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Rock Chester...about the photography setup. I don't have anything special. I put the tree in front of 2 sheets of foam core, each about 30x40". The sheets are arranged so that one is under the tree, and one is behind. All of this, of course, is on a table of standard height. I also have a couple of 4x8' sheets of foam core just lying around in case I want to mask out more space for larger trees.

You need a fairly good camera to do what I am doing now. I use a Nikon D70s for all digital shots. I won't get into my film stuff now, because I've talked about that elsewhere.

Currently, I use 2 foto floods, one on each side of the tree, and one reflector umbrella, slightly to one side.

The key thing is to take a couple of practice shots with the lights turned on to see what the shot looks like. I set the camera on manual--that is, I choose the f-stop and the exposure, leaving the focus on automatic. Currently, I am shooting at f29 for 2 seconds.

With an exposure time like that, a tripod has to be used. I use an infrared "beeper" to trip the camera.

Then...

a couple of other things have to be considered. Whatever camera you are using, before shooting, set the resolution at the highest possible figure. If your camera has the RAW format (not tiff and certainly not jpeg), go for that.

The second thing is, I use Nikon Capture Editor to do most editing. It is really good for editing RAW format shots. Usually, no matter what the image looks like in preview, I have to add light. I also usually increase the exposure time with the software, but not always. At this point, the background is almost always completely white.

I crop the picture and save it as a tiff.

I then do finishing touches in Photoshop. Lots of times, it's not necessary.

It is possible to do this kind of thing with point-and-shoot cameras, but it is more difficult, and requires pretty thorough knowledge of Photoshop. Hint: I do not do masking. You can get a white background by using "Selective Color," and "Replace Color." It is messier, but it can be done. I did it for a long time, before figuring out this way outlined above.

Now, I just have to find some time tomorrow or the day after to make the shots requested.

25-Mar-2008	#10
fredtruck bonsaiTALK Craftsman Join Date: Nov-2001 Posts: 94	Rock Chester...about the photography setup. I don't have anything special. I put the tree in front of 2 sheets of foam core, each about 30x40". The sheets are arranged so that one is under the tree, and one is behind. All of this, of course, is on a table of standard height. I also have a couple of 4x8' sheets of foam core just lying around in case I want to mask out more space for larger trees. You need a fairly good camera to do what I am doing now. I use a Nikon D70s for all digital shots. I won't get into my film stuff now, because I've talked about that elsewhere. Currently, I use 2 foto floods, one on each side of the tree, and one reflector umbrella, slightly to one side. The key thing is to take a couple of practice shots with the lights turned on to see what the shot looks like. I set the camera on manual--that is, I choose the f-stop and the exposure, leaving the focus on automatic. Currently, I am shooting at f29 for 2 seconds. With an exposure time like that, a tripod has to be used. I use an infrared "beeper" to trip the camera. Then... a couple of other things have to be considered. Whatever camera you are using, before shooting, set the resolution at the highest possible figure. If your camera has the RAW format (not tiff and certainly not jpeg), go for that. The second thing is, I use Nikon Capture Editor to do most editing. It is really good for editing RAW format shots. Usually, no matter what the image looks like in preview, I have to add light. I also usually increase the exposure time with the software, but not always. At this point, the background is almost always completely white. I crop the picture and save it as a tiff. I then do finishing touches in Photoshop. Lots of times, it's not necessary. It is possible to do this kind of thing with point-and-shoot cameras, but it is more difficult, and requires pretty thorough knowledge of Photoshop. Hint: I do not do masking. You can get a white background by using "Selective Color," and "Replace Color." It is messier, but it can be done. I did it for a long time, before figuring out this way outlined above. Now, I just have to find some time tomorrow or the day after to make the shots requested.