Shaving photography

[Mike M]

In the last couple of months I have been inspired by the likes of @Cal @JAHE and @Chan Eil Whiskers to photograph and post my shave of the day however the photo I produce and the one I wish I had produced can at times be a million miles apart.
Are any of you experts out there who are willing to share your tips and setup with a novice?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

In the last couple of months I have been inspired by the likes of @Cal @JAHE and @Chan Eil Whiskers to photograph and post my shave of the day however the photo I produce and the one I wish I had produced can at times be a million miles apart.
Are any of you experts out there who are willing to share your tips and setup with a novice?

I'm no sort of expert. My photos are done with my iPhone using the most basic setup, and then cropped using Preview which came with my MacbookPro.

In my opinion my photos used to be pretty terrible, but they improved greatly and immediately when I purchased and began using a lightbox.

Here's one of my early lightbox posts.

Here's another early lightbox post.

My lightbox is made of cheap plastic, but it's well lighted. The side tend to be concave unless the box is set up "permanently" which is what I did. This post shows my setup. Nothing fancy.

Here is some conversation about lightboxes. More conversation here.

This currently available lightbox is probably much like mine.

Aside from using a lightbox, and practicing by taking photos every day, I don't know anything about photography. Oh, one more thing: Pictures taken outdoors in nature (like at the beach) can be really nice.

I'm sure there are many members who actually know something (or a lot) about photography. All I did was decide my photos weren't up to the standard I wanted, explore the topic a bit, decide that everyone's advice on lightboxes was worth following, and presto chango, my pictures made a quantum jump.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[JAHE]

That's an interesting topic.

I don't consider myself to be an expert. That's why I'm interested to learn the approach of others who are way more skilled than I am.

As an example, I'm keen to understand the workflow processed by @ChrisVanMeer.
IMHO his shaving gear/SOTD pictures are just stunning. Every single day! Kudos!

On a daily basis I don't use any equipment but my mobile cam, the onboard software of my mobile (plain vanilla Samsung) and another app for the postprocessing, if needed.

Due to our young kids in the house and a time consuming job my DSLR collects quite some dust. Tbh, I'm already grateful when I manage to take the time to shave daily... that's why my mobile is my preferred tool of choice these days. It get's the job done without fuss. I really would like to break out my camera gear more often. Sigh.

@Mike M In order to provide you some (maybe even useful) tipps - what is your setup camera-wise? What are looking for in detail?

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

I do all the photography on our site and use natural light, for the most part. I edit the picture on my iMac. Then when it is uploaded to our site I can edit further there.

Here is the resource I used when setting up: The Definitive DIY Guide to Beautiful Product Photography - https://www.shopify.com/blog/12206313-the-ultimate-diy-guide-to-beautiful-product-photography

This young lady (as the years go on I have noticed that I am surrounded by more and more "young men" or "young women" - they didn't used to be so plentiful before but now they are all OVER the place ) does a great job summarizing:

 

[Beefdrippings]

If you’re just trying to share SOTD photos to forums or social media a late model cell phone and some good apps should get you some decent results. If you have a camera with wifi to transfer to your phone even better. A light box could amp them up as well

 

[MtView]

Due to our young kids in the house and a time consuming job my DSLR collects quite some dust. Tbh, I'm already grateful when I manage to take the time to shave daily... that's why my mobile is my preferred tool of choice these days. It get's the job done without fuss. I really would like to break out my camera gear more often. Sigh.

I feel your pain. You know how they say the best camera is the one you have with you? For me that’s more often (far more often) an iPhone than a DSLR.

 

[Beefdrippings]

Same here. I have almost as many cameras as razors and have fallen into the ease of doing everything on my phone

I feel your pain. You know how they say the best camera is the one you have with you? For me that’s more often (far more often) an iPhone than a DSLR.

 

[JAHE]

I feel your pain. You know how they say the best camera is the one you have with you? For me that’s more often (far more often) an iPhone than a DSLR.

Same here. I have almost as many cameras as razors and have fallen into the ease of doing everything on my phone

You are right. For the purpose of most people (say for keeping memories by capturing "everyday" photography) a modern cell phone camera is more than enough.There is a good reason why dslr sales are down.

