First Closed End Pen!!!

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Jmhoff10500

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
869
Location
Provo, Utah
This is my first Closed end pen and i feel it is the best pen i have turned yet! It is Vasticola Burl (My New Favorite Wood) and i am hooked! Thank you to those who have posted tutorials on how to do this, this is now my personal carry pen...

I am not feeling great about the pictures... Can you guys please drill me on the photography (dont bash the pen too hard:biggrin:) so i can improve it?

IMG_1671.jpg

IMG_1688.jpg
 
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MikeG

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Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Messages
179
Location
Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
To get both ends of the pen in focus, check out this link: Pen Photography The section on depth of field and using the Av setting on your camera to get a f/11 or f/16 aperture should help. I may not be the best to advise on this as I am just learning myself. Perhaps more experienced photographers will chime in.
Good luck,
Mike
 

IPD_Mrs

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Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
2,048
Location
Zionsville, Indiana
Mike has given you very good advice. Depth of field is on or about page 4 and is exactly what you need to be dealing with in order to take care of that situation. Also photo looks better on white - you aren't picking up the little dust/lint particles that you were in the first one. That is a nice piece of wood that you worked with!
 

ctubbs

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Joined
Sep 12, 2010
Messages
3,588
Location
Murray, Kentucky
First off, beautiful wood and finish. The componants used work very well with the wood. congratulations on a fine pen.
Now for the bashing to begin. As stated above depth of field will help solve your focus problem. forget the on-camera flash. I creates harsh shadows and hot spots. The shadows make the pen look like it was pasted on the background. Ideally, a main, a fill and a high light will move the shadows behind and under the subject. Those that do show will be subdued. White backgrounds are one of the hardest to get a good exposure on. Without a gray card to set the exposure with, white turns gray. to hide the inevitable trash on the background, a mottoled (sp) gray or other neutral color will give you a better reading for exposure. For some ideas on backgrounds, pay a visit to your local photo studio and see what they are using for the portraits. You are wanting to show the pen, who cares what color or design the background is if it does not take over the photo. In other words, the background is necessary but I should never see it, just the subject. My $0.02.
Charles
 

bitshird

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2007
Messages
10,236
Location
Adamsville, TN, USA.
I like this pen better than your fusion closed end, nice shape, beautiful wood , you're doing a great job!! As far as the pics, the tighter the aperture the more depth of field, Good luck on white balance, I calibrated my monitor but when I look at a shot that I've moved to the IAP or just about any place the white looks purpley blue gray color, My camera is far from SOA it's an old Nikon 8700 but still a usesble camera.
 

terryf

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Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
1,276
Location
Pretoria, South Africa
Lovely pen :)

F8 is usually the sweet spot for most lenses. Rule of thumb for depth of field is quite simple. The closer you are to the subject/object and the shorter your focal length (17mm gives less depth of field than 100mm) the less depth of field you will have.

Try 50mm at F8 making sure you have enough light to give you a shutter speed of at least 100. Up the ISO to 400 if you dont have enough light.

Shooting on white back ground will con the camera into thinking you have enough light and the pen will come out dark so you will need to over expose to get the pen to expose correctly. (experiment is the key word - digital is, in a sense, for free)

Good luck!
 
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