Cue Photography?

[RBC]

Neil,
I made my light box out of some 1/2" pvc and semi-sheer, utltra-white wedding dress fabric from the local fabric store. I use a nice 18 meg DSLR (Canon T2i) with two spot lights and overhead lighting, and it's still no slam dunk. On the very day that you posted this, I had just spent about 2 hrs trying to get some good cue pictures. I felt like a fashion photographer in France, and I still wasn't really happy with most of them.

Close-ups are easy enough - use the macro mode on your camera, and get 4" - 12" from the subject. Done.

However, I have problems getting what I want out of a full length cue shot, and lighting is the key. I was using an 18-55mm lens, and I think I'm going to go with a smaller one so that I can get closer to retain detail while still getting the whole cue in the shot.

One thing is for sure, you can take some nice pics outside on a bright but overcast day. The trick there is blocking out the direct light to reduce the reflections, and reflecting some light to reduce the shadows.

Hoppe

Get the 50mm 1.8 fixed lens canon offers. It's the nuts and is only about $100.

 

[Tony Zinzola]

I use a Canon EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro lens for the close-ups and the kit lens that came with my Canon 50D for the full length shots. The Macro photos come out much nicer, but you can't get a good full length shot with that.

I also built a light box, but I haven't used it in a long time. Sometimes I will take the cues outside and use a King Sized Sheet over a few chairs as a tent to keep the glare off. The light box just takes up way too much room.

These were taken with the Macro Lens. F3.5 and ISO100. I also use a Tripod and the timer, so I'm sure that I'm not moving the camera when it takes the photo.