Friday, June 17, 2011

Let There Be Light

I've been reading up on photography lately.  I have dived into the "photograph your own artwork" waters.I know this goes against the wisdom of sticking to your area of expertise. I would prefer to use a professional, however on the occasions when I did, the photos were not much better than the ones I take. Mine are okay, but they can be improved.
 
At first I researched cameras, thinking I needed a new camera.  After doing some research, I believe the camera is not the problem - its my lack of knowledge. So I'm reading up on f stops and shutter speed, depth of field and white balance. And, of course, lighting.  That is always a challenge, especially with some of my large pieces.

Several resources suggested using two 500 watt light bulbs.  I decided to try the compact flourescents, because they use a lower wattage to achieve the same amount of light. They are supposed to be much cooler than tungsten or halogen. After seeing the $50 price tag for one such bulb, I settled on the 400 watt equivalent for half the price. They arrived yesterday, and I have never seen such a large light bulb in my life.  Here are two photos to give you some perspective on their size. I'm almost afraid to use them - they are so big, they could be dangerous! I'm not even sure they will fit into the clip-on light fixtures I have.




 

I'm planning a photography session next week, so I'll let you know how it goes.

2 comments:

  1. OMG I've never seen one so big - that is hilarious. I, too, am constantly working with different lights to find the right one for 3-D work. For smaller, flat work - regular sunlight works best for me. Then I edit them in Photoshop primarily for contrast and to get rid of yellow tones. I also use the smaller Photoshop 5.
    For the sock monkey wine glasses, I took the pictures on a sunny day, inside, by the window. And used one clamp light with a daylight bulb.
    ;)

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  2. I like shooting outdoors, too. Unfortunately the sun doesn't always cooperate with my schedule. And when it does, the wind often does not!

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