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Way Off-Topic I know, but....
I had a couple of personal messages asking how I took pictures like this, one person suggested I do a public post, so here is what I did....
Okay, the first myth to blow out of the water is that the quality of the above photo is in any way related to the camera used, for anyone interested a Canon EOS-1D mark 4 and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4
I would get pretty much identical results if I had used my wife's Canon 400D and plastic kit lens.
I used a £5000 camera as that is the tool I have
Right then, that out of the way, let's move on how to create such a photo with "normal" gear.
The main thing to understand about a good photo are a clean background and "good" light
Light is FAR FAR more important that the size of ones lens!
So, the main "tricks" were
• a HUGE sheet of white paper and
• an off the camera flash
The white paper was from a large format continuous roll printer. I bought the paper from a print company for a few pounds
The sheet of paper has to be WIDE enough such that it will entirely cover the field of view of the camera. i.e. one cannot see the edge when looking throug the camera.
The sheet of paper has to be LONG enough such that it will start above the object, curve behind and beneath the subject and flow toward the floor. The paper flow should be smooth and curvy, a bit like a good woman.
I used two off camera flashes
(one flash would work at a push, but this single flash should be on the camera axis)
They say a picture paints a 1000 words, so here is a diagram.
The main requirement is to ensure that when the light hits the server it is diffuse, .i.e. doesn't come from any given direction. If the light is diffuse the light will be soft and there will be no shadows
Imagine taking a portrait on a cloudy day VS a clear day. The cloud diffuses the sun (light) thereby reducing shadows. Same idea.
The camera was tripod mounted, the camera axis was parallel to the floor.
The camera was set to manual exposure, at the flash sync
Exposure was adjusted via the aperture
Flashes were set to manual full power
Photos were taken in my front room, no fancy studio
What to do it one has a simple camera???
Buy HUGE sheet of paper
The server was on a box with the paper above the box
If one has no flash, a normal room light might work, or a couple of desk lamps pointing away from the subject
Use manual exposure
Use a small aperture, small aperture (high f number) = large depth of field. Somewhere around f8
Set the shutter speed to get the correct exposure
Depending on the light level the shutter speed might be long
If one does not have a tripod use books and a bag of rice as a bean bag
Use the self timer on the camera
Check exposure and composition, re-shoot as required
Try to avoid a room with strong coloured walls, the walls create a colour cast on the photo. a colour cast is removal, but why make more work!
Use a program such as adobe bridge to select the white point from the white sheet of paper
If you have any other Qs feel free to ask
I had a couple of personal messages asking how I took pictures like this, one person suggested I do a public post, so here is what I did....
Okay, the first myth to blow out of the water is that the quality of the above photo is in any way related to the camera used, for anyone interested a Canon EOS-1D mark 4 and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4
I would get pretty much identical results if I had used my wife's Canon 400D and plastic kit lens.
I used a £5000 camera as that is the tool I have
Right then, that out of the way, let's move on how to create such a photo with "normal" gear.
The main thing to understand about a good photo are a clean background and "good" light
Light is FAR FAR more important that the size of ones lens!
So, the main "tricks" were
• a HUGE sheet of white paper and
• an off the camera flash
The white paper was from a large format continuous roll printer. I bought the paper from a print company for a few pounds
The sheet of paper has to be WIDE enough such that it will entirely cover the field of view of the camera. i.e. one cannot see the edge when looking throug the camera.
The sheet of paper has to be LONG enough such that it will start above the object, curve behind and beneath the subject and flow toward the floor. The paper flow should be smooth and curvy, a bit like a good woman.
I used two off camera flashes
(one flash would work at a push, but this single flash should be on the camera axis)
They say a picture paints a 1000 words, so here is a diagram.
The main requirement is to ensure that when the light hits the server it is diffuse, .i.e. doesn't come from any given direction. If the light is diffuse the light will be soft and there will be no shadows
Imagine taking a portrait on a cloudy day VS a clear day. The cloud diffuses the sun (light) thereby reducing shadows. Same idea.
The camera was tripod mounted, the camera axis was parallel to the floor.
The camera was set to manual exposure, at the flash sync
Exposure was adjusted via the aperture
Flashes were set to manual full power
Photos were taken in my front room, no fancy studio
What to do it one has a simple camera???
Buy HUGE sheet of paper
The server was on a box with the paper above the box
If one has no flash, a normal room light might work, or a couple of desk lamps pointing away from the subject
Use manual exposure
Use a small aperture, small aperture (high f number) = large depth of field. Somewhere around f8
Set the shutter speed to get the correct exposure
Depending on the light level the shutter speed might be long
If one does not have a tripod use books and a bag of rice as a bean bag
Use the self timer on the camera
Check exposure and composition, re-shoot as required
Try to avoid a room with strong coloured walls, the walls create a colour cast on the photo. a colour cast is removal, but why make more work!
Use a program such as adobe bridge to select the white point from the white sheet of paper
If you have any other Qs feel free to ask
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