Photos for shaving gear, How do you do it?

[Buflow]

How do you take pictures of your Shave Kit?
I see so many fantastic pictures posted on this bulletin board of all the shave gear and many of the photos have been taken by excellent photographers who have practiced and refined technique.

I am curious if you have any suggestions or lessons learned about lighting, focus, depth of field etc.

 

[Buflow]

I have generally poor lighting in my house I don't like it when I take pictures that are grainy or poorly focused.

I have discovered that if I focus on the nearest object then the further items have generally good focus as well.
And lighting, I need more light.

Here is what I'm trying in an effort to get decent photos for posting here.
I made this rig in the garage out of bits and pieces I had laying around.

The cell phone mount is part of an old magnetic mount that was in the car. My cell phone already has a steel plate on it so this worked out pretty good.

The lights are rechargeable units that I picked up relatively cheap.

 

[CCS]

Other than a couple of what I felt were obligatory photos of my own stuff as a posting member here, I skim past all the instagramish shaving gear photos as I find them tediously boring (with no offense meant to the folks who see B&B as a shaving instagram). I'm talking specifically about the still life photos that some members post daily of what they used for that day's shave. I care more about what people have to say about their shaves than pictures and lists. I just skim through them. One revealing thing I do notice is the condition of the bathroom counter...

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I have generally poor lighting in my house I don't like it when I take pictures that are grainy or poorly focused.

I have discovered that if I focus on the nearest object then the further items have generally good focus as well.
And lighting, I need more light.

Here is what I'm trying in an effort to get decent photos for posting here.
I made this rig in the garage out of bits and pieces I had laying around.

The cell phone mount is part of an old magnetic mount that was in the car. My cell phone already has a steel plate on it so this worked out pretty good.

The lights are rechargeable units that I picked up relatively cheap.

I must say, as an amateur photographer myself, I really appreciate your ingenuity over there, with your camera setup. It might be basic, but it works, and thats whats important. So kudo's to you sir!

I personally do not own a flagship phone of any brand, and unless I do, I can never get really good pictures from a mid-grade phone. I've uploaded a few cell phone shots to B&B before, and you can really tell the difference in both the lighting of the shot, and especially the available resolution, which in turn all equal to having less detail. And this is why I don't like using my cell phone.

So instead, I use a Canon SX620HS pocket camera.

This is a 20 megapixel camera, with a 25x15 lens, and can do 25X optical zoom, which is really quite good for such a small camera. It can do MACRO photography, and has a range limit of 0.4" to 1.6' for MACRO shots. This camera is all I really need to get the pictures that I do. Could I do better with a fancy DSLR? Absolutely! But could I justify the cost of one of those camera's to take pictures of shaving gear? Absolutely not. Unless I am getting paid to take pics, I aint buying no DSLR. lol

Now, in regards to lighting, I recently upgraded my shave den, by switching out the old CF bulbs, to modern LED bulbs, which are brighter, far more efficient on power, and have a much longer lifespan, which is a serious cost savings IMO. My camera allows me to adjust the ISO and the exposure of the shot. However, if adjusting those do not produce the desired result, because I need more light, thats when I use this puppy!

This is a LED Fill light AKA key light, made by Neewer.

This light uses a lithium powered rechargeable battery, can be charged by USB micro or a USB C cable, which makes it quite versatile. You can adjust how bright the light is with one knob, and you can adjust the color temperature with the other knob, and the display provides you the information you need. It also comes with a standard 1/4-20 tripod thread mount on the bottom, so you can mount this light to a tripod, or use GOPRO standard action camera accessories, like the alligator claw mount, to attach the light to a pole, or anything else you need.

This fill light can really make a difference if you don't have enough light. Or if you are casting shadows on one side, this light can help you to remove the shadow casting, to achieve a more even lighting. Additionally, you could try using the method of bounce lighting, by bouncing light off the ceiling, as most people's ceilings are white, it will bounce the light back down on the source, hopefully without completely washing it out, like a camera flash would do.

In regards to backgrounds, I typically like to go for more darker backgrounds, and this is because I like the look of it. I used to take pictures stock photo style like a retail website would do, but I have sensitive eyes, and the bright white background just hurt my eyes, and no I just avoid it with a passion lol. For many months, I have been using a wooden desk as a background, for all my shaving gear photo shots. But I love the color blue, and I have been using navy blue towels as background drops now days.

You can actually do a lot with a cell phone, even professional photographers will admit that, like that one guy that Linus Sabastion has on his Linus Tech Tips has on his channel. But like I said, if your cell phone is not using a flagship grade camera setup, like mine doesn't, there is only so much you can do with it. I think its important to be able to adjust your ISO and exposure, as well as how your camera handles light metering. And I have to use my Canon if I want to play around with that stuff.

I don't think Cannon makes my model of camera anymore, as its technically past its prime. However, Canon will have new models that exactly like mine, and probably even better by now. Again, kudo's to your ingenuity, I am really impressed, truthfully!

 

[sarimento1]

 

[CCS]

I'm guessing you either live alone or have your own bathroom?

