How to annoy GAD

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My favorite technique for white backgrounds is simply to draw around the object with your pen tool and delete the outer portion to white.

If you don't trust your path selection skills, then put the guitar on a black background, use the "magic wand" to select the black background and either fill with white or delete it.

Either way, you're basically using a variation on hollywood's "green screen" technique. Works great!
 

GAD

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My favorite technique for white backgrounds is simply to draw around the object with your pen tool and delete the outer portion to white.

If you don't trust your path selection skills, then put the guitar on a black background, use the "magic wand" to select the black background and either fill with white or delete it.

Either way, you're basically using a variation on hollywood's "green screen" technique. Works great!

Most of my photos are a variation on that with slightly more finesse. The problem with doing that is that reflections and highlights remain which is why I moved to the white backdrop.

Here's an example of what I used to do.

Take the pic on a couple of white foam boards:

_B0Z7549-1_1600.jpg



I always shoot in raw which allows me exposure latitude not possible with jpegs. I set the exposure of the guitar the way I want then adjust the histogram to blow out the white background. Note that this step is not so easy on a white guitar because it blows out the entire scene. That's where LA's trick of selection kicks in but if it's even a little bit off it will look like a bad photoshop.

_B0Z7549-2_1600.jpg




Finally, I crop out everything that shouldn't be there and photoshop away the creases and splits from where I had to use multiple foam boards. Note that all of this is done with the flash on-camera which has its own limitations, but with a white ceiling in the room you can get some really good exposures if you can diffuse that flash and angle it up instead of straight-on. This is the final pic:

_B0Z7549-3_1600.jpg



With a real white background I no longer have to edit out the splits (yay!) and I get a more even light.

Issues with these pics: Look at the waist and the cutaway on the guitar - that white mottled pattern is a reflection from the foam board that's been exposed away, but the reflection remains (look at the first three pics again and you'll see the source and then they're gone). Try to fix that and it will look terrible. No one probably noticed until I pointed it out, though. :)



Here's another problem that I have in a lot of my shots, especially of arch-tops:

Look at the top of the pic and you can see a complete reflection of the room I'm in. Lame!

5D3_8575_1600.jpg



Here's another.
Look at the bottom edge near the knobs. See that dark shape on the side of the guitar? That's the floor where the white foam board wasn't big enough. Lame!

_B0Z9428_1600.jpg



All of these nuisance reflections are (for the most part) resolved with the continuous white background. Every one of these photos was taken with a very simple rig, though to be fair it's a bit pricey.

Canon 5D Mark III (doesn't matter - a Rebel would do just as well)
Canon 580EX flash with diffuser (matters a little - just need lots of indirect light)
Canon 24-70 f/2.8L lens - matters a little because lens has nice contrast - aperture is almost always f/8 or above.

The trick with the single flash is to diffuse it and avoid specular reflections which is most of the hard part. You'll notice that I rarely ever shoot the guitar straight on - that's to avoid direct reflections. I recently installed LED recessed lighting in my home office and I can actually shoot with just them on high, but they cause reflections.

And now you know all my secrets.
 

GAD

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GAD, I like how you achieved the separation of the whites, that I believe you were looking for, with use of the shadows. The photos have depth and the guitar jumps out at you. Very nice!

As you pointed out, getting that separation with a full shot of the guitar against that white backdrop would take a little different approach and of course, more LIGHTS/EQUIP, lol!

I haven't done much photography for illustrative purposes, so you've given some great insight and information here, Thank you.

With the white on white thing, I wondered if it would be possible to achieve a pleasing separation by creating edge highlights using strong side lighting from both sides and the guitar just slightly off the white backdrop? Easier said than done, right?

Yeah, you've got the right idea. My problem is space.

Good eye with the separation and shadows, and you've nailed why I hate the pic in the original post - there is none of that. Thus, it looks like an amateurish photoshop where someone just selected it and pulled it from a catalog or something.

I've had multiple monolights, softboxes, umbrellas and such in my cart at Amazon and B&H for weeks and I just can't seem to pull the trigger. What's worse is I used to have everything I need back when I shot a wedding or three but sold it off because I wasn't using it.
 

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Keeping an eye on this thread, because I have to take some decent pics of the amps I have. I am lucky in that Guild never made white amps!
 

GAD

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Keeping an eye on this thread, because I have to take some decent pics of the amps I have. I am lucky in that Guild never made white amps!


