It is currently 20 Oct 2025, 01:47


tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Talk about everything digital watch related and off - topic.
  • Author
  • Message
Offline
User avatar

Kasper

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 2449
  • Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 10:25
  • Location: Belgium

tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 00:49

Hi all,

i have so many watches and so many dull looking pictures. Do you have tips how to make a decent picture of a watch.
How do we use a good lighting,
what background do we have to use,
do we need to take close-ups of a part of a watch?
Do we photoshop it :-D


all tips all welcome!!
Shoot! :-D
Hey you all...this board is FREE and without ADS, so at least post something every now and then to show your appreciation.


Get the latest active topics of the board here.
http://www.newdwf.com/search.php?search_id=active_topics

- Kasper -
Offline
User avatar

abem

Techno Mage

Techno Mage

  • Posts: 590
  • Joined: 17 Apr 2009, 05:10
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 02:40

Kasper,

I've been trying to figure out the same thing. Ideally, you'd probably want to set up a light box like the pros, which would require a lot of space, lighting equipment etc. I have almost no space and/or budget for that sort of thing and so my technique is almost certainly sub-optimal, but I can share a few tips that have worked for me. Here are 10 tips that come to mind:

1) Tripod
First, you're going to want a tripod so you can set up the shot accurately and consistently and also because you frequently need to do exposures longer than you can hold the camera steady for (see point#3 below: Depth of Field). For photographing LED watches, the tripod will also help with juggling the pushing of the button and the camera.

2) Lighting
Probably the very most important factor for making things look decent and being able to see the watch decently is lighting. First, you're going to want lighting that is somewhat soft as opposed to the flash on the camera, which will make anything (and anyone) look bad. I use a fluoresent tube light which is fairly neutral, or at least close enough that its easy to correct for. If you use an incandescent light, everything will come out so horribly yellow that it's impossible to get natural looking colors. Your eyes can correct for it, the camera can not. In an ideal world, I'd have a light box that would evenly light the object from all sides but since I just have the one light, I put the camera on a tripod and use a time exposure along with a little bit of "light painting" to get the object evenly lit. If I use, say, a 4 second exposure, then I can wave the light on top and a little on the side so everything gets a little bit of illumination.

3) Depth of Field
Since we're photographing small objects (relative to the since of the lens), if you use the normal camera settings, then there will only be a narrow region that's in focus. To get everything in focus, you're going to want to go to manual mode and stop the lens down to somewhere between about F11 and F32. If you want to get really fancy, you can use a technique called "focus stacking", but I'm too lazy for that.

4) Self Timer
I always use the camera's self timer when photographing watches or macro images. This helps for two reasons: (1) it makes it easier to push the button on LED watches. Put the camera in self timer mode, push the shutter release and then push the watch button or use a magnet to activate the watch right before the camera fires. (2) the self timer also minimizes vibration. If you push the button manually, even a slight jitter will blur the image slightly.

5) Background
Use a neutral, plain background. I like to photograph against either a white sheet of paper for a white background or an LCD computer screen for a dark background. For the black background, I try to cast a little bit of light on the computer screen so it doesn't look like the watch is floating in space. If you do it right, there should be a light gradient in the background. For white surfaces, this isn't an issue.

6) Ambient light
If you want your watch images to be consistent from day to day, then you're going to want to photograph at night or in an enclosed room with no windows. Otherwise, the color and quality of the light will change from day to day or minute to minute. I don't have an enclosed room, so I do most of my photography at night.

7) Dust
Dust is the bane of any macro or product photographer's existance. Since we don't live in a clean room, it's impossible to completely get rid of dust I have a soft camel hair brush that I use to remove those flecks of dust before shooting. I always miss a couple so I think it's ok to get rid of the most annoying ones in Photoshop (although that brings up ethics issues).

8) Cameras
An SLR is the highest quality and most flexible, but it's not strictly necessary. You can do surprisingly well with a compact or "point and shoot" camera. Just because you don't have a top of the line SLR doesn't mean you can't take great images.

9) Lenses
For most of my watch images, I use a regular zoom lens with mild macro capability which focuses to about a 18 inches. For close up images, such as when photographing the display or module / watch movments, I use a dedicated macro lens. For ultra close images, I use two lenses with one reverse mounted and stacked in front of the macro lens. Using this type of an arrangement, you can get almost microscopically close:
http://www.abe-n-doren.com/microsherloc ... index.html
http://www.abe-n-doren.com/microsherloc ... index.html

10) Photoshop
Whether to use a tool like Photoshop or Gimp is a contentious issue. I tweak most of the photos that I take in Photoshop in at least a minor way. Your camera is doing some image processing anyway so it's not like there's such a thing as an unprocessed image. I usually add a touch of sharpening since Nikon cameras are well known for recording images without adding sharpening. Canon cameras do a little more sharpening in-camera. In terms of ethics, I have a general rule that if you're taking images that are intended to represent a watch, as in eBay images or images for a watch to sell, then it's ok to do global operations such as lightening or darkening, but not ok to do local operations such as using the clone stamp tool or airbrush to get rid of scratches etc. For my web site (http://www.timetrafficker.com), I think it's ok to use a little local retouching to get rid of a little distracting dust in the background parts of the image, but not on the actual watch areas of the image. It's almost impossible to get rid of dust and even a few specks in the background tend to distract from the watch, so I think that's permissible.

