Woodcrafter10

My name is Ken and I live in Ohio. I came to this site to hopefully resolve some problems I have with the shots I am taking. The problem is I have no clue as to how to resolve them and it is difficult to even describe the problem. I will attach one shot that may help in understanding what I am up against. I make custom and standard plaques and clocks from hardwood. I built a CNC machine to do the engraving and cutting of the items. I think my workmanship is pretty good and I am trying to sell it on several websites such as Etsy and one I am building now. The plaques are stained with a medium to a darker shade of phoenix Minwax stain and then several coats of gloss varnish are put on. The plaques are pretty reflective so I have had a problem with lighting so the glare is not too bad. Trying to use natural light if possible, but winter time is not a good time to get a lot of that.
The problem(s) that I am dealing with this time around are:

Crispness (sharpness) of the image.
The image appears to bow out toward the camera and the edges are distorted.
Lettering blurs on the left and right side
Anchor does not seem as crisp as they are on the actual plaque
Surface seems to be washed out and is not the same shades as the item being photographed.

I used one 60 watts LED bulb in a reflector pointed up toward the ceiling. I have a very light colored (pale blue) sheet hung about 8 feet from the wall where the items are hung for photographing. The sheet blocks the raw light coming in from a window which causes much glare on the items. The camera is on a tripod and there is a 2-second delay for the shutter. The camera lens is about 16" from the object. The camera is a Nikon Coolpix P100.

I have tried many settings and have not been happy with any of them. If I could get some pointers in setting up for the shot, lighting, and settings on the camera, I would be most appreciative.
Thank you,
Ken Hall

Sample of problem

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Ken,

To start with welcome to UHH. My sense is that you are not using an Fstop that allows all engraving to be sharp. You should be using at least F8.
Second you need to lights at 45 degrees to the plaque.
Third you need to block the light from with the window with black plastic.
I would also use an ISO of 600 with the camera on a tripod.
Also I noticed a taper on each edge of the plaque. That tells me your camera is not set up squarely straight on with the plaque.

Try that and it should solve 95 percent of your problems.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Right off your camera is probably the wrong tool for the job, look at even this review https://www.cnet.com/products/nikon-coolpix-p100/review/.
I used to do flat copy work professionally with a huge 8x10" View Camera. I know how to shoot "flat things", do macro, close-up, and pretty darn good with "product" photography. A super zoom bridge or p&s is the wrong tool. I personally would shoot your plaque or sign with a 35mm or 40mm or 50mm Macro Lens using a APS-C Camera; or 50mm, 60mm, 80mm Macro Lens for a Full Frame camera. Or a conservative high quality zoom lens covering about (only) those same focal lengths or similar non-macro Prime lens.

Evering things has to be lined up tangent; camera lens, plaque. Light should be at exactly 45 degrees. Camera on a tripod or copy stand. Since the surface is shiny try using a Circular Polarizing Filter over the lens. Often reflections are impossible to avoid from some object, especially when not tiny, round or curved, and it is nearly impossible to avoid on metal surfaces because that reflected light is not polarized. You don't have those later problems but careful placement of two lights, one each side, and a CPL filter may help. Do not shoot with the iris wide open. No mixed light from the window and lights. Try f/8. Try manual focus if you can, your camera if AF my be to close as well. A soft-box lights might also be best!

You might also try shooting in the shadow of a building where the light is totally flat. But that can cause you White Balance problems. Bottom line though, the lens on your camera, Coolpix P-100 will not give square or flat even or super sharp images.

Woodcrafter10

Thank you for your input. Too bad I got rid of my SLR years ago as I was not using it.

Woodcrafter10

The plaques top was about 1/8 to 3/16" from the wall, whereas the bottom was flush with the wall.
I am wondering if I took the shots further from the location and then cropped them would that help?

Woodcrafter10

I think I will take a plaque to a camera shop and discuss with them the least expensive way to get the images I need.

OutBack Loc: North Central Florida

Yea, run it thru' PS and run a ND software edit in RAW. Some of your numbers will be negative because the problem is right to left not top down.(If you can.)

Two small multi bar video lights that are positioned on each side of the subject out of view like a medical camera system and no other lights in the background to reflect you should do much better.

