a little better but nothing dramatic.
The reason the light box washed out the figure is likely the same thing I've been mentioning: reflection. If you're in a typical light tent, the wood will be reflecting a white surface, which you might not want. Replacing the back wall or ceiling of the tent with black can help. Oblique/direct light sources can make a difference (consider the height especially), but light diffusion is not the most important thing, and softening may not always be ideal for wood grain or figure.

A white balance reference can be useful but it likely will not work perfectly in group photos where there's a lot of reflected colored light bouncing around from the wood, and the pictures will balance on the cold side.
 
I'm on my way to work so I can't set up anything proper, but a quick demo of what a different reflector does. I did not wet or oil the wood before the pic, and it's not in the highest polish so it's not a super-super busy piece of wood, but hopefully the example still makes sense.
C4nSf9C.jpg


Top one was taken with a white piece of paper in the background, and the bottom with a near-black piece of paper in the background. You can see the effect plays out obviously on the steel which is more shiny, but the wood is pretty matte so, although noticeable, the effect isn't quite as dramatic as it'd be when wet.

I was just using onboard flash on my camera, but a separate point light source at a lower angle can change the effect as well. Good luck.
 
Thank You for the info and examples XooMG.
Am understanding correctly the knife is sitting on a flat surface like a table up against a wall.
The 1st is like a white wall bouncing the light back and the 2nd like a black wall?
 
Thank You for the info and examples XooMG.
Am understanding correctly the knife is sitting on a flat surface like a table up against a wall.
The 1st is like a white wall bouncing the light back and the 2nd like a black wall?
Yep, though the "table" was a chair seat and the "wall" was a piece of paper against the chair back.
 
Thanks. Just wanted to make sure what I was imagining was what you meant.
 
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