Those are the most important highlights that I can think of right off hand. There are a number of things that I still haven't figured out. For example, my camera (a Nikon D300) is not able to capture the red of the LED displays properly. The color always skews to pinkish magenta and I haven't figured out what to do about it. Very frustrating. Also, I haven't figured out how to capture gold properly yet. I'm still learning and figuring things out little by little.

I hope this helps.

-abe.
Offline
User avatar

retroleds

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 3634
  • Joined: 04 Feb 2006, 10:34
  • Location: Surrounded by hicks and sticks (farms and woods) - Michigan,USA

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 05:02

I'd suggest a remote shutter switch ($10-25) - not all cameras have the option. Much more useful for photographing a digital than a self-timer - with most you can push the button half-way and it will auto-focus or prepare to take the shot. Push the watch button with one hand, squeeze shutter button with other. If your camera tends to hesitat, you can squeeze at same time and it works out perfectly. Most camera shops sell true daylight spectrum bulbs in an ordinary screw-base flourescent format. Around $25 each.

Daylight intruding in your shots will drive you crazy - a photo box, tent or similar will help a lot. And will keep your pictures from picking up reflections of you, or the colors in your clothing.
http://www.retroleds.com - Sales of vintage LED, LCD, analog watches, parts and gadgets - repair tutorials & tips
Nov. 2022 - back in business!! BItter divorce is in home stretch, come grabs some great deals, I had to open the safe . . . damn attorneys. piss.
Offline
User avatar

Kasper

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 2449
  • Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 10:25
  • Location: Belgium

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 18:43

thx Abe and Ed ... what many years of expercience can do :-D

Abe you forgot one important part...wearing white gloves (fingerprints)

i think i have to look for a small lightbox, maybe with a turntable..i remember i've seen something on the net a few years ago. It can't be that expensive. maybe try some led lighting.

for now..this is my most used tool to get rid of the dust :-D or getting rid of excess water.

Image

just blow!!
Hey you all...this board is FREE and without ADS, so at least post something every now and then to show your appreciation.


Get the latest active topics of the board here.
http://www.newdwf.com/search.php?search_id=active_topics

- Kasper -
Offline
User avatar

retroleds

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 3634
  • Joined: 04 Feb 2006, 10:34
  • Location: Surrounded by hicks and sticks (farms and woods) - Michigan,USA

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 18:56

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Square-Perfect- ... in_0&hash= These types of tents work really great - you really need the front panel with the slit, otherwise your photos will pick up the color of everything in the room. If there is too much daylight coming thru the fabic, you can cover your whole setup with something opaque, like black plastic mylar sheeing.

Yeah, I am terrible about the fingerprints. White gloves - you're funny. :lol:
http://www.retroleds.com - Sales of vintage LED, LCD, analog watches, parts and gadgets - repair tutorials & tips
Nov. 2022 - back in business!! BItter divorce is in home stretch, come grabs some great deals, I had to open the safe . . . damn attorneys. piss.
Offline
User avatar

abem

Techno Mage

Techno Mage

  • Posts: 590
  • Joined: 17 Apr 2009, 05:10
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 21:44

Yeah, reflections are impossible to deal with. The only space that I have available is my little office which has bright green walls - a worse case scenario. I don't have enough space available for a light tent or even a decent light box. I have a little table with about 1 square meter of working space. So, I've just learned to accept a little splash of green in the reflections.

Metals
---------
One interesting problem: You can use diffusers to even out the lighting. You can also use a light box to even out the reflections. However, after you do all of that, metal starts to acquire a synthetic look. It doesn't quite look like real metal any longer - it looks fake. I have a background in computer graphics and use to do a lot of computer rendering. In computer graphics, to make metals realistic, you need to apply an "environment map" which ADDS reflections - the reverse of what photographers are trying to do.

Here's an example of metal inside of a lightbox. Nice, but a little synthetic, no?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pulsar-P4-Execu ... 0638901224

One of the best photographers on eBay is a guy from Korea with the handle "kwonbax". Check out his photos. They're beautiful. Nice backgrounds too:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/kwonbax/m.html

For good use of a lightbox, check out Archer McLean's photos. He sells under the name "bigmacnofat". He's a master collector and photographer:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/bigmacnofat/m.html

Depth of Field
------------------
One other thing that I noticed that makes photographs look synthetic is that I tend to use small apertures to get as much of the watch in focus as possible. If you're evaluating the condition of a watch, that's obviously important. However, we have been culturally trained that close up photos should have blurry parts. So photographs that are too sharp lose their sense of scale. I've actually experimented with adding back in artificial softness which can make the photos more "realistic" looking! I haven't figured out what the best solution to this problem is yet.

