Tips on taking great gun pictures!

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caryc

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 31, 2004
Messages
8,358
Location
Southern California
One of the biggest things that ruin gun pictures is all the CRAP that people have in the pictures with the gun. Things like computer cables or other crap that doesn't need to be in the picture. One pic I remember is a gun sitting on a table. It was very close to the edge of the table. It showed the table dropping away and some other crap under the table. Whoever took that picture could have fixed it by moving the gun further back on the table since the table had nothing on it.

Center the gun in your picture and don't have any other crap that doesn't need to be there. I've seen countless pieces of crap stuck through a trigger guard to stand a gun up. These invariably ruin a picture. Just lay the gun down flat on the table and shoot the pic over the top of the gun. Look at your pic from the screen on the camera and decide what crap doesn't need to be in that picture. People want to see your gun in the picture, not all the useless crap you can't be bothered to remove from the picture. Sure, I'm on a rant but, that's how I see most gun pictures ruined.

Those pictures of guns with the plain white background are nice but too boring for me.
 
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GHollan

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Messages
52
I just broke nearly all the rules the original poster suggested 12 years ago.

This was a quick shot I took outside. While I did use a prime lens, I hand held the camera, used auto focus, didn't use a tripod, timer or cable release, used a very shallow f1.2 depth of field to blur the background, not the f8 or higher depth of field recommended. (Smaller numbers have a shallower depth of field, higher numbers give you more depth of field). I used the jpg file and the only editing was to crop and resize for web/PC viewing and clone out the gun stand rod that fits up the barrel to hold the gun.


Ruger_Super_Blackhawk_3_Screw_44_2198_72pi.jpg



While I occasionally use a tripod indoors, I rarely do outdoors. It doesn't hurt but if the shutter speed is fast enough it isn't really necessary. I save both RAW and jpg versions but very rarely bother with the RAW file. If you capture the image correctly in camera very little editing is required. I wouldn't hesitate using a zoom lens but own fixed f2.8 pro versions that are comparable to many primes.

Cable release, timers and other remote options don't hurt when using a tripod but like the tripod, aren't critical with adequate light that allows a fast enough shutter speed. Mobile phone built in cameras have gotten so much better in the last 12 years they are able to capture excellent images although not quite up to the standards of top level DSLR's with purpose built pro lenses in experienced hands.

A crop of the above image. If you click on the thumbnail and look close at the reflection you can just make me out in front of the tree on the left as I take the picture.

Ruger_Super_Blackhawk_3_Screw_44_2213_crop_72pi.jpg
 
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