Photographing guns

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I can't confirm or deny that the models depicted in the images belong to myself or a local collector, only that they were volunteered in a photo shoot :)

The tub actually has quite a few scratches as it's 30yrs old. I simply clipped the white a bit under Photoshop's levels adjustment and it makes it look brand new. You can still see some scratches in the shadow areas that I was too lazy to remove. Shh, don't tell anyone though!
 
I'm no pro, but I think this one turned out well.

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I did a google, which lead to this old thread. Didn't have any materials around, so I used the inside of an Igloo cooler. Need to get some better lighting, but I see potential with the "ghetto" method.

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Good lighting, NO FLASH (for your typical Point and shoot camera. A DSLR and a real flash is a great method to use if you bounce it)

if you get close, look for a flower symbol on your camera, thats for CLOSE photos..

but in the wonderful world of digital photography... take a ton of photos!... its easy to delete. when i do a photo of one of my guns, i tend to take 50-80 shots in a similar layout... and i can always find the one that just kinda POP's... then i edit it if necessary.

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These are all good tips. a good photo editing software that takes some getting used to but takes you further than any basic photo editing software is GIMP. It's like photoshop, but it's free, just google it.

Here's what I do. Since I don't have a soft box I setup my own studio. I have three big windows facing south along one side of my dining room. I wait until sundown or sunup and set the blinds so that I still get a good amount of light through the windows, but yet I am not letting beams of light through the blinds. My platform is the kitchen table, and I use a black or white (or whatever else) sheet as a background. I lay the sheet on the table, with boxes stacked up high at the end of the table (or big stiff posters) and drape the sheet over them to white out the background to take away any distractions. I use the chandalier as an above or "boom" light (in pro photography terms), then I get a garage plug in light with the clamp and the metal bell around the bulb and get a piece of white cloth to cover over it (this softens up the light a bit). I set that off to the left of the "set", in front of the camera. this serves as another fill light. I then might get a tall lamp with a removable shade and a high light output, and unscrew the lampshade and lay it on it's side, draping over the bulb and the metal support, so it gives the light some direction rather than just "up". (you can also do this with a metal shop light but many lamps have adjustable brightness so you have more control over your lighting) this serves as my main light, giving you somewhat of a studio setup. Place this light next to you or right behind you. Now, you have a "poor man's studio". feel free to toy with the lights to how you see fit. Now, camera choice is important. I have a canon DSLR camera that I run manually (ISO, Shutter Speed, ect...) this allows me to have full control over the lighting of the set without using flash (which I HATE) I set this on a tripod. if you have a basic point and shoot camera, I would turn the flash off and set the camera on a tripod and have a countdown timer in place so you have as little of a chance to have a blurry photo. But, going with this option, you have to have more control over your lighting in the studio, control which this poor mans setup lacks. If you have a DSLR but don't know how to run the camera manually, set it to auto or whatever works best for the setting and go ahead. but this makes you camera more like a standard point and shoot. my advice- turn flash OFF!

hope I helped

also, I tend to use things like holsters or a small block to prop up your gun. NO pens through the trigger guard. It just looks tacky. Something like a small leather wallet that can hide behind your gun when you are shooting is fine. THEN, use props. have magazines, ammo, knives, holsters, belts, military junk, whatever else.

also, with guns, a softer light tends to work better due to the reflective or hard surface of the gun.
 
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I am going to just suggest on the software side if you are unfamiliar with photo-editing and GIMP comes off as being a foreign interface then try "Paint.Net".

I am pretty computer literate and tried to learn GIMP but it just didn't make sense to me. The interface is designed for Photoshop converts and not newcomers to photo editing. I prefer another free (Free as in Freedom, and Free as in beer) program called Paint.net because it has an interface designed to be familiar to the Windows User. The only downside of Paint.net is it doesn't run on Linux or OSX and also lacks some of the extensions and therefore extensive functionality that GIMP has, however for simple stuff it hasn't failed me.

Just thought I would offer it up.
 
