doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Help needed on photographing gold inlays

The only way I can get them to turn out halfway decent is to play with the angle of the light source. Whether it be inside in my light box or outside in the shade. Best-JB

Walter,

Let me be definite on the need to master Adobe Photoshop if you want decent digital images. I got Photoshop Elements 4 with my Leica digital point and shoot (10 megapixel) camera and could not figure out how to use the software by just doing it, so I bought some books: the best is Scott Kelby, "The Photoshop Elements 4 Book," likely available from Amazon.com. But it's big and detailed and lets you know how to work in the two digital formats, JPEG and RAW (you want the ability to record images in RAW for maximum quality). A smaller book that does the job well is Nolan Hester, "Retouching Photos in Photoshop Elements 4."

Essentially the Photoshop software enables you to either "Quickfix" or do the more complicated "Standard Edit." For your question, what you want to do is both "Reduce Highlights" and "Enhance Midtone Contrast" that is doable in Quickfix in less time than it's taken to type this!

Regards, Tim

Thank you each and every one for your help. It will be a Photo Shop adventure for me.
Best to all, Walt

Here is the other side of the gun, same type image) taken with dead flat lighting. Better but still not acceptable.

Try a light "Tent" They can be bought in smaller sizes, larger sizes by be made from translucent cloth (parachute cloth works well) and used come reflector type lights. A good camera store , if they still exist, is a good source of info. I gave Ken Hurst a spare light tent, and his wife Julie is taking some excellent photos of gold inlays. You might want to give her a call. She is using a tent that will not handle an assembled SXS but that shold not be a problem. Regards John Dozier

PA has that one photo nailed....JB is correct, angle is important....I think JB's birds have the same color as PA's, do they?

The further you get from the birds...the darker the color is on the gold inlays. Seems like a product of the situation...how far away from subject, what general kind of lens and how much zoom was used? Big fan of natural light (cloudy enough to see a rain drop on the barrel?! ;( ) getting a bit further away with some zoom(not lots,?)...and try it at different angles. Tripod...small aperture helps make up for less than perfect focus and helps with depth of field....gunna drop your shutter speed down though to the point where you might not be able to get a clean shot hand-held?

I think I got this one captured pretty well.


Thought this was good..it was lit and taken on a tripod. Still has crappy depth of field! Wonderful engraving I think. Picture taken too close to subject, aperture too open?


None of those have gold, or high contrast metalwork...but I think they would have represented the contrast and color correctly?

Glare is thy enemy!

Best,
Mark

Walt,

Look at the cocking indicator...it has a "funky" look to it, like the inlay?

Pins are "bright" but not out of the ordinary?

EVERYTHING about that picture speaks perfect color balance and contrast......looks great!

Why the gold does not represent well in photos is a challenge....

Best,
Mark

Walt, While there is no gold on this gun the coin finish proved difficult for me. Remember photoshop is a great tool but you still need to start with a good pic. You have posted some great ones in the past so I know you are capable. Best-JB

I took this with a tripod, no flash and normal room lighting.