Photographing smaller carvings

[Tom-H]

The other night while talking to Thomp, we were discussing taking photos of the steps of carving something. I had forgotten that Thomp spent some time during his career in the USAF as a photographer. During our talk Thomp described a Jig that could be made that would ensure the same placement of the carved object in relation to the camera. I took up the challenge and came up with this Jig. It may not original, but several things became clear when I used it. First, the flat black eliminated all shadows. Second, normal room light is enough, no added light source was used. And really important to old folks is that you don't have to worry about holding the camera steady when shooting. The camera is "bolted" to the jig through the screw hole for the tripod.

Tom H

[jmischel]

Oh, I have to make one of those! Thanks, Tom, for the idea.

[Claude]

Great idea, Tom!

For those of you who are inexperienced with photography, and usually use a "point-and-shoot" camera, you need to have a Macro setting to shoot photos closer than 18-24 inches. Most digital cameras have a Macro setting - usually identified by a flower - read your manual to make sure. If you try to shoot something at 6 inches away with normal settings, it will be too blurry to see any detail. This is because of the physical principles of optics - lens have ranges that they can be focused in. To focus properly outside that range, you need to change the lens (Macro setting).

Claude

[Ron T]

Very good idea, Tom. Thanks for sharing.

[Tom-H]

Jim, Ron, this little thingy works even better with a top on it. And Claude is exactly correct. The distance between the lens and the carving on this can vary between 6 and 8 inches. I take the photo, get it into Pascasa and edit it there. I can add contrast, light, and many other effects before I save it.

Tom H

[Old_Gord]

Neat looking unit Tom.
Could you provide some dimensions for this unit?
BTW is the camera mounted on a sliding board, I see a second board under the camera and you mention distances can vary 6"-8"?
With a cover over the top you still get enough light without using the flash?


OG

[Ed Redwine]

Tom: That is a neat setup for sure and will probably be copied by many on the forum. Claude gives some excellent advice on using the macro feature. It may be my tired old eyes but the second shot seems fuzzy to me. Is it....or is it me?

[Tom-H]

Ed, There are two things that might be fuzzy. The carving and the photo.
I think the photo may be a bit fuzzy. Well crap, maybe the carving is too.

Tom H

[Tom-H]

Gord,

The base is 12" x 6" out of 1/2" plywood.
The stage sides are 8" tall x 6 3/4" out of 1/4" plywood.

The raised part of the base that you see was added to raise the camera a bit. This raised piece is 2" wide and 6" long. It has holes drilled through it every 1". These hoes are sized to hold a bolt that can be threaded into the tapped hole in the camera bottom. The added thickness of this piece of wood also will not permit one to screw the bolt up through the camera body.

Even with the top covered, there seems to be enough light with just normal room lighting. Course I can add light to the photo in Pacasa too.

Tom H

[Claude]

Originally Posted by Tom H

...
Even with the top covered, there seems to be enough light with just normal room lighting. Course I can add light to the photo in Pacasa too.

Tom H

Most modern digital cameras have automatic shutter speed settings as well as autofocus (if you are within the correct range). Even though you don't think there is enough light in the room, as long as the camera is sitting on the stand, perfectly still, it can leave the shutter open for 2 or 3 seconds to take the photo without a fuzziness caused by movement. The cameras compensate for lighting levels by leaving the shutter open for varying amounts of time... outside, at high noon in the sunlight, the camera may only leave the shutter open for 1/1000 of a second (us technical geeks call that a milli-second...). But inside, at night, in a room lit only by a candle, the camera will still take a photo, but may need to leave the shutter open for 20 seconds.

Ok - enough for now - we can discuss f-stops next time around...

Claude