Studio Furniture Photography

[aswhitehead]

Hi! I am new here and have some questions about color balance with the S2Pro. I use Speedotron Brownline lights with the S2pro and Camera shooting software on the computer. I have been using the Auto white balance setting because I can't get any of the others to look right. Does the camera have a Daylight of 5000K setting? Also, when I try to set the custom white balance from the laptop software it won't work. What do you all suggest in this situation? I am having to color correct every single shot...not a lot but some. It seems like I should be able to shoot with the camera and it be right. I have attached some shots below for you all to look at. let me know what you think.

[aswhitehead]

Here is another photo. These have been compressed with jpg and put on our website.

[aswhitehead]

Here are the original photos so that you can see the difference. These are straight from the camera, no processing. I would like to be able to get closer to the final from the camera than I am now. One thing about these is they were shot in the showroom. Most of my shots are done on a high key. The high key shots seem to be closer but still off in color some.

[aswhitehead]

Another original.

[The']

Aswhitehead,

Have you tried WB your flash using a white or 18% grey card?
See if you like the WB w/ white or grey card using flash?

I think your highlight shots here looked very nice. But, maybe that's not the result you had in mind.

The'

[cadams]

I shoot furniture with Brownlines also. I find that setting a white balance of "sunny" works quite well. I shoot in Raw mode and any minor color tweaking that's needed I do with Raw Converter (using batch conversion since the color temperature of the light is consistent). I ususally use the color temperature slider to do these corrections. I have never tried to use auto WB with strobes, fearing it would not be consistent from shot to shot. I still have to do occasional color correction in PhotoShop, but not too much. Another idea: Since you are silhouetting the images, you could include an 18% Gray card in the shot and click on it with the "gray picker" eyedropper in Raw Converter.

[aswhitehead]

Cadams,

Thanks for the info...I will try that. I have had quite a bit of trouble with setting the custom WB. It seems to be really sensitive to light level. On the camera shooting software, which setting equals Sunny? The "Fine" setting?

So you shoot raw instead of Tiffs? Do you use in camera sharpening? What settings do you use for tone and colour? I am using standard right now but have heard that Org is better. I am happy with the end results of my photos, I would just like to be able to get there easier.

Thanks
Scott

[cadams]

Scott,

I am no expert on the camera shooting software, I save my images to CF cards and download with a card reader. It's my understanding that using one of the Camera Control modes (Normal, or Auto Acquire) in the Shooting Software will allow you to make your settings on the camera body instead of your computer screen. Just go to the function menu and press the WB button until the sun icon appears.

As for the other settings, I use Color - Org, Tone - Org, and Sharpness - Std.
The images usually require some further sharpening in PhotoShop, but since some need more than others, I do it manually instead of using Hard and risking over sharpening.

Btw, welcome to the forum. These people have helped me greatly.

Chuck

[aswhitehead]

Thanks for the welcome and the info!!

Scott Whitehead

[memobug]

Originally posted by aswhitehead
I have had quite a bit of trouble with setting the custom WB. It seems to be really sensitive to light level...

You may be a victim of florescent light flicker if you are relying on ambient florescent light. It changes intensity and color many times a second, which could make it very difficult to get consistency.

Custom white balance is the right way to do it, but you'd need a stable light source.

Regards,

Matt

[Tom V]

I'm no expert on the RAW File Converter EX, but I have seen the "Gray Picker" in the color temperture section. I've used it once and it made whatever I picked neutral gray. Put a gray card in your scene, shoot it in RAW, use the Gray Picker to click on the image of the gray card, and it seems to me that it would give a perfect neutral color balance to your image. It would be like a custom white balance done after the shot is taken, based exactly on your image as exposed.

Another thing that can change color temperture from shot to shot when using strobes is using multiple pops, or reduced power to the head. If possible, I would shoot with every head at maximum power. If the light needs to be less intense, back it up, screen it or diffuse it. The worst way to change your color would be to dial down the power and do multiple pops - which is stupid - but I worked with a guy who loved to do just that.

Note too that there are two types of flash tube (covers) on Speedotron, and probably on other brands as well. The tubes are available in Plain glass covers or with UV covers. You will get better light color quality with the UV tubes. If you have a mix of flashhead, some with UV and some with Plain, you are mixing apples and oranges, and your color will vary depending on which flash head you use as your main light. The UV covers have a slight yellow cast. I have seen some Speedotron flash heads that have covers made from Pyrex beakers.

I shot furniture for a few years in the wayback machine. I used tungsten lights (all over the place colorwise), sometimes up to 20 Mole Richardson fresnel spots on a set. I shot with 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, & 11x14 cameras. Back then, we shot 100% size. The image on the catalog page/sales sheet was the same size as the image on the film - there was no scanning of anything. If something needed to be larger or smaller for some reason, the transparency was duped up or down in the darkroom. I hated shooting furniture.