Thread: Photographing Razors

I'd like to start restoring one of my blades, but I would like to document the process. Razors, however, seem difficult to photograph well. Any tips on photographing a razor.

Sicboater can probably give you some pointers. He photographed dozens at the gathering

Check out the following links:

Strobist: How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio

http://straightrazorpalace.com/gener...tml#post173259

Good shooting!

cool. I was thinking of selling off some of my straights on the buy/sell/trade, but I was worried that the pics might not show all the flaws. The macro box should do the trick.

The smaller the light source, the harder the shadows. A full sun (small light source) on a bright day will give you harsh shadows.
By diffusing the light you can soften the shadows. On a cloudy bright day, the clouds work as a diffuser (large light source) which result in very soft shadows.
The same principle can be reproduced on a smaller scale with tracing paper a napkin or fabric for instance.

Bounce cards can be used for fill in light. White cards can work as a reflector while black bounce cards will absorb light.
Gold surfaces reflect warm light and can ad a yellowish fill light to the subject, silver surfaces a more whitish light.

Unwanted reflections can be removed by searching for the light source that is causing the reflection and then be flagged.

It's amazing what you can do with just one light source.

a few quick tips I have picked up photographing small things, not just razors

1. use an external light source, the flash makes close ups look nasty. i use a desk light with a sheet of typing paper taped to it. sometimes i use two this way, one from each side to almost entirely eliminate shadows. this really makes the subject "pop"

2. for best clarity, use a low fstop, a low iso speed film, and a long exposure. some of my best macro stuff (indoor) has been f2.7, iso80, 1 second+ use a tripod or a sandbag, no matter how good you think you are, your hands will shake a little with an exposure that long. this method will also give you a nicer depth of field.

3. use the highest macro setting or lens you can find. get the camera as close as you can without cropping parts of it out. extra space around the edges of the picture means wasted resolving power.

Go to photography-on-the.net they will know a lot more about this then I and will no doubt have an answer for you.

The thing that makes razors so difficult is that the blades are shiny. Shiny stuff stinks to photo. If you have the time and means to build a light tent like the one mentioned above, it will greatly help. Otherwise, tierdaen's tutorial (both linked in the same thread) is really good. The bottom line is take a ton of photos and vary how you have the razor positioned. Some other tips:

Lower f-stops will give you a shallow depth of field. If you are shooting the whole razor and it is perpendicular to the lens, a low f-stop is fine (f1-f2.7). If the blade is not perpendicular (think: shooting the end to show the grind) a low f-stop will result in some parts of the razor being in focus and some parts out of focus.

ISO setting should be as low as it can be to prevent digital noise. Sometimes, you can't shoot lower than 1600. It happens, but in your case, add more light.

Backing up and Zooming into the subject (optical zoom only! Digital zoom is just degrading the picture!) is very effective in helping to produce a good shot with a point and shoot camera. Macro settings are only useful if you are shooting close. Most macro settings will not allow you to frame an entire razor and have it in focus. If you are shooting a part of the razor (just the tang or the stamping) Macro will be your friend. Bottom line, there is no magic f-stop, iso, shutter speed setting combo, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. No matter what, you will do better if you have a:

Tripod. If you don't have one, unscrew the shade from a lamp and use the lamp, a lot of times they have the same size threads on the harp. Alternatively, you can use a bolt that will fit (1/4" usually but you'll have to figure out what thread pitch) and a cord tied to it that you can then stand on. Pulling against the cord creates stabilizing tension. The more cords and directions of the cords, the more stability. Use atleast two, one for each foot. Bottom line is: you can always find a way to stabilize your camera.
Learn more Here

If your camera allows it, learn about setting the white balance. You will need a set of white balance cards to do this. More Here

some livi's in the light box. Note I kept them perpendicular to the lens so as not to make them look shorter.


Coming off of perpendicular here was okay because the box gives perspective scale.


Short depth of field due to lower f-stop: Note the way his fist in the foreground is out of focus and the background is out of focus but his head and face (the subject of the shot) are in focus.



Hope this helps! PM with questions if you need to, I would be happy to help.

An alternative to a tripod with a light box in the back ground is a mid sized paper back novel to get the camera off the ground and then use the timer feature. Frame with trial and error, then set the timer.

Angle the razor into the light and play around with it. Eventually you will find the right angle that lights up the length of the blade. The concave grind makes a 'mirror shadow'. You'll see what I mean.

Mark

My approach would be...

1. Place the subject in the desired position, making sure it is stable and won't move during the shoot, until I'm satisfied with the composition
2. Stabilizing the camera by a tripod and framing the picture
3. Play with the light source(s) and light modifiers (gobo, bounce cards etc.) for the desired results.
4. Using the timer setting to avoid camera shake during the exposure.