Gun photography

[Fast14riot]

Knowing there are some professional photographers in here and many photography enthusiasts, I'd like to see some of what everyone considers their best gun or shooting photos. I'd like to keep posts to just photos and short descriptions or possibly BTS shots of the set up if you're using more advanced gear.

I enjoy product and fine art photography as a pastime of 20+ years, which of course naturally shooting my guns in the studio quickly followed suit. Always looking for more photo projects, even if you have had professional shots done, I'd be very interested in seeing it for lighting techniques alone.

To start off, I will post some of mine. This series was for catalog purposes mainly.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

How did you suspend those for the pic?

 

[T-shooter]

I've done photography and Photoshop work for over 20 years. In my opinion, the pictures are a little too dark and some of the detail is lost to the background unless that's the effect you are trying to achieve. I lightened a couple of them here. I like how they are suspended. What do you think? Do you work with Photoshop or Lightroom?

 

[Fast14riot]

How did you suspend those for the pic?

Originally I tried my backdrop holder, but it wasn't up to the task of a 14lb+ rifle being hung from it, so I had to improvise.

 

[Fast14riot]

I've done photography and Photoshop work for over 20 years. In my opinion, the pictures are a little too dark and some of the detail is lost to the background unless that's the effect you are trying to achieve. I lightened a couple of them here. I like how they are suspended. What do you think? Do you work with Photoshop or Lightroom?
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These images are a few years old, but I really should have thrown a 3rd light in for a rim light from behind to give that separation. It could very well be these files as they're not the high res copies. I do not use either PS or LR, I'm an old school guy and try to do as much as I can, in camera. The minor editing (string removal, etc) was done with a basic, free program.

Your edit does look nice!

 

[Fast14riot]

Here is a shot I did as an exercise in lighting principles, using the inverse square law, this image was shot with no backdrop.

 

[T.Rhodes]

Nice shots Fast14riot.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I would have used a reflector in front of the rifle. Simply a white board would have don the job.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Nice lighting. It's what I think most photographers would refer to as "low key". That is, darker in tone with limited light. For product display high key is more often used. I like the reflection you are getting off the base pad. Almost looks like you have a light down low pointing up in a couple of those shots. Especially the bolt gun with the stainless barrel.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I've done photography and Photoshop work for over 20 years. In my opinion, the pictures are a little too dark and some of the detail is lost to the background unless that's the effect you are trying to achieve. I lightened a couple of them here. I like how they are suspended. What do you think? Do you work with Photoshop or Lightroom?
View attachment 1150968

View attachment 1150969

The idea of an exercise of this nature is to shoot the scene and get it right in the camera, not fix a mistake in Photoshop. Anyone can do that.

Don't get me wrong, I do use a lot of different programs when looking for special effects but I make ever effort to get the lighting right without resorting to computer corrections.

It's a shame that no one teaches film photography anymore. Why bother with lighting when you can simply relight the entire scene with a digital program. Kids with a cell phone can shoot beautiful photographs and even correct them right in their smart phones.

I applaud the OP for his efforts to do things the old fashion way.

 

[T-shooter]

These images are a few years old, but I really should have thrown a 3rd light in for a rim light from behind to give that separation. It could very well be these files as they're not the high res copies. I do not use either PS or LR, I'm an old school guy and try to do as much as I can, in camera. The minor editing (string removal, etc) was done with a basic, free program.

Your edit does look nice!

The 3rd light would work. The things that ruins a lot of photos are a flash, sharp light, and the subject matter being too close to the background that cast a shadow. I'm an old school guy too and did work where everything was cut, paste, and photographed long before the digital age. I don't miss the dark room! I started with Photoshop in 1995 and got my first digital camera in 1998. With post processing in RAW, you can get a much wider dynamic range even if the picture was taken as a .JPG.

 

[JFrank]

@CT10ring

 

[butchlambert]

Some have seen photos of my rifles. I'm not a computer person and am waiting on help. Photoshop, Tinypic, and Picasa merged. They said the only way to get going again was one photo at a time.
In the meantime I made a fixture that I put shrink wrap over on the pins. Weight of the rifle doesn't matter. Slide the barrel over the pin vertically and take the photos.

 

[Fast14riot]

I would have used a reflector in front of the rifle. Simply a white board would have don the job.

There is a white board on the floor in front of the gun.

I am planning on reshooting similar to these shots, starting to get my studio gear back. I had most of it stolen last year. I may shoot some on 220 as well.

Thanks all!

Please, if anyone has any shots they like, do post them.

 

[butchlambert]

Some of you that have been around the turnip patch once or 4 times know Turk Takano. He is a photographer and writer for the largest Gun Mag in Japan. Turk brought over a lot of equipment to my house about 3 years ago to give me a few lessons on lighting. I decided to let the good guys do my photography.
Turk knows his weapons, how to use them, and how to photograph them.

 

[Aero]

Some have seen photos of my rifles. I'm not a computer person and am waiting on help. Photoshop, Tinypic, and Picasa merged. They said the only way to get going again was one photo at a time.
In the meantime I made a fixture that I put shrink wrap over on the pins. Weight of the rifle doesn't matter. Slide the barrel over the pin vertically and take the photos.

This. I've seen a number of high end custom gunmakers (think walnut stocked, blued steel guild type guys) as well as high end professional gun photographers use what Butch is describing where the rifle, or any other gun has a rod of some sort inserted into the muzzle and the gun is positioned vertically, muzzle down.

 

[rkittine]

Nicely done. I used to shoot studio Magazine Layouts part time and still have all my equipment, though the Blads, the M645 and the RP-67Pro all have digital backs on them now. Can't find a Digital Back for my 8x10 Linhoff though?

Bob

 

[butchlambert]

This photo was by James Anderson that did most of my 1917 Enfield in 416 Rigby

 

[WeatherbyFan]

Fast14riot very cool photos......

I was told by a photographer that a red background works good for rifles.....but Im just using my cel phone for pictures

 

[butchlambert]

Still playing with a different method of posting.