Zoss Communications, Inc.

How to Photograph Pens

Contributed by list member Bill Kenner

[This article is based upon a response by Bill Kenner to a question through the pens list from Phil Schatz.]

How to Photograph Pens

In August 2005 I posted a how-to guide for how to light pens to take pleasing photos of them. When I saw that the Zoss list was going to have an archive capacity, I decided to give a more detailed description of the process.

Disclaimer

I asked for help from Henry Posner at B&H Photo Video in New York City. Henry kindly e-mailed me webpage addresses that illustrate much of what I had written about. I have no connection with B&H other than a 20 years relationship as a loyal customer.

As most of you know, the photo business has many sharks who will take advantage of the uninitiated. B&H will treat you fairly, but they are not in business to teach you photography. I have also given DIY instructions for those who prefer that route.

If you have a local photo store that has the items I’ve listed, consider paying more and taking the difference out in advice with your photographic projects. You may be able to pick up used items on eBay or at yard sales for bargains. It comes down to where you want to invest your time and money.

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Choosing a Digital Camera

Since I’m still a film kind of guy, I asked Henry about digital cameras that might work to photograph pens:

For digicams, the first place I'd look is CLICK HERE which is our "Advanced" page for cameras with more features, more res, but not interchangeable lenses. Most digital cameras, even the lower priced point-n-shoot models have a macro mode or an auto close-up mode (usually designated by the little flower or tulip symbol. That said, a digital point-n-shoot which accepts auxiliary add-on lenses and filters offers more versatility. For example, the Nikon Coolpix 4200 has a min focus distance of 1.6" but cannot accept auxiliary lenses. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ4 has a min focus distance of 1.9" but takes 55mm accessories with included lens hood adapter. That means you can add a 55mm Hoya or B+W close-up filter and get something more closely resembling real macro capability.

If you want the most advanced cameras possible, explore the world of digital SLRs. Nikon and Canon lead that market. If you have older auto focus Nikon lenses, then get a Nikon and the same for those with Canon lenses. If you are starting from scratch, then try out both systems in person, before you make your choice. Both systems offer specialized macro lenses that offer fantastic resolution with a flat field (the edges don’t develop a slight curve).

What about Film Cameras?

If you want to shoot with film, the same advice about close-up filters will work. The only difference will be in the sizes of the filters. If you have a zoom lens, then, with a close-up filters you can use your zoom to get the tight close-up of the nib and zoom out for a group shot of several pens.

Lighting Your Pens

The most important element in photographing shinny objects is the lighting. Your basic plan should involve evenly lighting with pen without any hot spots or specular highlights, like the reflection of a flash off the metal. The easiest way to do this is wait for a cloudy bright day and take your pictures outside. If you can't trust the weather or are in a hurry like most of us, you can create that same kind of light by diffusing your light source.

B&H Photo sells small translucent shells made specifically for photographing jewelry and other small shiny objects. Henry offered two ways to go:

You can get your lights and shell separately or for more money you can get them in a convenient, highly controllable package. If you need to photograph pens daily and you don’t have room to leave stuff spread out, then the all-in-one route will be the way to go: CLICK HERE which is the link for all our light tents, domes, etc. We also sell high-end self-contained units from MK Digital Direct. See CLICK HERE .

IMHO the small Paterson tent/dome is about right for pens.

You can use “hot lights” to photograph pens and not get into the world of electronic flash. These have 500-1000 watt bulbs, and they live up to their names. Be careful, since a 500-watt bulb can start a fire faster than a Boy Scout. Henry has given a large selection. Two of any of these will work:

The basic Lowel Tota-Light and its kin can be found at CLICK HERE. Unless they specify the bulb is included, it's not, nor is the light stand, so your readers should pay attention to the product description.

