Tips, Tricks, and Feedback

[TimeTexas]

So as I've moved from my phone to my camera, there have been so many people who have helped me out. I think its a natural progression as you post your photos on Instagram and other social media to eventually want to improve your photography skills.

Anyways, @horo_surgeon, @scaramanga_ and most recently @Talkingabouttime have all been an enormous help in providing tips and suggestions, help on buying a camera and lenses and other accessories, and even Stephen (@talkingabouttime) coming by my house to help me learn how to set up various shots. In just a short time my photos have already improved significantly. 

I've had different conversations with these guys and others in various chats, so figured I'd centralize a place for anyone who wants to be a part of the discussion. Whether you're already great and just want to help, or a beginner looking for help, this is the place.

[TimeTexas]

So I'll start with my progression up to this point. I started just using the basic phone camera settings and snapping photos of watches that I just put down on some art. I quickly discovered I was much better off getting up early on Saturday and Sunday and using the morning light for my shots. Over time, I began to switch to the Pro settings on my Samsung which let me adjust shutter speed and ISO, and that was a big step up in the overall quality just making those adjustments. I bought some camera lighting which I used for some indoor shots and a big diffuser and used some white foam board for reflection. But the diffuser was unwieldy and nearly impossible to use. Perry suggested I get a couple plastic display sign holders and some vellum paper and use that as a diffuser. Those made an immediate difference and actually allowed me to set up shots somewhat and have better control of the lighting. I still use these.

Then I started getting better at  using the reflector to ensure there weren't dark areas on the watch. I still use the foam board (poster-sized and folded in half to stand on their own), along with some flat pieces that I can set on top or move around to get the lighting better.

This again was a big improvement.

It was slightly after that I learned about the exposure triangle and also that you want to keep the ISO as low as possible which improves the overall image quality.

At this point I felt I was somewhat limited in what i could do with the phone and started to look into a camera.

Personally, I hate onscreen menus, so I was drawn to the FujiFilm cameras which have external controls that are easy to use. Since I was used to using those same controls on my phone, the transition was pretty easy. I ended up with a FujiFilm XT-3 that I bought used but in great condition from https://keh.com. I definitely suggest it if you want to get something cheaper than new.

As far as the lens, this was definitely overwhelming. There's still a lot I'm learning, but with @talkingabouttime's help, I decided on a Laowa 65mm/2.8 2x macro lens. I'll let others chime in on lenses, but this lens gets really good reviews and is relatively cheap compared to some other more expensive options. It was more than 50% off the Fuji 80mm macro lens. The trade-off is that it is manual focus. But I don't mind that as once you get it set up and learn the process for focusing, its not a big deal. Not only that, I think its a good thing to learn. Also, the 2x macro is AWESOME for getting really close up detailed shots. Most macro lenses don't come with this and are either 1/2 or 1x.

I've had two primary issues as I've started to learn how to use a camera. Everything I did with the phone was quick and ad hoc. It was easy to move the phone around to get different angles, get closer/further away, change the light/flecto, etc. There wasn't any real setup involved. So learning how to use a tripod, set up the shot properly, and actually compose photos has been a learning process. My entire workflow changed and it isn't nearly as quick and easy as it was. That said, it pays dividends and just learning how to compose a photo makes an enormous difference in the overall quality.

The second issue, which I'm still working at, is that my previous experience with cameras was with zoom lenses. So it was very easy to change the dynamic of the shot. Without the zoom, I have to physically move the camera in order to get the right distance away from the subject. With a macro lens, it is definitely great for most watch photos, but there are some times when its somewhat of a challenge to compose the shot and find the right distance with the camera to get all the elements I want.

Anyways, I'm here to learn, but figured I'd give a little info on my current setup. I have a pretty good tripod, which I think is very helpful for setup. I also have a lightbox that Stephen gave me that really really helps with the lighting. Almost an absolute must I would say and you can find some for relatively cheap. Hopefully someone has some good options below.