 

[NotBloomingAL]

How do you take pictures of your Shave Kit?
I see so many fantastic pictures posted on this bulletin board of all the shave gear and many of the photos have been taken by excellent photographers who have practiced and refined technique.

I am curious if you have any suggestions or lessons learned about lighting, focus, depth of field etc.

I've seen some of your photos and they look pretty darn good.

 

[Wogus]

I think the best advice I can give you would be to look at some online tutorials by searching on "product photography with cell phone" for example. There's a lot to cover and much will depend on how much time, effort (and possibly expense) you want to put in with regard to things like setting up your shot and/or post processing (which means "editing") the image prior to uploading it.

Here's one such tutorial that seems pretty good. A Step-by-Step Guide to High Quality Product Images Shot with Your Smartphone

 

[sarimento1]

I'm guessing you either live alone or have your own bathroom?

spare bed and bath upstairs.
live with a very understanding spouse!

 

[nelsonic21]

I usually just take SOTD pics in the bathroom. Sometimes I'll edit it with the effects function in the photo gallery on my tablet. I kind of like the nostalgia effect.

 

[rbscebu]

I shoot with a 10yo bridge camera (Fujifilm HS20EXR) that I purchased secondhand from Japan for a couple of hundred dollars. All my shots are done in manual mode. This allows me manually set everything; ISO, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance, etc.. The camera is tripod mounted and shots are done with timer.

Depth of field is not hard to determine. It depends on focal length, aperture, subject distance and the len's circle of confusion. There are many apps that will do the calculations for you.

I am still working on developing my lighting techniques and composition. A long way to go. For post processing, I use GIMP software.

 

[NotBloomingAL]

I shoot with a 10yo bridge camera (Fujifilm HS20EXR) that I purchased secondhand from Japan for a couple of hundred dollars. All my shots are done in manual mode. This allows me manually set everything; ISO, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance, etc.. The camera is tripod mounted and shots are done with timer.

Depth of field is not hard to determine. It depends on focal length, aperture, subject distance and the len's circle of confusion. There are many apps that will do the calculations for you.

I am still working on developing my lighting techniques and composition. A long way to go. For post processing, I use GIMP software.

Manual mode?! Too much for me. Aperture Priority mode for me. A little adjustment with the aperture can make all the difference. I'll let the camera work out everything else. But then my photos aren't all that great. I'm amazed at some of the photos people take ... and also their processing after.

 

[CCS]

Manual mode?! Too much for me. Aperture Priority mode for me. A little adjustment with the aperture can make all the difference. I'll let the camera work out everything else. But then my photos aren't all that great. I'm amazed at some of the photos people take ... and also their processing after.

Maybe because they're shooting in manual mode?

 

[NotBloomingAL]

Maybe because they're shooting in manual mode?

Perhaps you're right. Heh

 

[CCS]

Perhaps you're right. Heh

I don't do much photography these days but have been shooting photos longer than I've been shaving and the latter has been about 55 years. I always preferred shooting in manual mode even in recent years with my Fuji and Nikon digital cameras. But I learned on non-metered film cameras like my '67 Leica M4 and a couple other now ancient rangefinders. I didn't even get a meter until I got my first OM-1 (Olympus SLR) around 1978 (college graduation gift).

 

[linty1]

Yes people do take nice photos around here, and the setups are neat! Personally I just pick up my phone, snap a quick one, and post. And whatever magic happens in the phone happens.

 

[tjsgarden]

I am an older B&Ber. It is important to me to stay fresh and creative. Taking photos, editing and write-ups are part of what keeps my mental energy flowing.
I have always enjoyed the photos here. I think my skills have improved as a result of appreciating and figuring out how others get their results.
Focusing on composition, cropping and color corrections is similar to portrait editing.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

I have several forms of cameras and lighting. From Ye Olde Cell Phone to a high resolution medium format digital camera and macro lens which works all the way down to life size. And full frame cameras (and several macro lenses) and my wife has both an APS-C (and another macro lens) and a Bridge Camera. Lighting from a fairly large photo studio to a light box.

And then I have a microscope with polarized ringlight and matching filter. From 2x to 100x if needed. Too much for shaving shots save maybe blade edges.

But, I tend to just lay whatever shaving item I want onto the sink and use the bathroom lights and the cell phone. Lazy, is what that is!

Fasan w/ Gold Fat Tech Handle

• KQY61
• Jan 13, 2014

Showing the degree of helix in a DoubleSlant. also, it looks better with the gold Fat Tech handle.

Such as this here shot.

I think the best option is a light box with some form of actual digital camera and a macro lens and a tripod. I see many such shots posted about.

Stan

 

[brucered]

Yes people do take nice photos around here, and the setups are neat! Personally I just pick up my phone, snap a quick one, and post. And whatever magic happens in the phone happens.

If and when I want to get fancy.....I will take a specific photo (BST) outside on our wood deck as the natural lighting and background is better.

Generally, I don't take many shave photos any more.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Point and click with my iPhone, cropping and sometimes a filter. That’s as far as I go.
Coming from a family of professional photographers I’m definitely the black sheep…