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Thread: "Critique my firearm picture" thread

  1. #441
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    Might as well put this up for review. I was trying to play with the blue/orange theme and leading lines. Was otherwise pretty happy with it, except I realized after the fact that I blew the focus a bit. I think I would have liked a bit more depth of field, too- but it was relatively low light and I was hand holding the camera (85mm equivalent). A tripod would probably have helped me get more stable for it.

    Last edited by BrigandTwoFour; 02-07-22 at 20:19.
    "Man is still the first weapon of war" - Field Marshal Montgomery

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  2. #442
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrigandTwoFour View Post
    Might as well put this up for review. I was trying to play with the blue/orange theme and leading lines. Was otherwise pretty happy with it, except I realized after the fact that I blew the focus a bit. I think I would have liked a bit more depth of field, too- but it was relatively low light and I was hand holding the camera (85mm equivalent). A tripod would probably have helped me get more stable for it.

    I like where you were going with this pic. You've already noted the DOF as needing to be a bit higher, as well as a bit steadier.

    I would add, I think you could replace the background with something else, maybe something black. You are doing good with your colors, but the background totally throws in another blue, then adds a bunch of lines which are all detracting from the natural focus of the human eye.
    Stick


    Board policy mandates I state that I shoot for BCM. I have also done work for 200 or so manufacturers within the firearm community. I am prior service, a full time LEO, firearm instructor, armorer, TL, martial arts instructor, and all around good guy.

    I also shoot and write for various publications. Let me know if you know cool secrets or have toys worthy of an article...


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  3. #443
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stickman View Post
    I like where you were going with this pic. You've already noted the DOF as needing to be a bit higher, as well as a bit steadier.

    I would add, I think you could replace the background with something else, maybe something black. You are doing good with your colors, but the background totally throws in another blue, then adds a bunch of lines which are all detracting from the natural focus of the human eye.
    Thanks, Stick! I don't do a ton of tabletop photos like this, but it would probably benefit me to learn better techniques for it. I know there are some photo background things out there for just such a purpose.
    "Man is still the first weapon of war" - Field Marshal Montgomery

    The Everyday Marksman

  4. #444
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    I've always liked B&W.
    I purposely used the dappled sunshine to highlight the receivers.
    The ammo can props don't distract as much in the B&W like they do in the color pics.



    Last edited by ChileRelleno; 07-25-23 at 15:26.

  5. #445
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChileRelleno View Post
    I've always liked B&W.
    I purposely used the dappled sunshine to highlight the receivers.
    The ammo can props don't distract as much in the B&W like they do in the color pics.





    The use of the sunlight as highlights is a good move. Unfortunately, I think they are fractionally off, though the second is super close. Secondly, as nice as the pics are, I do feel that a 20 round mag (or 30 if you prefer) would add to the overall "feel" of the image.

    With the second pic, I like the layout, but I wonder if the position of the rifle in the first picture might not look ever better with the ammo cans in it. Did you shoot any like that by any chance?


    Both pictures are good, the above comments are made with the idea that I feel it would take the pictures and increase their awesomeness.


    ETA- Focus needs to be a little more "spot on" in the first shot.
    Stick


    Board policy mandates I state that I shoot for BCM. I have also done work for 200 or so manufacturers within the firearm community. I am prior service, a full time LEO, firearm instructor, armorer, TL, martial arts instructor, and all around good guy.

    I also shoot and write for various publications. Let me know if you know cool secrets or have toys worthy of an article...


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  6. #446
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    Testing out some new techniques and equipment.

    "Man is still the first weapon of war" - Field Marshal Montgomery

    The Everyday Marksman

  7. #447
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrigandTwoFour View Post
    Testing out some new techniques and equipment.


    There are a couple things going on here which make this a very good picture, but just missing greatness by a little bit.

    The most important thing which comes to mind for me, is the figure is on the right side of the image, with negative space off to the left (point of view of the viewer). If the image were moved more to the right, the image would appear more natural.

