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eBay Pictures (help related)

Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
I have tried a million different ways to get the good pics for my auctions. but nothing seems to work. If I use a flash, I get a huge reflection that obscures the actual object. If I don't, I get a murky, overexposed blur of a picture.I'm no photographer; I'm working with an entry-level digital camera.I've tried all kinds of angles: flat on the desk, standing up against some books, in the expedit cube, on the chair, angled against the chair's back... bright light in back, bright light in front, no light at all... nothing.Can any one of you photographically inclined dudes help a bruh out? Especially those of you who take real snazzy eBay picskthxbai

  Comments

  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    It might be the camera, usually taking the pic without a flash in a bright surrounding works for me.
  • billbradleybillbradley You want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,914 Posts
    I take my pictures during the day using sunlight around mid-day. Then no flash is needed and you have as much light as possible on the record. Flashes tend to wash the colors out so I avoid that when I can.
  • ariel_calmerariel_calmer 3,762 Posts
    I take my pictures during the day using sunlight around mid-day. Then no flash is needed and you have as much light as possible on the record. Flashes tend to wash the colors out so I avoid that when I can.

    Yup, good lighting is the key.
  • iconicon 86 Posts
    I've also found that if you take pics indoors that it is best to find a good medium distance and zoom in. That usually takes the flash out for me, as long as you can keep good detail.

    My problem is my shitty Canon scanner. It scans any labels that are black/white and makes them a terrible yellow and I have to remove the color in Photoshop for it to work.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    I use a flash and a photographer buddy of mine told me to shoot at a slight left or right angle to avoid glare, it wont be perfectly square for cropping purposes, but it works for me:
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    paging kala
  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    have you tried taking it from a distance and using the zoom? i had the same problems with my point and shoot, but discovered that if i zoomed in on the record at an angle the flash didn't affect the shot.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah, I've tried everything. I actually am getting good shots now through a good combination of backlighting and playing with the settings on the camera, but I'm gonna have to change everything for the labels now!
  • iconicon 86 Posts
    Your pics look aight to me:
    http://www.soulstrut.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1040115&an=0&page=1#Post1040115
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah I didn't like those so much. Overexposed.
  • billbradleybillbradley You want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,914 Posts
    If you are going to take them in lower light without a flash, use a tripod so that that camera isn't moving around as much. Some cameras have a delayed shutter setting also that you can use also. That way the camera isn't moving on the tripod when you push the button.
  • selperfugeselperfuge 1,165 Posts
    you need to angle the flash or have real strong ambient light. i mean like sunlight strong. Both Academies and Gimme Gimme have little workstations in the back like mini-studios with lights clamped and blackscreen.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    lol - I don't have much room for a ministudio.

    The angle/flash thing is OK, but on laminated covers and jackets still in the shrink it doesn't help much.

    Anyway, thanks everyone for the input.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    I use a flash and a photographer buddy of mine told me to shoot at a slight left or right angle to avoid glare, it wont be perfectly square for cropping purposes, but it works for me:

    This is how I always did it too. Worked well.
  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts
    I use a tripod, music stand, and three 60 watt lamps/bulbs (left, right, overhead); 1-2 sec. exposure (no flash).
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    lol - I don't have much room for a ministudio.

    The angle/flash thing is OK, but on laminated covers and jackets still in the shrink it doesn't help much.

    Anyway, thanks everyone for the input.

    the k doe is in shrink and a sleeve...
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah I see that, however what prompted this thread was an Arnett Cobb in the shrink that no matter what angle, distance, lighting, etc was still almost uncapturable. Those and laminated sleeves are for me the most problematic.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    if you absolutely have to use the flash, tape a piece of white paper or cut out part of one of those opaque white plastic cups that you get water from the bar in, and tape it over your flash, instant diffuser, makes it soft light.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    Yeah I see that, however what prompted this thread was an Arnett Cobb in the shrink that no matter what angle, distance, lighting, etc was still almost uncapturable. Those and laminated sleeves are for me the most problematic.

    yeah, those laminated covers can be a bitch, but there is a sweet spot angle wise...as you know, it might take a dozen or so takes, but the sweet spot will make itself known..
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    It's already been hashed over, but I gotta co-sign on
    the shooting-at-an-angle (with flash) thing, and add that
    if you are having problems getting the proper angle, often
    shooting from a low angle from the bottom up will get a
    good lens-flare free shot ... also, the idea of using the
    zoom will reduce glare but you also lose a signifigant
    amount of resolution doing that, and the image will most
    likely be grainy.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah here's the thing - I want to get as close to straight-ahead pics as possible. My dilemma stems from wanting to shoot without a flash, without an angle.

    I think I've got it worked out.
  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    I haven't read everyone else's post but here's what i do. Since, like you, I don't wanna use the flash for the reason you stated, I stand my records up against something and stand the digital camera on a pile of books or something to keep it steady and just take the picture like that. It is hard to avoid having ANY angle in the photo though, but mostly a bit of image cropping makes it less noticeable.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Yeah here's the thing - I want to get as close to straight-ahead pics as possible. My dilemma stems from wanting to shoot without a flash, without an angle.

    I think I've got it worked out.

    JP: As others have suggested, the first thing you need is a tripod and you don't want a flash. The problem with a lot of digital cameras is that they aren't made for low light situations, hence the blur. You can still get around this by finding some place in the shop or wherever where there's not a big honking lightbulb that's going to reflect off the cover. Then set up your tripod and camera and just use ambient light - your camera, ideally, will adjust to the light level and expose properly and the tripod will help prevent blur.

    If you really want to prevent blur - set the timer on your camera. That way, the camera won't shake by you pressing the shutter button to begin with. If you were a real baller, I'd suggest getting a remote shutter but that's overkill in this situation.
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