I hope theese pics are a little better

[splinter99]

curly koa cigar (blank from the blank swap) thanks oobak!

some oak that a cabinet shop was throwing away

jatoba from airrat(left over from baby crib)

that locust stump pen that I tried to post the other day
thank you all for all your help..you guys are the best

 

[sptfr43]

wow those are all very nice! really like the top two the best. great job

 

[alamocdc]

That's a wild looking piece of Oak, Harold. I like it! I find Oak to be much overlooked by most turners. It can really have some surprising grain, but the open grain tends to make most shy away from it. Nice work. Try keeping your photos to about 640 pixels wide and that'll help. Also try Picasa from Google, or the free Windows download called Powertoys (I think).

 

[Skye]

A few tips off the top of my head:

Make sure you're using the macro setting on the camera.

You're having a problem with focusing on the background rather than the pen. To get the camera to focus more on the pen, stick a pencil or some other object right infront of the pen so the camera has something else to focus on. Then while still locked into focus, remove the object and take the picture.

While using your macro setting, set the camera up so it's aimed correctly and let the timer take the shot. Mount it on a tripod, slide something inder half the camera to tilt it, whatever. Then, set the timer for 10 seconds. Focus the camera, hit the button, let go of the camera. That'll eliminate all the hand shaking from the shot.

Dont take pictures of redish wood on a redish surface. You want a lot of contrast with the background to make the pen stand out from the surface it's sitting on.

Hope that helps.

 

[airrat]

Pictures are looking great. I agree with Skye on the background. I use a piece of felt purchased from craft store or walmart (less then $1). The Flash burn on them, if its from the camera I was told to drape a small piece of "nylon" (a female from work told me) over the flash to diffuse it.

Billy gave you the name of the free editor I was trying to think of in the email.

Pens LOOK fantastic. Keep it up.