    Take a look at the below pic of mine where I made a similar mistake. Its close, and in hind sight I probably should have corrected it in post production. The only reason I didn't was that I had others in the same series which were better.

    Next, we have an obviously empty brand new pouch sticking out like a sore thumb. Its not like you need to stuff a grenade in there, a couple socks or washcloths will fill the pocket well enough, and no one will no the difference. Its a little thing, but that is what we are talking about here, just the little things which need tweaking.

    Third, the weapon is flat in the image. You have to look really hard to see if there is even a magazine in the weapon, and that is a problem. Tilting the weapon up to catch some light, or using an additional gridded light to highlight the mag and lower receiver would make all the difference in the world. You could have used the background light for that, and left the back dark, just to make a bit more mystery and intrigue in the pic. The typical portrait setup requires that background light to establish separation, but its not like we are trying to make people pretty in firearm shots.

    An additional thing is just something to think about, and its a topic which is hit and miss in the minds of different people. Since there is no head in the pic (which can be a great thing!), the human eyes are drawn to the next brightest thing, which is the hands. There are times where you might want to show bare hands, but the question to ask yourself is what bare hands add to this image.....? I can't think of anything they bring to the table other than distraction, so as an old ad photographer guy I knew would say, "if it doesn't add to the image, get rid of it!" Whether you need gloves on the hands or not is something only you can answer, but it is one of the primary reasons I do it in pics. The flip side of this is that if there are scars, cuts, or extra dirty hands available, they can add a lot of depth and "use" to a shot.

    Hopefully the above makes some sense, let me know.



    Stick


    Board policy mandates I state that I shoot for BCM. I have also done work for 200 or so manufacturers within the firearm community. I am prior service, a full time LEO, firearm instructor, armorer, TL, martial arts instructor, and all around good guy.

    I also shoot and write for various publications. Let me know if you know cool secrets or have toys worthy of an article...


    Flickr Tumblr Facebook Instagram RECOILMAGAZINE OFF GRID RECOIL WEB

  8. #448
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stickman View Post
    There are a couple things going on here which make this a very good picture, but just missing greatness by a little bit.

    Snip.
    Thanks, Stick! It does help a lot. TBH this wasn't even put together with much thought. I had just gotten a backdrop (my first one) and a strobe the day before. So I grabbed an unused LBE kit from the crate, a rifle from the safe, and just starting messing around to figure out how to use a flash. Good point on the bright object draw attention issue, I'll keep that in mind for sure. As for the balance and crop, I think one issue with this particular one was that the light was visible in the uncropped photo, lol. So I had to crop it like that to get it out of frame- but it's a good point for symmetry. The photo you posted is actually one I've looked at a lot on your Flickr account.

    Thanks for the pointers! I'll keep plugging away at it.
    "Man is still the first weapon of war" - Field Marshal Montgomery

    The Everyday Marksman

  9. #449
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    Hey Stick, here's another go at that style from last time. I tried to keep the points in mind and then do a similar one.



    And, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- I tried to do one similar to the black background one you posted.



    I think where I ran into issues is that I was much closer to the camera than yours, and I ended up with some light leak in the background. I was only about 3-4 feet in front of a 86" wide gray background and using a single light. I think a black background would give me more leeway to play with light and not have it spray across the background along the edges.
    "Man is still the first weapon of war" - Field Marshal Montgomery

    The Everyday Marksman

  10. #450
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    For what it's worth, I agree with Stickman on your first photo regarding mag and hands. The first thing I saw in that photo was his left wrist. At first glance and second close look the rifle looked to have no mag inserted.

    On your last pic I would think this might be an add for an eye doctor. "when your eyesight saves lives"... etc.. That white eye is where my attention is drawn. After that you are selling the jacket, gloves, and cap. If it's not for an eye exam ad might as well get that guy some "cheap sunglasses". If you are selling that jacket imo, a little more light on his left shoulder / upper arm would be nice.

    That's my non-professional 2cents. Just based on what my brain and eyes tell me.

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