Lights offer the DIY fan a chance to shine, since you can go to Home Depot and 2 buy 500-watt contractor lights--get the singles not the 2 on a bar. The singles come with clamps on them or small tripods. Pull the bulb out and order daylight balanced bulbs from B&H in that size to replace the originals. That gives you the same color temperature as daylight and gets you away from the warm, yellow light of most light bulbs. The Home Depot lights usually come in orange or yellow. If you get that color bleeding into your shot, then use a high temperature black paint to render your lights dull and boring. Old stage lighting will also work for this purpose.

Arrange your lights on either side of your plastic dome so that the light spills in evenly around and under the pen. The dome will have holes in the top, side and bottom for you to shoot through. For those who want to DIY, you can go to your local lighting store and find thin, flexible white plastic diffusers to make you own dome/box.

If you DIY be careful not to let room light spill into your shot. If you are using a digital camera, try to hook it up to a laptop computer so you can see the effect of moving lights around.

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Tripod or Copy Stand

It's easiest if you put your camera on a tripod with an extension arm on top that lets you swing out over the dome without tripod legs getting in the way. You can also buy a copy stand, but that can limit you to taking photos straight down:

Copy stands are at CLICK HERE. They vary according to base size, column height, and whether they accept two or four light heads. Beseler and Bogen are both very good brands. Additional copy & duping equipment including accessories for copy stands can be found at CLICK HERE.

The DIY-ers can buy a used enlarger and remove the enlarging head. Make sure that the head screws on and off. That leaves you with a base and a movable arm. Hopefully, the enlarger will have the same thread size as your camera. Be careful not to screw too far into the base of your camera and gum up the works inside. Check the depth of your threads on your camera and get a spacer to save you from your buying a new camera. I’ve done that.

Backgrounds

Go to an art store and find their handmade paper selection. Pick out paper to use as backgrounds. Also pick up solid color paper such as shiny gray, black, white and other colors that strike your fancy. The art store will also sell putty-like stuff, Hold-It, that will help you stick the pen in place. I've never used that on pens so you might need to get others' advice about its safety with different materials. Pens look best if they are slightly off the background to add depth to the shot.

Setting Up Your Shot

Lay out your shot with your camera in place and your background and pen in position, and then add the dome and position your lights. Again, these lights get really hot--be careful. Experiment by moving your lights around to find the best positions. Remember, you want the light to wrap around the pen in a pleasing way.

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For Those of Us Still Using Film

If you don't have a digital camera, borrow one till you get the hang of the set up and then switch back to film. If you use a handheld reflected light meter, it'll read everything as its standard 18% gray. In that case your white pen will look gray and your black pen will come out more gray than black. Aren't auto exposure systems wonderful? With film it's a good idea to bracket by shooting at half stop increments over and under your ideal exposure. If you are shooting slides for publication, the exact exposure within half an f-stop become critical. It can make the difference between acceptance and rejection of your photo for publication.

Details

If you want to really get technical, you can get small plastic mirrors and arrange them around the pen to add a little extra light here or there. A nice fellow at a plastics company gave me a bunch of their old samples. You can also buy gels to go between your light and the pen to play with the colors in the shot. Be careful, since gels do melt. I told you those lights are hot. Try to keep your lights in as close as possible to your pen(s), since that’ll keep your shadows from going too dark. Your eyes do a better job of seeing into shadows than do digital cameras. What looks great to your eyes will look inky black to the camera.

More general issues include setting your shot up on a rock solid table. You don't want to spend an hour getting everything just right and bump the table. Oh, and lock the cats, dogs, and small children out, too. If you use a copy stand, then use a clamp of some kind to secure it to the table or weights to hold it secure on the floor.

Don’t get discouraged. Tabletop, shiny metal photography is some of the most difficult photo work around. Professional photographers will spend half a day setting up a shot for one of the high gloss pen magazines. If you want to read more on the subject, that’s the title to look for in photo books. Professional photographers have done how-to videos on the subject as well.

I look forward to seeing your photos on Zoss.pens.

Bill Kenner
Nashville, TN

Thomas Zoss
Zoss Communications, Inc.
3431 S. Weeping Willow Way, Bloomington, Indiana 47403 USA
Telephone 812-332-2334, E-mail to Tom Zoss