rybass Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I'm no professional but I like to tell everyone how to do stuff so here goes. Guitar photos and you: a how to by your freindly neighborhood knowitall. -Get a good digital camera with adjustable apature and shutter speed control. Preferably if your adjusting one you want the other to be automatic unless you know your way around a camera in which case reading this would be moot. Try to get a camera with a timer or remote also so that you are not touching it at the exact moment it snaps the pic. -Set your guitar up with camera angled slightly off of perpendicular of your guitar face (to avoid glare) WITH a tripod or brace of some sort so you don't have to touch it. Have the guitar on a relatively flat plain parallel with your lens vertically for overall focus of image. If you want a good perspective shot angle the headstock back and focus on whatever point you want to be the detail; i.e. pickups, bridge, fretboard. -Background should be neutral and no pattern. Preferrably a matt surface or minute texture like velvet or canvas. Light guitars use a dark color backgound/ dark guitars use a light color background. Stay away from pure white or distinct colors. Good choices are black, charcoal, cream, egg shell, neutral browns and grey greens. You can get fake velvet at walmart for like $6 for 2 yards -Have at least two light sources at around 50 +/- degrees angle of your camera and one about 15% further away than the other. If you are using a home lamp diffuse the light with thin tissue paper ( not directly on the light or you will soon have natural flame light to shoot by) -Set the shutter speed to around 1/60 down to 1/4. hopefully your apature will automatically set itself when it reads the light if not you will need to adjust it to get the best exposure. -Set your timer, look through the view finder or look at the screen and press down slightly on the button to find your focal point. Adjust the angle of your tripod will your focal point is center left to right of the photo. Depress button and step back or step back and press the remote button. Do not move or touch the camera until it is done with it's exposure or it will blur. The long exposure time will leave the apature open longer so you should hear two distinct clicks or just give it a second if your camera is fully digital and doen't click. -Check the photo and adjust the time at least one step up and down to get a couple different exposures to chose from. Try different angles and focal points. Try playing with the apature and shutter speed to see the different effects and details that can shine through. Also try close ups (keep the camera back at least 12 inches for the best focus and be wary of shadows. These are guides and many of you have great photos that don't follow any of this but I think the key for the best detail and color is the longer exposure time. So try different things. Outside shooting is a whole other topic that I know little about. Look online also. Many photo mag site have great tips for shooting objects. Photoshop or the like is your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson CS Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 or just get a guitar as nice as tims R9, or silverbursted R7 thoose are easy to photograph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 rybass, any examples? How can you start a thread like this and not include any pics?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 rybass... Great tips! I usually leave things on auto, but im going to play with the settings. Tims avatar was a great angle shot for his R9. Im going to try a few of those as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybass Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 I'm at work= no examples. Not like I'm doing anything productive anyway. I'll get some up tonight or tomorrow. I'm setting up a studio in my garage so these may not be up to par until then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybass Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Actually here is one of my bass from a couple years ago. It's a bit further than suggested for optimal quality but it turned out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Is that a Geddy Lee Fender? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeladdie Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 One thing I would add is to take the pictures outdoors in natural light (open shade) if possible. And the word is spelled "aperture" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlekenny Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 or you could just play it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybass Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Is that a Geddy Lee Fender? Yea' date=' my number 1. One thing I would add is to take the pictures outdoors in natural light (open shade) if possible. And the word is spelled "aperture" Yes, as I said not really the one to ask about outdoor shots. I am no friend of outdoor still life. Thanks for the english correction. 9 years of design school do little for your spelling ability or much else for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky330 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I'm just spontaneous (well, fairly spontaneous!). I took this with my Nokia N95 8Gb mobile 'phone: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2690584220_30887831f8_o.jpg I know this seems like heresy, but have you notice the Fender Super Bullet strings I've used? What can I tell you? I'm looking for the strings that best suit my playing and my Peavey Classic 50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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