Simple background, lots of light (diffused if possible), f/8 or better.

The easiest way to accomplish that is to take pics outside on a cloudy day or any time the sun is behind the clouds. Or behind a tree.
 

JohnW63

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I've used sheets of different colored tin foil to as as reflectors. My wife has one of those round frying pan splatter screens that worked well with tinfoil wrapped around it. You can also get ones that fold up like car window shades, if space to store things is at a premium.
 

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White on White backgrounds: Pages 241-254. Now, the examples in the book didn't have the subject directly ON the background, until the end section, where they used a translucent material, and shot some light up at it from underneath. One think you might try is using a properly placed black card to reduced the light reflections from one angle, which will give you some shadowing on the edge. This helps define the edge against the same color background.
 

GAD

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I've used sheets of different colored tin foil to as as reflectors. My wife has one of those round frying pan splatter screens that worked well with tinfoil wrapped around it. You can also get ones that fold up like car window shades, if space to store things is at a premium.

My dad was into portrait photography in the '70s and did all of his portraits using a huge window shade that he painted with Krylon and a set of 3-4 of these bad boys with some 100-watt bulbs:

image_14444.jpg


It's not the equipment; it's how clever you are with it. :livid: <-- this is my new favorite smiley.
 

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It's not the equipment; it's how clever you are with it. :livid: <-- this is my new favorite smiley.

I had recently purchased an inexpensive LED monolight (because it was cheap) and I had a couple small outdated 500W quartz studio lights that were given to me. So I thought I'd do some test lighting and see if I could capture the beauty of the rosewood on my GV-70.

I only had a 6ft wide space for the guitar, but luckily, there are two storage rooms on each side. So I placed the guitar in the center of the space and a quartz light in each of the storage rooms. I then placed the monolight (defused) in front and above the back of the guitar.

Other than that one reflection in the lower left on the back, worked pretty well. Better than expected actually.

That set-up was what got me thinking about the white on white side lighting thing.

GV-70%20Rosewood%20Back-2743_zpsknhanoiz.jpg
 

GAD

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Nice! That really does show off the rosewood. It looks like a Sweetwater shot. I should do that for my Koa Taylor. Hmm...

Yeah, it kills me when I manage to take a really well-lit shot that's perfect in every way except for some stupid reflection I didn't see, or worse... reflections AND fingerprints. This is the pic that made me buy the backdrop, which in no way has solved the fingerprint problem.


1994-S100-BadLight.jpg
 

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The nice thing about constant lighting is, you can see what you're going to get, but you if you have limited space, they can be a real hassle. It's amazing how much work and time can go into getting one good shot.:05.18-flustered:

I've just invested in a couple speed flashes with remote control. I do mostly outdoor stuff and portability is a big plus for me, so I'm anxious to work with and learn what happens there.

Also I'll be anxious to see how you solve your lighting issues, GAD, which I know you will.:adoration:
 

GAD

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White on White backgrounds: Pages 241-254. Now, the examples in the book didn't have the subject directly ON the background, until the end section, where they used a translucent material, and shot some light up at it from underneath. One think you might try is using a properly placed black card to reduced the light reflections from one angle, which will give you some shadowing on the edge. This helps define the edge against the same color background.

Missed this one somehow. Funny - that's exactly what I was thinking of doing with the black S100.

The nice thing about constant lighting is, you can see what you're going to get, but you if you have limited space, they can be a real hassle. It's amazing how much work and time can go into getting one good shot.:05.18-flustered:

I've just invested in a couple speed flashes with remote control. I do mostly outdoor stuff and portability is a big plus for me, so I'm anxious to work with and learn what happens there.

Also I'll be anxious to see how you solve your lighting issues, GAD, which I know you will.:adoration:

Me too! :peaceful:
 

GAD

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Yeah, man! PM me how you'd like to make that happen. I've been eying the gold one on Reverb for a while and even made a bunch of offers but he listed it with "make an offer" but won't budge on the price. Yours is much prettier and has the Kahler.
 

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Yeah, man! PM me how you'd like to make that happen. I've been eying the gold one on Reverb for a while and even made a bunch of offers but he listed it with "make an offer" but won't budge on the price. Yours is much prettier and has the Kahler.


My Detonator has a Mueller! Want to have a Detonator off?
 
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