Best Way to Photograph a Rod
- This topic has 13 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated Nov 15, 2006 at 12:08 am by
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You can reduce or eliminate reflection by using an off shoe flash cable and angling the flash on a different plane from the camera. Helps to use a tripod for the camera and hand hold the flash at the angle you want.
Scott
Look at William Oyster’s photos in my bamboo article, “Choosing Cane,” in the current issue of American Angler.
GBurgFisher:
If I can figure how to attach, here are some examples of some caps and rings and reel seats I photographed for rodbuilder Randall Gregory several years ago. The depth of field was too narrow, but the lighting seemed to work well. I was using the flash off shoe at an angle. It obviously creates a shadow, but I like the effect as it gives some depth to the reel seats.
Hope this helps. Of course, you may not want to spend the money for a flash cord, or you may not even have an external flash, but thought I’d mention it at least for future reference. I use the technique a lot for any kind of close up work.
Scott
Zach:
Add me to your email notification list. You never know what I might have in stock :-).
Randall had some amazing wood stock. I’m not even sure what the stump was, but he had stacks of it. Unfortunately, he lost it all and his house in a fire maybe just a year after I photographed him working in his shop in Bella Vista. I understand he has re-collected tools and is continuing to build rods.
His website is still up but has not been updated in a long time. Pictures of the burls are found at:
http://www.rifflewaterrods.com/Awesome%20Burl%20for%20Bamboo%20Fly%20Rod%20Reel%20Seat%20Inserts.htmScott
Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I think this is going to boil down to practice. I tired to snap a couple of quick shots this morning, many ended up pretty bad. It was kind of a half-tailed attempt since I was trying to get ready for work at the same time. I’m having trouble because the pictures look great on the display screen, and not so great on the computer. Its a pretty “standard” camera also so I’m working on figuring out how to make it work better. That being said; I’m really hoping to get a new one this Christmas (Girlfriend…are you reading this?). Once again, I think a lot of it is going to come down to practice, and working with the advice I received here. I’m going to try that bed sheet thing tonight. Would it work as well over just a regular light? The flash is on the camera so I was using white light fairly close to the rod with no flash from the camera.
Eye2Fish: Those are some amazing pictures!
Zach: Still trying to track down that issue, but definitely pumped to take a look. Now that the weekend’s here I can actually get somewhere that carries it.
Heres the best of the ten I tried to take this morning.
GBurgFisher:
Your lighting is not that bad. Your focus is off. Several things can cause that.
1) Autofocused shot and then moving the camera – tripod will help reduce out of focus shots.
2) Check your manual and see what the minimum focus distance is to the subject–if it tells. You may be too close for it to focus. Or just do some test shots to see what your camera requires as to minimum distance. If you have detachable lenses, the lense will have a minimum focus requirement. Sometimes it is printed on the lense.
3) If your camera has a manual focus option, use a tripod and then manually focus. Autofocus sometimes cannot focus on highly reflective surfaces, so it seeks the next thing it can achieve on–the lines in your cloth.Scott
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