Sparkly Firewood

[Alan Morrison]

Last year a friend gave me a few branches of a sycamore, that he had taken down, to cut up for firewood.
I made this pen from a bit of it for him to give to his grand-daughter, and as sycamore is fairly bland I added some sparkly acrylic at the ends to give it a bit more interest.
I apologise for my camera work.....it only seems to focus on just one part of the pen, and I don't know how to focus on the whole pen.
And apologies also for all the fingerprints on the hardware.
Jetstream kit from Beaufort Ink.

 

[Woodchipper]

Good idea for the contrast of wood and accent rings. Check the library as there are a number of posts regarding pen photography.

 

[montmill]

If the pen is on the same plane and perpendicular to the camera I'm puzzled. Many times the depth of field isn't sufficient
for the entire pen to be in focus if the aperature is too small. If you can adjust the camera, use a tripod, increase the apperature and slow down the shutter speed to gain a greater depth of field. Nice adaptation to add some color. Beautiful pen.

 

[KenB259]

Oh I like that sycamore, I'm always on the lookout for lighter woods to use in segmenting. The pen you made is really nice.

 

[Woodchipper]

FWIW, I have salvaged blanks from a maple cutting board that my wife put in the dishwasher. Came out in two pieces.

 

[Dieseldoc]

Allen: Well done and I sure like the use of the Sycamore and some time you can get some great looking grain. We have lot of it out in my area and I will always grab a few pieces for use.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Good idea for the contrast of wood and accent rings. Check the library as there are a number of posts regarding pen photography.

My camera problem is the focussing settings. I need to find a 6 year old to help me!!

 

[Alan Morrison]

If the pen is on the same plane and perpendicular to the camera I'm puzzled. Many times the depth of field isn't sufficient
for the entire pen to be in focus if the aperature is too small. If you can adjust the camera, use a tripod, increase the apperature and slow down the shutter speed to gain a greater depth of field. Nice adaptation to add some color. Beautiful pen.

If all else fails, get the manual out and read it. I had better do that some time.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Oh I like that sycamore, I'm always on the lookout for lighter woods to use in segmenting. The pen you made is really nice.

Thanks Ken. I like the creaminess of sycamore, and other than very good holly there's nothing that I know to beat it.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Allen: Well done and I sure like the use of the Sycamore and some time you can get some great looking grain. We have lot of it out in my area and I will always grab a few pieces for use.

Thanks, Charlie. I kept the more pristine pieces of the sycamore....the rest had a bit of grain showing but a dirty dishwater colour.

 

[sorcerertd]

That acrylic does dress it up nicely. I find Sycamore to have a nice grain on a larger piece, but it's very subtle. Maybe it's a little different across the pond.
As for pictures, I've had that same problem. What works best for me is to take a picture from a bit further out and then crop it. You just have to be mindful of what else is in the picture with it as that will affect the white balancing.

 

[Alan Morrison]

That acrylic does dress it up nicely. I find Sycamore to have a nice grain on a larger piece, but it's very subtle. Maybe it's a little different across the pond.
As for pictures, I've had that same problem. What works best for me is to take a picture from a bit further out and then crop it. You just have to be mindful of what else is in the picture with it as that will affect the white balancing.

Thanks for your comments, Todd.
I have a light box that I should start using again and see if it makes any difference....and I will photograph further back and crop as you suggest.