Anyway, neither the OP nor we need a Zeiss Otus for shaving gear pics, lol.

As already stated above, as a starting point a mobile cam combined with mobile apps will be more than appropriate for the purpose of shaving gear photos I guess.

I'd recommend not to invest into camera gear / editing software but to invest some time into learning the basic skills (proper framing, colour composition, keeping an eye on distracting backgrounds...).

It's similar to wet shaving. Learn/master the basic technique first...

Here is another good link...

Photography for Beginners (The Ultimate Guide for 2024)

I've been writing on this site for a while now, and I've put together a lot of good content, but the trouble is that a lot of it can be hard to find, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. This post will walk you though everything that a beginner in photography should learn, and...

expertphotography.com

Mind you, this link contains way more information than needed to do a "better" SOTD photo (with a mobile cam). But I'd consider it useful though (composition, rule of thirds, eye lines and so on...)

One final remark: you do you. Just have fun!

 

[Wogus]

In the last couple of months I have been inspired by the likes of @Cal @JAHE and @Chan Eil Whiskers to photograph and post my shave of the day however the photo I produce and the one I wish I had produced can at times be a million miles apart.
Are any of you experts out there who are willing to share your tips and setup with a novice?

While I'm certainly no expert I am a photographer and can offer some gentle, and very generalized, suggestions. I'm assuming most people are going to want to use a cell phone out of sheer convenience but these suggestions apply regardless of what sort of camera you're using. Nothing wrong with using a cell phone, by the way; today's cell phones can take outstanding photos.

1. Find a decent photo-editor, one that allows you to, at a minimum, crop your photo and correct its White Balance.

2. Learn how to use your photo-editor to correct the White Balance. I won't go into detail about what exactly White Balance is but trust me on this: Correct WB is important. Wow, it's important. Chances are a decent WB Preset is all you need. These will typically be labeled "Florescent", "Daylight", "Tungsten", "LED" and so forth. You're looking for the one that makes the colors in your shot look as realistic as possible. There might also be a slider that allows you adjust the WB based on Blue/Yellow and Green/Magenta values, or is labeled "Kelvin". These are slightly more sophisticated tools for adjusting WB when a WB Preset isn't getting the job done. No harm in playing with them but explaining how to use them in detail is more than I want to go into in this post.

3. Crop your photo so the subject fills the frame while leaving a little "breathing" room at the edges, both top/bottom and left/right. This can be done by getting closer to your subject before you take the shot, or done after taking the shot using editing software. The best approach might be doing a little of both. Key point here being, if you're showing your entire bathroom in the shot, when the subject of your photo is your vintage razor, you're weakening the shot.

4. Get a shot with a "clean" background. By this I mean look at the entire shot, corner to corner and edge to edge. Is there something in the shot that doesn't need to be there? Anything in the photo not related to the subject should be looked for and removed (cropped out), or maybe re-frame the shot so it's not there to begin with.

5. Do whatever you need to do to eliminate wiggling the camera during the shot so you get a properly-focused photo. Use a tripod, set your phone on the counter-top to steady it, whatever works. Blurry photos suck and, generally speaking, it's something you can't fix without more sophisticated editing tools and even then it's doubtful.

Hope this helps!

 

[JAHE]

While I'm certainly no expert I am a photographer and can offer some gentle, and very generalized, suggestions. I'm assuming most people are going to want to use a cell phone out of sheer convenience but these suggestions apply regardless of what sort of camera you're using. Nothing wrong with using a cell phone, by the way; today's cell phones can take outstanding photos.

1. Find a decent photo-editor, one that allows you to, at a minimum, crop your photo and correct its White Balance.

2. Learn how to use your photo-editor to correct the White Balance. I won't go into detail about what exactly White Balance is but trust me on this: Correct WB is important. Wow, it's important. Chances are a decent WB Preset is all you need. These will typically be labeled "Florescent", "Daylight", "Tungsten", "LED" and so forth. You're looking for the one that makes the colors in your shot look as realistic as possible. There might also be a slider that allows you adjust the WB based on Blue/Yellow and Green/Magenta values, or is labeled "Kelvin". These are slightly more sophisticated tools for adjusting WB when a WB Preset isn't getting the job done. No harm in playing with them but explaining how to use them in detail is more than I want to go into in this post.

