Those are nice pics. We have similar cameras. I have a Canon Power Shot A80 4.0 mega pixel. I also have a Canon A10 1.3 mega pixel that takes nice pics as well.Vinman said:I have experimented with different lighting, both indoors and out, and had some success. In both cases I hold the cue by hand to eliminate background at the same focus.
I found that pictures taken outside on a clear bright day, either early morning or late afternoon so that I can position the sun behind the camera, record the most detail. For these pictures I used a 3.2 mega pixel Canon Power Shot set to macro mode, and shorten the exposure time to help eliminate blur. I also tilted the cue in order to eliminate, as much as possible, glare from the finish. The attached images are compressed, but the originals show an impressive amount of detail.
Hal said:Those are nice pics. We have similar cameras. I have a Canon Power Shot A80 4.0 mega pixel. I also have a Canon A10 1.3 mega pixel that takes nice pics as well.
Vinman said:I have experimented with different lighting, both indoors and out, and had some success. In both cases I hold the cue by hand to eliminate background at the same focus.
I found that pictures taken outside on a clear bright day, either early morning or late afternoon so that I can position the sun behind the camera, record the most detail. For these pictures I used a 3.2 mega pixel Canon Power Shot set to macro mode, and shorten the exposure time to help eliminate blur. I also tilted the cue in order to eliminate, as much as possible, glare from the finish. The attached images are compressed, but the originals show an impressive amount of detail.
Freeman said:The best photos I've seen here so far! Judging by the background, you probably cut out the original and layered in a new background using a photo editing program.
Vinman said:Thanks Freeman! Actually, there is really no trick to the photos. The background you see was the actual background; the sky for the outdoor shot and my ceiling for the indoor. The trick is to hold the cue in the air so that the background will be out of focus and diffused. I attached another outdoor photo where you can see a treetop in the bottom corner. Try it yourself on a nice clear day!
Freeman said:Vinman - Hahahaha great technique! Appreciate your sharing it. Do you hold the cue by hand or do you have a clamp or stand for it.
Iconcue - Excellent work! The layering is seamless and the cut is clean!
Hal said:bruin70 is the king of cue pictures. Talk to him. He's a master. Here is a sample of his work. (Joint Protector)
Vinman said:I have experimented with different lighting, both indoors and out, and had some success. In both cases I hold the cue by hand to eliminate background at the same focus.
I found that pictures taken outside on a clear bright day, either early morning or late afternoon so that I can position the sun behind the camera, record the most detail. For these pictures I used a 3.2 mega pixel Canon Power Shot set to macro mode, and shorten the exposure time to help eliminate blur. I also tilted the cue in order to eliminate, as much as possible, glare from the finish. The attached images are compressed, but the originals show an impressive amount of detail.
bruin70 said:vinman...the glare you're getting is because the cue is still reflecting ambient light behind you. you need something dark behind you. even though you tilted the cue away from you, the reflection still exists at its very end. essentially, you cannot get away from it.
i think this is the best setup,,,and doesn't require you angling the cue. what you want to do is stay away from reflections of any kind. the "bad zone" is the area you will get source light reflection, no matter how extreme to the side the lights are, if the camera is placed within that zone.
the dark backdrop eliminates ambient light which is everywhere. since my studio walls are light, my backdrop is kind of more like a hood of black cloth that i hover over the cue to eliminate as much ambient light as possible.
of course, if you shoot small portions of the cue, it all becomes much more manageable.
Vinman said:Thanks for the tip Bruin. I will have to try that the next clear day we have in New York. It might be a while before that happens!
iconcue said:bout time you weighed in!
you're not supposed to tell about my megabeast!