Keeping Those Pens Steady

[Fireengines]

This is a repeat of a post from a few months ago. I thought it would be a good idea to repeat it but with photos this time.

I know many of you have a hard time keeping your pens steady when photographing them. In order to prevent this, I use Museum Putty. This is available from Amazon.com: Quakehold! 88111 Museum Putty Neutral: Home Improvement.

Place a small amount on the back of the pen and it stick to just about anything and can be removed without any harm to the pen.

The pen is a Jr. Retro using a KnB Navaho blank.

 

[seamus7227]

that is a niffy idea Larry! thanks for sharing, this has been a struggle of mine for a few years

 

[Mack C.]

There is a MacTac putty that is available in stores such as Staples, Business Office Depot etc. 2 colours blue or white.

When you use it, be certain it is well hidden under the pen. My camera has caught it peeking out under the pen where I can't see it at times because I'm standing up.

 

[azamiryou]

+1 on double-checking that it isn't showing. I use blue tack, and it's made appearances in several photos that would have otherwise been "keepers".

 

[thewishman]

Or you can use Play-Doh. My youngest is 18, the containers are sure a lot more airtight than they were when I was little. This stuff has to be at least 12 years old and is still fresh.

 

[underdog]

Wow... I've been wondering how you guys do this...

I was trying to get my pen to stay steady on a piece of driftwood last night and couldn't get it to stay propped up for love nor money.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Sylvanite]

I use "museum gel", which is a similar product, but is clear. Before that, I used to use scotch tape rolled into a thin tube (adhesive on the outside). The tape often failed to hold. The gel works quite well.

One of the hardest things about taking a good picture is learning to see what's actually in the viewfinder. The mind edits out all sorts of things (trees, telephone poles, fingers) when you're shooing. Unfortunately, it doesn't when looking at the prints.

Photoshop "clone tool" is your friend for removing the unwanted bits from your photos. That topic is one I plan to cover when I get back to making more tutorials.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Fireengines]

Eric:

One nifty thing about the clear Museum Gel is if you a glob sit for a while it will expands and flattens out.

So, place a glob on a stone and let it sit. In a while in will look like a pool of clear water has run down the rock. Please it on a nice looking background, place your pen in the center and it looks like your it is laying in a pool of clear water.

The good thing is it just comes off without harming the background and can go back in the jar for to be used again.

 

[Sataro]

Nice tip... thanks for the info... Now I've got to figure out how much it will take to hold my hands steady since that seems to be a bigger issue for me.

 

[Kretzky]

Like Mac I've used the Mac-Tak type products to good effect. You only need a tinyest bit too.

 

[Mickey]

You guys are too fancy for me. I take a very small piece of Scotch tape and double it.

 

[peterab]

Hi,
I'm a Photographer so I can't afford to have putty or anything else showing under a Pen Or anything I'm photographing. With Pens this is what I do. I remove the refill. Then I cut the head off a Panel Pin and tap it into a piece of wood at an angle, usually about 45 degrees. I reassemble the pen and slide it onto the panel pin. Then I can shoot from any angle with nothing showing. If there is some of the pin showing it will look like the nib/refill. I hope this helps.
Peter