3. Crop your photo so the subject fills the frame while leaving a little "breathing" room at the edges, both top/bottom and left/right. This can be done by getting closer to your subject before you take the shot, or done after taking the shot using editing software. The best approach might be doing a little of both. Key point here being, if you're showing your entire bathroom in the shot, when the subject of your photo is your vintage razor, you're weakening the shot.

4. Get a shot with a "clean" background. By this I mean look at the entire shot, corner to corner and edge to edge. Is there something in the shot that doesn't need to be there? Anything in the photo not related to the subject should be looked for and removed (cropped out), or maybe re-frame the shot so it's not there to begin with.

5. Do whatever you need to do to eliminate wiggling the camera during the shot so you get a properly-focused photo. Use a tripod, set your phone on the counter-top to steady it, whatever works. Blurry photos suck and, generally speaking, it's something you can't fix without more sophisticated editing tools and even then it's doubtful.

Hope this helps!

^^ These ^^ are excellent tipps!
Well done

 

[Wogus]

^^ These ^^ are excellent tipps!
Well done

Thank you!

And please allow me to say your photography is positively outstanding. If you have an online portfolio you would like to share, I would very much like to see it.

 

[JAHE]

Thank you!

And please allow me to say your photography is positively outstanding. If you have an online portfolio you would like to share, I would very much like to see it.

Thank you, Sir!
Really appreciate your feedback.
Unfortunately, I don't have such an online portfolio.

Stay safe!

 

[ouchyfoot]

Yep. You don’t need to be a photographer. I’m retired and like taking pictures of my daily shaves. I started getting bored with the outcome of my gear being posed on an old towel and the yellow reflection of the over head light.
I purchased a photo light box from Amazon and haven’t looked back. My iPhone is all the camera I need. I also purchased a $10 flexible tripod.

 

[ackvil]

Just have fun.

Currently, I am using Photoshop Elements to edit my photos. I like to mix up backgrounds a bit so that not every photo looks the same. I tried using an iPhone but prefer a 35mm DLSR. My wife finds it amusing that so many of us record our daily shaves. However, a few days ago she suggested I take a few photos by our pool since it was a sunny day!

 

[nicked78]

Great advice here. I would like to add my compliments to @JAHE for his photos as well, since his submissions, among those of other members, made me want to try to take a few better pictures. I know literally nothing about photography, but it's fun to try!

 

[Mike M]

Thank you, Sir!
Really appreciate your feedback.
Unfortunately, I don't have such an online portfolio.

Stay safe!

Have to agree with the other posters, yours is some of the best shave photography on B&B

 

[Mike M]

Yep. You don’t need to be a photographer. I’m retired and like taking pictures of my daily shaves. I started getting bored with the outcome of my gear being posed on an old towel and the yellow reflection of the over head light.
I purchased a photo light box from Amazon and haven’t looked back. My iPhone is all the camera I need. I also purchased a $10 flexible tripod.

Sir, you have just described my setup exactly and the reason for starting this thread

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

I shoot professionally and so have a whole host of tools at my disposal. But, I don't get carried away when it comes to shooting shaving gear. I put the items on the sink in the bathroom and whip out the old cell phone and that's that.

Here is one with light from the window and the bathroom lights also on:

Fasan Double Slant

• KQY61
• Jan 13, 2014

Plastic top cap version with original handle and box.

Here is one with just the bathroom lights on:

Open Combs

• KQY61
• Jan 19, 2017

Old Type
New Improved
NEW Short Comb
NEW Long Comb
Schick Type C1 Repeater
'34 'Crat
Fasan Red...

This is documentary shooting, so one doesn't need to get all-in to shadow boxes, light diffusers and macro lenses. Unless you want to, of course. The shaving subject is a great way to learn how to so such shooting.

Stan

 

[Beefdrippings]

I will say if you’re gonna buy a light box don’t get a small one. I borrowed a 9x9 and it was too small to get all the SOTD products in comfortably.

 

[Cal]

I will say if you’re gonna buy a light box don’t get a small one. I borrowed a 9x9 and it was too small to get all the SOTD products in comfortably.

I love my 8" light box. Just sayin'.

I also love simple.