Basics, to me at least, are a SOLID color background in contrast to subject being photographed; lots of light; tripod; add some appropriate props, and experiment with cropping, angling, etc.. Main thing is to keep clutter to a minimum in your composition, and above all, ENJOY! ;)

Some examples of my beliefs:

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Iver Johnson's STAR VEST POCKET 1870-1890 with box of ammo same vintage.

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COLT CAMP PERRY 1926-1941, with factory letter and box of ammo same vintage.

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BIG HORN ARMS late 1960s with its original triangular-shaped box with plastic carrry handle.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle
 
Photos of guns, like photos of all objects mixing matte and reflective components, are a matter of getting the light where you want it. You can choose to light the flats with dark "seams" (with diffuse light) or light the edges with dark flats (with hard light).
 
One thing I found while trying to take pictures with a standard pocket digital camera that is helpful is to not have the camera take the picture when you press the button. Instead, set the delay timer (mine has a 2 second or 10 second delay). This prevents the picture from being blurred by the camera moving around while you press the button. Its not as good as having a tripod and an remote, but it helps.
 
Irfanview is a free download from cnet.com
Other programs there too, do a quick search.
 
also, I tend to use things like holsters or a small block to prop up your gun. NO pens. something like a small leather wallet that can hide behind your gun when you are shooting is fine. THEN, use props. have magazines, ammo, knives, holsters, belts, military junk, whatever else.

Yes, I try to include related items myself.

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I'm a cheap bastard at the moment, which means inexpensive digital camera and natural lighting on the kitchen floor next to the window:

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Jeffrey
 
As many have said before I am no pro at taking pictures of guns and in my case anything for that matter. I recently took a few pictures of my SR9 that I thought turned out pretty well. I used a gun case opened up and light from a window. The only advice I can give you is try with and without flash and multiple angles. Also if your camera has micro zoom or different shoot setting it is always good to mess around with them as well. Here is a few I took the other day.

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Primarily I'm a collector, NOT a shooter. This prompts me to avoid PARTIAL shots of my guns. All or nothing! Shooters may find ONLY the action of a rifle a real turn-on, but a collector wants to inspect the ENTIRE firearm, handgun or long...

I make no attempt to add anything to the long gun pics. Only exception is IF the gun is a takedown model, then I try to show it in the takedown mode as well as the full gun. Here's my popular old MOSSBERG MODEL L.

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AND, in its takedown mode...

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Nothing in either pic to distract the viewer from the gun's details. That's what matters most to the collector.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle
 
doubleA those are some awesome photos...the one with the leaves is awesome.
 
Cesium,

How do you get your bathtub so clean? :)
With many houses having shower rooms these days, the tub doesn't really get used, especially if it is one of the jacuzzi tubs and your hot water heater does not have the capacity to fill it and keep it warm.

Of course, another option might be to just drape some sort of neutral fabric into the tub. Personally, I like a more course weave type of fabric like a canvas drop cloth.

It probably depends upon the reason that you are taking photos of the firearms. If it is for artistic means, then angled or partial shots might be appropriate. If it is just to record the firearms that you own for insurance purposes or to share them on the web when discussing a particular type of firearm, then a flat neutral background with no accessories might be acceptable. Just laying the firearm on your carpeted floor and taking the picture while standing above it can work for documentation purposes.

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You might want to remember to vacuum the floor beforehand though. You might find it slightly embarrassing if the photo contained some a few long dark hairs from you S.O. Of course, some of us know that it's not our hairs since we don't have enough hair left that it would even show up on a photo... :)

One thing that I've considered doing though is going up to Tandy Leather and pickup of a suede hide for a firearm backdrop. I have an oil tanned thick black leather hide that I could used, but I don't think that it would bring out the right contrast with a dark colored firearm (e.g. AR-15, blued rifles, etc). It would probably work pretty good with stainless firearms, as long as there aren't any black grips on it.
 
I just found this site a week or so back and have enjoyed some of the reading here, but..... this thread has been the best!


dubbleA, that shot on the deck is awesome!!
 
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