Help needed regarding product shots please...

NorthstaNder · 14 Jun 2007 at 09:39

Hello,

Got a bit of a query over white balance. Well, I think it’s a white balance issue I have with my new camera (most likely not setting it correctly!)

I take a lot of product shots for my ebay business using a light tent and 2x50w halogen spotlights and I can’t seem to get a nice crisp white background. I thought my new camera would manage it easily, but perhaps there is something I’m not doing?

I line the images up, set the white balance so everything looks nice and white on the camera’s LCD. I set the metering to Multi, aperture and shutter speed are set to auto and turn the flash off. I then take the picture and it looks OK.

When I get the image onto the PC, it looks dull and the white background is either gray or slightly yellow. I then got into Photoshop Elements and use the Auto Colour Correction option and the picture then looks how I want it and how it looked on the LCD.

Could it be a white balance issue (me choosing the wrong one). Could it be the lights I’m using? Maybe it’s a colour profile thing? Or am I just not using the correct camera settings? Or could it be because another light is usually on in the room and upsetting the camera’s white balance?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

J1234 · 14 Jun 2007 at 09:45

What camera are you using? I would try shooting in RAW if you can and tweaking it afterwards.

Nicos Rex · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:16

From the sound of it there may be 2 issues here.

The grey effect you are getting is because all exposure meters are calibrated for 18% grey. This is a throwback to the early days of black and white film photography as this gave the most pleasing exposure for portraiture.

Essentially the camera's exposure system is trying to make the white background 18% grey. To solve this you simply need to meter on an 18% grey object. You may be able to pick up an 18% grey card from a camera shop although I am not sure if you can still get them. Fortunately we all carry an 18% grey object around with us all the time. Meter on the palm of your hand (OK I expect it is not grey :eek:

but it has roughly the correct greyscale level) in manual exposure mode and you should find that your background will be no longer grey. This tip is also very helpful to correctly expose snowscapes or similar scenes.

The yellow colour cast is probably from your lightbulbs assuming that they are not "daylight" colour temperature. You could cahnge them, you could set the correct colour temperature in camera, you could buy a colour correction filter, or you can adjust the colour balace in post processing. The other light in the room, if it is a normal incandescent bulb (tungsten) will also add a yellow/orange cast.

NorthstaNder · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:19

Justin said:
What camera are you using? I would try shooting in RAW if you can and tweaking it afterwards.

Fujifilm S6500fd

Nicos Rex...many thanks for your reply. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to photography, so how would I meter the palm of my hand? Just place it next to the product and then remove it before taking the photo?

AndyBorzi · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:37

NorthstaNder said:
Fujifilm S6500fd

Nicos Rex...many thanks for your reply. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to photography, so how would I meter the palm of my hand? Just place it next to the product and then remove it before taking the photo?

Hopefully the camera has a manual mode where you can set the shutter speed and aperture? If so, just set the aperture to what you want, fill the frame with your palm, make sure the light you are working with is lighting your hand and press the shutter halfway. The camera should tell you if you are under/over exposing, so just adjust the shutter speed until you get the correct exposure. Next, still in manual mode, take the picture...fingers crossed!

Nicos Rex · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:53

AndyBorzi said:
Hopefully the camera has a manual mode where you can set the shutter speed and aperture? If so, just set the aperture to what you want, fill the frame with your palm, make sure the light you are working with is lighting your hand and press the shutter halfway. The camera should tell you if you are under/over exposing, so just adjust the shutter speed until you get the correct exposure. Next, still in manual mode, take the picture...fingers crossed!

Alternatively, your camera may have an exposure lock. You will need to read the manual to find out how to use it. The important thing is that your hand needs to fill most of the viewfinder - particularly the central area to "fool" the exposure metering system.

Much easier for me with my trusty F3! My problem is that I am a complete n00b when it comes to photography involving pixels rather than silver.

Hodders · 14 Jun 2007 at 11:07

Or buy an incident lightmeter then just plug the aperture/shutter values into your camera in full manual mode.

Howski · 14 Jun 2007 at 11:08

Yea the S6500fd does RAW. You should always try to shoot in RAW, its a lot more work and takes up a lot more space but you have more control over things and have more chance to recover a shot. Things like white balance and to some extent exposure can be changed.
-How.