Getting a sharp image with low contrast: i have a wedge in a light cover, i have tried taking it on a white background, grey background with studio lights, and the above taken under a...

lydiabpinkham Loc: Arlington, Tx

i have a wedge in a light cover, i have tried taking it on a white background, grey background with studio lights, and the above taken under a sunroof with background studio lights, i have taken it as fstop: 5.6 , 9, 11
i have adjusted my iso from 200 to 400
i Do not know what else to try..
HELP

chaman

Not enough info friend. What camera, what lens, tripod or no tripod? You cant expect getting help with only that info.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

What are you trying to accomplish? It is unclear.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

I also ask what you're trying to accomplish?

If it's to show the texture of the material, you might want to take a small section of the material with a good macro or close up unit. After that in post processing, sort-of cut out a closeup section and super-impose it on the pillow with an arrow pointing to the closeup.

Another way might be to use a key light shining on the surface at an extreme angle, thus bringing out any small shadow which will give you a more detailed look. In a sense, you'd be replicating a "golden hour" look but without the sun.

There are other ways but again, what are you wanting it for?

Linary Loc: UK

lydiabpinkham wrote:

i have a wedge in a light cover, i have tried taking it on a white background, grey background with studio lights, and the above taken under a sunroof with background studio lights, i have taken it as fstop: 5.6 , 9, 11
i have adjusted my iso from 200 to 400
i Do not know what else to try..
HELP

I have done a little work on the wedge, problem is that I don't know what you are aiming for. Shall I post my "improved wedge"?

blackest Loc: Ireland

lydiabpinkham wrote:

i have a wedge in a light cover, i have tried taking it on a white background, grey background with studio lights, and the above taken under a sunroof with background studio lights, i have taken it as fstop: 5.6 , 9, 11
i have adjusted my iso from 200 to 400
i Do not know what else to try..
HELP

If it's just a question of getting AF to work on the low contrast, try a laser pen. shine it where you want the focus to be and the lens should nail it. If your camera is on a tripod you can turn off AF once focus is found (or just use back button focus). Now you should be able to take the shot. What would help is some side lighting to create some definition. Unless it's a moving target the light doesn't have to be strong as your shutter speed can be as slow as you like. Being white it will tend to be metered to underexpose maybe 2 stops of exposure compensation should make it white instead of gray. If you shoot a shot with a gray card in frame you can use that to get a custom white balance to apply to the other shots.

lydiabpinkham Loc: Arlington, Tx

it's a product shoot, i want a sharp image to use in catalogs and on our website, i do want the texture to show,
it's the most frustrating thing , and i'm blank, i've done all i can think of,

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

An old trick - attach a small flat object of high contrast exactly there where you want to focus. Next, focus on the object with your camera, and lock focus. Finally, remove the object and capture your image. Instead of an object, you could use a laser pointer and shine a dot on the surface you are trying to focus on.

lydiabpinkham Loc: Arlington, Tx

sorry
i am using a nikon D3100 on tripod, with a 50mm fixed 1/4 lens
i will try back focus, since i can't get the auto focus to focus... i've shot open and closed f stops , i am using 2 back lights, 2 front lights and one overhead, they usually work very well for me on most of my shoots.

blackest Loc: Ireland

lydiabpinkham wrote:

sorry
i am using a nikon D3100 on tripod, with a 50mm fixed 1/4 lens
i will try back focus, since i can't get the auto focus to focus... i've shot open and closed f stops , i am using 2 back lights, 2 front lights and one overhead, they usually work very well for me on most of my shoots.

have you some black thread just lay it over the area you want to focus on , see if it focuses
It needs contrast to focus and enough light. once you have focus keep it there turn off autofocus remove thread and you should be good. The only other thing that might cause problems you could be too close for the lens but that would be very near for that lens.

chaman

Back focus will not resolve any AF issues. back focsu refers on using the back button to activate the AF function.

MtnMan Loc: ID

lydiabpinkham wrote:

i have a wedge in a light cover, i have tried taking it on a white background, grey background with studio lights, and the above taken under a sunroof with background studio lights, i have taken it as fstop: 5.6 , 9, 11
i have adjusted my iso from 200 to 400
i Do not know what else to try..
HELP

F16-22

Check a DOF calculator for what you are doing. You didn't originaly say what lens mm but likely your DOF is too small for your 50 mm and camera distance.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Soft light on a soft object is a recipe for trouble. Try a key light from a low angle and fill from the other side.

docdish Loc: Saint Petersburg, FL

Too much light. Almost like using a ring flash. Create contrast with your lights. Under expose slightly if things keep getting blown out.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

lydiabpinkham wrote:

it's a product shoot, i want a sharp image to use in catalogs and on our website, i do want the texture to show,
it's the most frustrating thing , and i'm blank, i've done all i can think of,

Oh. Then you are going to need to light the background and the subject separately. Try placing the wedge on a piece clear plexi wider then the wedge so you can keep the supports out of the shot. Put whatever you use for the background far enough behind so you can light it separately (possibly from below the plexi.) Use two lights to the side a bit in front of the wedge to light the wedge. Make sure you keep this light from spilling onto the background. Adjust the two side lights to get the amount of texture you want.

Given the subject, you may need to focus manually.