Acrylic Sign Holder

KEH

Laowa Lens

[TimeTexas]

So the move to a softbox light has been a big step up. But now that I'm used to it, I feel like I need to get one that is a little more flexible as far as the light output. Being able to adjust the brightness/warmth will extremely helpful. Stephen has given me a few suggestions, so I'm going to begin researching those and others. Any suggestions are appreciated. I'll report back on my findings.

[TimeTexas]

So I'm in the market for a new lens. I love the one I have but the manual focus is a little limiting for things like wrist shots. I'm looking to get something that can be versatile as well and used for day to day use which the manual focus isn't good for.

I'm probably also looking to get something with a zoom for the added flexibility. Off to do some research.

[TimeTexas]

I ended up going with the Fuji 33mm f1.4. Its apparently a great lens and will definitely expand my ability to shoot watches and other stuff. There's a definite learning curve because I'm so used to a macro lens and how to set up shot using it that I haven't gotten used to the wider field of view on the new lens, nor the distance from the object. However, it does have autofocus, so I'm able to get some actual wrist/pocket shots occasionally. It will also let me get more shots with artwork that will showcase both the watch and the art. With the macro lens, the focus is primarily the watch and you can't see much of the art.

[TimeTexas]

So I've finally figured out how to shoot with the Fuji 33mm 1.4. What an incredible lens. Thanks too Scaramanga on IG for the recommendation.

One of the biggest learning curves for me has been composing shots. I'm still terrible at flatlays. So getting a much wider field of view with the 33mm compared to my macro lens was a big challenge. The composition changes completely due to the FoV. But I'm getting the hang of it and really enjoying the added flexibility. I still get warnings saying I'm too close to the subject from time to time because I'm so used to setting up the camera close to the watch.

One thing I'm trying to do with the wider field of view is set up secondary lighting to add depth to the shots. It's still a work in progress as I'm still not great at setting up the main lighting. But I do think those are the kinds of things that make a big difference in making the shots more interesting. Here's a shot I took this weekend.

I like how I'm able to highlight the rocks in the background some. Work in progress, but improving.

The other thing the new lens has let me start learning is how to take proper wrist shots, pocket shots, and other shots with me interacting with the watch. The Laowa macro lens is a manual focus, which makes taking those shots nearly impossible, especially considering the Fuji app on Android is pretty janky.

 

The quality on this is pretty great even though I'm still practicing to get the lighting right.

Finally, I learned something about my camera during this process. No matter what I was doing, the quality of my shots with the new lens looked pretty bad once I got the photo in Lightroom. I couldn't figure it out. But after doing a little research, I found out that Fuji defaults to sending a lower resolution image to your phone when you export. I was not aware of this so basically every photo I've done over the past 8 months has basically been a highly compressed file. Seriously 1MB vs about 24MB. It's amazing they weren't just one big pixel. Anyways, I changed that setting and magically all of my photos with the new lens started looking amazing.

I didn't notice when I used my macro lens because I was already so close to the watch that it really wasn't an issue. But with the further distance, the compression just killed the resolution on the 33mm. So now that I have identified that particular user error, I'm good to go...and my storage space fills up  MUCH faster.

Finally, while I'm practicing all of this, I'm about to launch into some videography. With a manual focus, that was nearly impossible. But with the new lens it shouldn't be an issue. That will take a lot of research and practice to improve but I'm excited to learn.

[TimeTexas]

So recently my first light died on me. It was a 60W Godox. It worked well while it lasted but I decided to upgrade to 150W. I also decided to take the diffusing shade off and just use a single hand held diffuser.

Most of my shots used to be relatively moody, partially because I like that look, but also because I didn't have enough light. With the diffuser shade and a handheld diffuser, I was diffusing 60W 3x and there just wasn't much light

With the new setup, I have a lot more light and my shots are much less moody and much more crisp.

It only took me as little over a year to figure that out.