- Terry

Woodcrafter10

I will try that, thank you.

I also found that the plaques were not rectangular but bowed out in the middle.
My son suggested I use my smartphone, which I did, but I also found my Samsung tablet took better pictures, just now need to make an adapter to mount on the tripod.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Welcome to the forum.

Linary Loc: UK

I have not got a Nikon P100, but I do have a Fuji bridge camera with many of the same attributes. Using the Fuji, I have shot a few pictures which were hanging on a wall with dreadful lighting conditions.

The first thought reading your initial post was that you were far too close to the subject. I suspect you set the camera to Macro Mode (thus 16" subject distance). A small sensor with a relatively wide subject is definitely going to create distortion. Get back to at least 4-6 feet, align the lens parallel to the woodcarving, (the carving is not exactly perpendicular to the floor so the camera should not be levelled to the floor). Shadows, lens distortion and lighting are causing the lack of clarity and uneven colour.

I shot some of my photos in a dimly lit gallery - no flash allowed - so I used a long exposure (tripod - f5.6 and 5 secs). Alignment was my biggest problem, but the results were worth the effort.

I wish you luck but I also think the P100 can do a better job than the tablet.

Charlie157 Loc: San Diego, CA

[quote=PixelStan77]Ken,

Also I noticed a taper on each edge of the plaque. That tells me your camera is not set up squarely straight on with the plaque


Also check out the top and bottom of the plaque
It appears to bow outwards in the middle of the plaque.

Woodcrafter10

Thank you for that information. I will try at a further distance and try the settings you used as a starting point. I have been reading up on aperture, shutter speeds and ISO, all confusing, but I am slowly getting a better understanding. Your comment was very enlightening and gave me some insight.
Once a good picture is taken, from that distance, will cropping it to a suitable size mess up the clarity of the results?

EdR Loc: Gig Harbor, WA

Please do post a shot after you have worked out some of the problems. Good luck and keep shooting and carving.

Woodcrafter10

With all the input I have been able to improve on my pictures, not there yet, but so much better. Photography and cameras have always been a black science to me. I will include a file of one of the improved shots. I moved away from the plaque about 4' or so, changed to ISO 200, used F2.8 S 1/1.6 with overhead lights on (recessed incandescent 60 w) overhead and off to my left. It was too dark in the room without some light. Earlier I took some shots ISO 200 F4 S 1/1.3 which looked pretty good but were darker, I haven't attempted to paint shop them so I may be able to improve the images if I get some time.
The second one is closer to the actual item, but there is no indication of it having a sheen and it is less sharp. However, I have learned a lot thus far in these exercises especially with all of your inputs that helped me better understand this black magic.

I am not looking for perfect, just representative of what my plaques really look like.

Thank you again, all of you for your inputs any more thoughts are appreciated. Trying to learn how to make a website as well so it is a busy time.

As a side note, I have Corel PaintShop 8 for cleaning up my shots.

ISO 200 F2.8 S 1/1.6 overhead lights on


ISO 200 F4 S 1/1.3 ambient light only

Woodcrafter10

I don't know how to explain my concerns other than to say what you see in the photos in the current photos is not what you see with your eyes. Depth and detail, character and warmth, of the plaques, are missing. I realize that cameras can not match the human eye, but I have seen good photos that make an item stand out Perhaps, I need to put them where the background is more pleasing, perhaps on a stand or something that displays them rather than just showing their detail. With that being said, they are still not representative of how they really appear.
Attached are a few shots that I did several years ago for my Etsy site. My plaque designs have improved from these but I wonder if I am working in the wrong direction?
I am just trying to get some good photos for the website I am trying to build. Perhaps I need a mixture of both types of photos, to display them close up and as seen in these shots in a natural display like setting. Both of the shots here were taken about 4 feet from a window that was perpendicular to their location, all natural light no filters, no special setup because I didn't know how to use Fstops, Shutter speeds or ISO adjustments. Just whatever the auto setting produced.
The third shot here was similar conditions,(taken over a year ago) except I took it on a wall where all the earlier shots last week were taken. Again, just using auto settings.

Displayed on top of a piece of furniture


Also on top of a piece of furniture.