Below is an example - which looks more real - the top or the bottom? The top is the original photo, the bottom has been processed.
Image

-abe.
Offline
User avatar

Kasper

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 2449
  • Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 10:25
  • Location: Belgium

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post14 Nov 2011, 22:03

i go for the first one but when selling on ebay...i go for the second one.
Kwonbax is very clever..he is using a non reflecting material but still light enough to get some minor reflection..quiet clever as i think of it.
Check what material he is using as background..always the same style.
And he has a light dimming knob to turn it a bit less if he has to much reflection.
Hey you all...this board is FREE and without ADS, so at least post something every now and then to show your appreciation.


Get the latest active topics of the board here.
http://www.newdwf.com/search.php?search_id=active_topics

- Kasper -
Offline
User avatar

abem

Techno Mage

Techno Mage

  • Posts: 590
  • Joined: 17 Apr 2009, 05:10
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post15 Nov 2011, 01:40

Here's a example of the reflection principle using an image that I took last night. I tried shooting these guys against a plain background with a dark sheet of cardboard around them to cut down on reflections but they looked boring (I probably should have kept the rejects so I'd have something to compare against). Note how this image is full of reflections from the sides and front of the watches. That's what gives you a cue that the surfaces are shiny and reflective.

Image

-abe.
Last edited by abem on 15 Nov 2011, 02:48, edited 1 time in total.
Offline
User avatar

Kasper

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 2449
  • Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 10:25
  • Location: Belgium

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post15 Nov 2011, 02:19

proffesionaly i would say..thats some fine shooting there.. but it's like HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting. Some like it..i don't.
For me the image is way to hard. I like what you have done with the reflection..maybe unsharpen it a bit.

It's all about lighting...i think that we use to much light most of the time..we have to let the iso do it's work.
Tomyana is also one who is using a lightbox, with a black matt background.http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/NEW-NALNEI- ... 35b6c9e71d

no reflections at all...and he is using his hand to get the warm feel in the picture..thats why watches always look better photographed on the wrist.

It's a very busy time for me at the moment..my wife is driving me nuts :-D , but i will try to take some fine pics myself when all calms down here.
Hey you all...this board is FREE and without ADS, so at least post something every now and then to show your appreciation.


Get the latest active topics of the board here.
http://www.newdwf.com/search.php?search_id=active_topics

- Kasper -
Offline
User avatar

abem

Techno Mage

Techno Mage

  • Posts: 590
  • Joined: 17 Apr 2009, 05:10
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post15 Nov 2011, 02:59

Like HDR images, the trick is to sneak up to a certain line without crossing it. You want the image to have impact (contrast, color etc) but not to look fake.

The hard part is that every computer monitor is different. This image looks great on my laptop but I looked at it on my iPhone and there it looks a bit too contrasty - hard as you put it.

Oh well, until some magical perfect monitor calibration technology exists, I guess that's just something that we have to live with.

-abe.
Offline
User avatar

Kasper

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 2449
  • Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 10:25
  • Location: Belgium

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post15 Nov 2011, 17:49

Hey you all...this board is FREE and without ADS, so at least post something every now and then to show your appreciation.


Get the latest active topics of the board here.
http://www.newdwf.com/search.php?search_id=active_topics

- Kasper -
Offline
User avatar

abem

Techno Mage

Techno Mage

  • Posts: 590
  • Joined: 17 Apr 2009, 05:10
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin

: tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post15 Nov 2011, 21:59

Kaspar,

Those links are both really encouraging. The lightboxes in each case are quite small. The French web site shows the working area to be a tabletop about equivalent to what I have to work with. Hmm, yeah, I should definitely give this a go. Thanks!

-abe.
Offline
User avatar

retroleds

Guru

Guru

  • Posts: 3634
  • Joined: 04 Feb 2006, 10:34
  • Location: Surrounded by hicks and sticks (farms and woods) - Michigan,USA

Re: : tips on how to make a good picture of a watch.

Post16 Nov 2011, 17:02

abem wrote:The hard part is that every computer monitor is different. This image looks great on my laptop but I looked at it on my iPhone and there it looks a bit too contrasty - hard as you put it.

Oh well, until some magical perfect monitor calibration technology exists, I guess that's just something that we have to live with.

-abe.
Oh, I hate that difference between monitors. I have a dual monitor setup, but they are not the same. SOmetimes I slide an image back and forth between the desktops, trying to convince myself that other's display will fall somewhere in between.

There are a number of compter cam units that are made to take a shot of your computer screen and then calibrate it to true colors. Very important for people sending work to be printed in CMYK format, since virtually all monitors are displaying in RGB(red-green-blue).
http://spyder.datacolor.com/index_us.php
http://www.retroleds.com - Sales of vintage LED, LCD, analog watches, parts and gadgets - repair tutorials & tips
Nov. 2022 - back in business!! BItter divorce is in home stretch, come grabs some great deals, I had to open the safe . . . damn attorneys. piss.

Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google Adsense [Bot] and 67 guests