posted
I like morn or late afternoon depending on the orientation of the sign.I try to shoot from an angle, never straight on, and often looking up at the sign (slighty), so it is more dramatic. Of course sometimes the only time is immediately after install since I might not be in the area again. I do prefer to wait till it's been landscaped when possible.
posted
Photographing signs and other projects is something I take very seriously. We document all of our projects and use the photos exptensively to promote our work. Only the very best photos are used.
As you understand from your question above lighting is the key.
In any dimensional sign you want the shadows to show off the sandblasted grain and depth of your work. If the sign is installed you have to make careful observation and photograph when its best. Keep in mind the background is just as important.
Look through the lens of the camera before snapping and SEE what's there. Sometimes changing the position of the camera can make the perfect shot.
Take a look at my website and look closely at the pictures I use there... every shot is premeditated. I like to use LOW angles when I shoot my pics. It gets rid of a lot of the clutter from most backgrounds and adds drama to the shots. Its not unusual to see me lying on the ground for my shots... something Janis still has trouble getting used to especially if we are in a busy public place.
If the sign is not installed its easier to get a good shot for you can set it up for the perfect shot... keeping in mind backgrounds and lighting. A couple of days ago I shot our latest sign and I took it for a drive up to the lake and looked for 20 minutes for the perfect background. I took more than 50 shots, from every concievable angle, adjusting the sign to catch the light. The sign had gold leaf and it was a tricky one to shoot. I invested an hour to get the right shot but it will work hard for me and hopefully will bring us more similar work in return.
When shooting outdoors I like to shoot in the late afternoon if possible... the golden hour they call it because the sun throws a warm light then and the colors are saturated.
Inside I never use as flash, but will set up as many lights as I need, both warm and cool. With a digital camera and editing program you can easily adjust the color balance. Lighting heavier from one side of the sign will cast wonderful shadows. A suitable background is also very important. The colors of the sign will dictate which one I use.
Good photos seldom happen by chance. Allow time to set up, record and tweak the perfect shots of your work. Its a good investment.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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You want some shadow to show off the texture but you don't want the extremely harsh or long shadows you get through mid-day.
Sun angles at specific times are going to vary depending on location but I'd suggest doing your photos when the sun is between 30 and 50 degrees above horizon. It might even vary depending on the depth of the blasting because a shallow blast is going to cast a shorter shadow which may not show up as well in a photo. You can eyeball it by standing outside and pointing at the sun and estimate the angle your arm makes with the ground.
If you can lug a large piece of white substrate out with you, it can be used as a reflector to fill in some of the harsher shadows.
Also, cloudy days are AWESOME for shooting photos outside! You get a nice even lighting with no glare and depending on the cloud cover, you could get just the right amount of shadow.
I love living in the desert because of the sun but sunny days are the absolute worst for outdoor photography unless you have a giant mobile diffuser panel to soften the light.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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quote: all of our projects and use the photos exptensively to promote our work
Dan's invented a new word, most appropriate for this post: Exptensively
It's a combination of expensively and extensively. The newly coined exptensively adequately conveys the fact that costs of money and time are required for the photography and that plenty of exposures are needed to obtain the perfect shot.
Sometimes, typos aren't "typos".
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5084 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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But I'd move the truck in the background.... go back on a Saturday or Sunday if its too busy during the week
Shift a little to the right and the tree becomes more into the background.... lower angle (get down on the ground) and the spot light would be hidden behind the decorative grass.
When you got home I'd teak the contrast @ colors a bit and correct the perspective (less key stoning)
And PRESTO... a perfect pic
-grampa dan
[ November 01, 2006, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Call me dumb, stupid and idiotic... but whenever I take shots from that angle, I don't like what the perspective does to the shot. To me it makes everything look crooked... the sign itself.. the lettering on the panels, etc. even though I know it's all perfectly straight.
I then fear that someone else looking at it is going to think the same thing, so I end up shooting the ole boring straight-on shots with a couple from slight angles...
Good post though, Wayne. I'm going to try some different things after reading all this.
-------------------- Jon Jantz Snappysign.com jjantz21@gmail.com http://www.allcw.com Posts: 3395 | From: Atmore, AL | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Jon brings up a good point but you can tone down the effects by using a slightly longer lens on an SLR camera or use a little bit of zoom built into most Point & Shoot cameras. Just a few milimeters of lens length makes *big* changes to an image shot at the wider angle range.
You can also correct the distortion in Photoshop.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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