Poll - How do you photograph your collection...

[Michael Kuligowski]

examples from that tent with black background:

[Michael Kuligowski]

and white background:

[Eric Gaumann]

here is my "small" and "econo" studio for badges....its a 30" tent ....good cheap solution for badges photos

Nice! I've always wanted one of those.

[Feldwebel]

natural light with macro setting on white or black background

[R.Howard]

My photo set up is nothing impressive, but it takes some good photos...my entire set up costed me roughly $60, and I use a decent $100 digital camera...

My entire set up consists of:
2 flourescent desk lamps...I filter the lamps with a few sheets of printer paper to eliminate as much glare as possible.
Large, black cloth as a back drop
sheets of light green paper for smaller items
Camera mounted on a unipod

The unipod started life as a swivel joint for a lamp, mounted onto a metal tube, with a small clamp at the bottom.

I already had my photo set up from my 1:6th collecting

Old model against my black backdrop


Some original cards on my light green paper...does anybody know what these are?

[-Herbstnebel-]

Some original cards on my light green paper...does anybody know what these are?

It's a card game called 'Quartett', in which while playing you need to be the first to get four cards with the same theme (a quartet) to win. it resembles the UK version 'Happy Families'. Funny version with the Wehrmacht themes

[Michael Kuligowski]

here is my updated set for larger objects.

its a cheap ebay set of lights with umbrellas and a paper white background ( i also have blue background)

I use camera in RAW mode.. over-exposure 2-3 steps - depends on the object.
then I use Aperture 3.0 for post processing

[Michael Kuligowski]

some samples

[Ralph P]

Thanks for your latest update.

[Eric Gaumann]

here is my updated set for larger objects.

its a cheap ebay set of lights with umbrellas and a paper white background ( i also have blue background)

I use camera in RAW mode.. over-exposure 2-3 steps - depends on the object.
then I use Aperture 3.0 for post processing

Certainly can't argue with the results.
As an amatuer I'm afraid I don't follow the last two sentences.

[juoneen]

I think a rheostat on some of the light setups would be good...then take them slightly a shade darker, (experiment) then brighten them with photoshop, will bring out more details, and lighting is really the key...not mpls....but i believe to have photoshop as a tool , always gives a better end result than without,but be sure not to take shots at what you want at the end for brightness, as then it cant be darkened and keeping in mind the resolution must be larger than 640 x480, (but at that setting gives you less photos , but higher quality when trimming )maybe one or two setting above that, and for sure ...MUST be in focus or part will be,and the other will not. Then they can be resized down to a lower setting of resolution once brightened during editing. I have heard they sell 10 facial recognition cameras now, so everyone , for example in a group of ten for a portrait are all in focus, as the older digitals only focus to one point , no matter what MPL they are...and the rest is actually a little blurry. I'd like to try one of the newer cameras with that feature , or else use a program where parts of photos are in focus then stitched together , so the whole thing appears to all be in focus, but is actually 6 or more individual shots pieced together but appears like it is one shot.. the diffusers seen here are all good but i have found natural light doesn't work as well for me , I use halogen table lamps i can adjust while looking at the back of the cameras screen , and have a set up that holds the camera firm, so it can be moved closer or further away to focus , and i do not use the focus bar at all, but i take more macroshots than portrait as in the uniform shots, which by the way are very good, but like i said if you experiment with rheostats , and can control the dimness of the lights , then brighten them with photoshop, may be even better than what you already have ....you might want to experiment and see if it works for you.

[Michael Kuligowski]

Juonen - I think rheostat is overkill - especially that I dont use hot lights or dimmers.

silver umbrellas and 5000k fluorescent bulb is all i need and I dont fee lthe need to complicate things

Eric. if You go with regular setting on the camera and take photo of a darker object on bright reflective background - like white paper here, You will have a very dark object and properly exposed paper....
but - if You take it 1-3 (depends on the object's size and darkenss) steps of over exposure (by decrasing aperture or increasing time) then background will get overexposed (which makes it really white and hides imperfections) - but target will be brighter and properly exposed

on my camera i usually use tripod and Aperture priority mode with automatic 2 steps overexposure in lowest possible ISO to keep pictures grain free

[juoneen]

I'm sure some here will appreciate my suugestion as food for thought...as even your photos could use some improvement, good luck figuring out how to do that without dimming the lights some and then photoshopping them brighter.

[JR.]

It takes me about 30 seconds to take a photo with a $50 camera, natural lighting, no editing............

[JR.]

3/4