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Showing Defects, any tips?

Jun 25, 2010

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    1. Now i am a self renounced bad, bad photographer. I never manage to capture the sheer beauty the eyes see on film.

      But now im trying to make some sales pics and find it so so hard to really show the defects, like small lighter area on back of head cap, MSC having rubbed. Does anyone have any tips?
      I'm using a Kodak EasyShare C713.
       
      #1 cyberspacegirl, Jun 25, 2010
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    2. All I can say is use the macro lens function (usually a little flower icon), outdoors on an overcast day. Usually if it's too bright out (or if you use a flash) the defects are impossible to see.
       
      #2 Kate, Jun 25, 2010
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    3. Upping the contrast and selectively sharpening the discoloration are your friends. That should help bring it out.
       
      #3 Haiku, Jun 25, 2010
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    4. thanks so much for these advices. I'm tying to shoot these pics for a salespost, so i'd like to tinker with the pics as little as possible (no photoshop) and would like to represent these flaws as realisticly as possible. I wonder if the fact that both flaws are on a cirve makes it more had for them to show on the photo? It's a tan doll with a lighter spot on the edge of the headcap and a NS doll with rubbed MSC where the face-plate attaches to the headcap.

      Anyone anymore advice?
       
      #4 cyberspacegirl, Jun 25, 2010
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    5. My photo taking skills aren't that great either:sweat, but I find that other than using the macro setting on the camera, the better photos are the ones that are well lit by natural light (not in direct beam of sunlight), so that the flash will not go off, and I don't need to adjust the photo much later in terms of correcting colour or brightness.
      To see the flaws that you mentioned, try photographing the item on an angle so that the light bounces off the flaws, although I'm not sure if your camera model would be able to photograph it.
       
      #5 Psywave, Jun 25, 2010
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    6. The problem with this logic is that it is impossible or very difficult to capture some things with a camera. "As realistically as possible" and "no photoshop" don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. It's not like you just click a button and it shows what you see with your eyes, as I'm sure you've realized. Depending on your photo skill (according to you) and camera model I'd say it's not really going to happen like that; the discoloration is going to be hard or impossible to capture. Take it or leave it, of course, I'd say in this case photoshop is your friend. You can always mention what you did to the photo. Just my two cents! Or four counting my original advice.
       
      #6 Haiku, Jun 25, 2010
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    7. Thanks for the advise. It's just that i feel weary about using photoshop after reading a lot of posts in the problem transaction thread where people where acused of using photoshop like this thread:

      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...ry-transaction-with-DiSpy&highlight=photoshop

      Where half the discussion was about using RAW files. But i wont be buffing my pics up, i'll be buffing them down to show the flaws as realisticly as possible. So that would be ok i guess. I think mentioning what i did to the pic and why, or showing both the before and after pic will help me get over this issue. Strangly, the best pic of the color difference i got so far, is one of the most craptastic pics i have ever made, slightly out of focus, out of centre and strangely lit. I'm going to retry after getting out of the night shift, so i have some actual daylight.

      Psywave: Thanks for youre advice too. And yeah, i should be getting myself a real camera, but the camera fund keeps getting sucked up by the dollfund.
       
      #7 cyberspacegirl, Jun 25, 2010
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    8. You can always post a link with an unaltered photo, and then an altered photo to show the defects more clearly. Upping the contrast or using a sharpening tool after the photo is taken can help show those things.

      Also, if you camera doesn't take close ups well, or if close ups are blurry, try taking a photo far enough back that it's in focus, and then crop the photo afterwards.
       
      #8 Kiyono, Jun 27, 2010
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