This weekend's photography attempt

[Eric Gaumann]

I enjoy taking photographs with my digicam and editing them so they present well.
Normally I try at least one project on the weekend when I have time to snap and
review the images so I can pick particularly good ones.

Today's subject is my Type 4 Order Of The Red Banner serial number 503,108.
Probably awarded in the summer of 1956 as a long service award.
Despite that it's a nice example with much of the gold plating still present
along with some nice, dark patina.

This photoshoot involved a fire extinguisher, a piece of slate roofing tile
and a piece of paper towel with a small rectangle cut out of it.

[Eric Gaumann]

the obverse

And since reflections off the enamel are a pet pieve of mine
I go to great pains to eliminate as many as I can.
This is a poor example.

Is OK?

Dunno why the software is shrinking my images from 230kB to 110 or so.

[Eric Gaumann]

After a hour (!) I got this image. I think it's much better.
This time a tube of construction paper with the camera
(and subject) inside it were utilised.
Amazing what use cheap folks can do.

[STEBALIN]

Amazing! Sweet ORB :

[Soviet]

Very nice pictures Eric!

I know it takes a long time to "retouch" the pictures so they look nice.

[Eric Gaumann]

Very nice pictures Eric!
I know it takes a long time to "retouch" the pictures so they look nice.

No retouching involved at all birthday-boy. The only thing I did in photoshop was crop this and resize it so it would fit here.

[Ralph P]

Hello Eric - Nice medal and thanks for taking the time to post it. Question, do any forum members who collect these medals have ones that were awarded to foreigners?

[leibermuster]

Do you mean non-USSR? There are a lot of nationalities represented by the hammer and sickle.

[Soviet]

Nice pictures Eric!

I know that it sometime takes a lot of time to retouch the pictures. Great job!

leibermuster, I'm sure Ralph is speaking about none USSR resident.

[Ralph P]

Hello all - Yes I am meaning non USSR persons who would have been awarded the Red Banner medal.

Thanks Bryan...

[leibermuster]

According to Wikipedia, at least one Pole, one Croatian and One Englishman have recieved it. I asked because there were many non-soviets that fought as volunteers during the CW and GPW and these individuals would have been eligible for citizenship as well as the Red Banner Order.

[Ralph P]

Thanks for the initial data it is useful...

[Wild Card]

Hello Eric Gaumann,

Great pictures and thank you for the interesting, and creative, technical information. You have very accurately pointed out how critical lighting is to getting good pictures and the extent to which one has to go to get it right.

Could you tell us what kind of camera and lens you use along with any other relevant information?

Thanks and best wishes,

Wild Card

[Adrian Stevenson]

Fantastic shots Eric. I love the "Heath-Robinson" way you acheived them, great fun.

Cheers, Ade.

[Eric Gaumann]

Hello Eric,
Great pictures and thank you for the interesting, and creative, technical information. You have very accurately pointed out how critical lighting is to getting good pictures and the extent to which one has to go to get it right. Could you tell us what kind of camera and lens you use along with any other relevant information?

It's a cheap point and shoot Kodak EasyShare 730. 4x zoom, 5.0 megapixels. So it's nothing really special; cost about $200 a couple years back. I take all the shots here using the 'close-up' option. I keep the flash off to keep reflection down. I use a tripod and the timer function to keep things steady; that's the most (or one of the more) important part (along with the aformentioned lighting). I don't have any add-on lens, yet. I'd like to get a macro lens which would help with really detailed, close-up shots but with good focusing and lots of pixels I can get pretty decent close-ups when cropped (but NOT retouched) in Photoshop.