Cannabis Photography 101

[Guest]

Please post any relevant info on taking quality pics of cannabis.

I am a camara retard. Can you please help?

The benefit of divulging your secrets? More and better shots for us all to drool over!

Im hoping this thread can be useful to everyone.

 

[Guest]

hmm

use a tripod if you cannot hold the camera still (will reduce blurry pics)


use ambient/external lighting instead of flash, whenever possible... (will prevent unwanted shadowing)



im a photography n00b myself, but these are a couple of the things that have helped me.

 

[Guest]

i ALWAYS use my flash when taking pics in HPS lighting, it normalises the color in the picture.

also it makes the trichomes stand out


THC

 

[Guest]

i ALWAYS use my flash when taking pics in HPS lighting, it normalises the color in the picture.

also it makes the trichomes stand out


THC

me too

 

[Crazy Composer]

keep 1 out of every 20 pics as keepers, that's how to build a strong gallery

 

[Guest]

very true. i take at least 10 pictures of a shot I want to get, and sure enough usually only 1 comes out the way i want. trial and error, lots of time spent looking through almost identical pics I've found taking them right b4 lights come on shows them at their best, as long as I turn on a regular lightbulb or flouescent in the room. the flash definitely shows the trichs, but i also shoot without flash to show the neon green color healthy MJ has

 

[zeppelindood]

what is a macro and how do you do it?

 

[Sinfuldreams]

If you don't have a Fancy

If you don't have a Fancy

Camera with Loads of Macro, tape a Magnifier to the lens. Almost any Power Magnifier will work.

Move the Camera in try not to ZOOM IN, move the Tripod and Camera in close as possible. Some trichome shots the lens is touching the bud!
Once zoomed in move the camera in and out left and right for best light or angle of view.

Use your White Balance feature! It helps with the HPS and MH color shift a lot!

if you have a good flash go ahead and use it. I find I over expose with the Cameras Flash. So use a Compcat Floro and move it around to light the bud.

Use a Lazy Susan for Plant and bud shots, just spin it for different angles.

I use my hands to block light from making HOT Spots on a Shot, where the light is too heavy on one spot, but the rest is in good light. Make your own Shade and Spot Lights.

When you focus center the view finder on the OBJECT you want to Shoot, not the wall or Vase behind it or in front of it.
Close up Bud shots can be difficault the Depth of Field changes fast when in Close up. So Look 1st then shoot.

Tripod, Move the Camera, white balance, focus. thats about it.

Sin

 

[zeppelindood]

great job.... thanks sin, my fine br0ther ~

 

[Guest]

these were my first macros ever using SINS 'po boy macro' technique... worked pretty damn well if you ask me. my cam dont do marcos either

 

[Soggy]

just an easy tip that I know peeps who dont know the macro function screw up

just an easy tip that I know peeps who dont know the macro function screw up

Hey nice thread here...good way for peeps to get the best lookin pics...I have a Canon PowerShot S45 4 megP...im going to be adding one of the Nikon Coolpix soon bc u cant beat their macro function IMO...also if u like spending and buying new gadgets...look into a Digital SLR...holy shnikeez these things are so cool...basically its a regular camera in digital format...think...u can get telephote lenses that are literally microscopes...they will run ya like 1500 bucks...but well worth it for the amazing photography...

oh yea so my tip...

I have helped some people cure their fuzzy pic problem with this...if u are using a regular function and ur zooming in to take some snaps...many times a person will forget to zoom ALL the way back out before switching to macro function...if u do not do this all ur macro images will be distorted and i will laught at u
jk good luck i hope this helps at least one of u

snap to it...

soggy socks

 

[Guest]

Great thread.

A site I found most useful for camera reviews: www.dpreview.com

Lots of cam forums there as well and personal reviews by other cam users.

Enjoy

 

[Flowerman]

I agree with CC, I usually keep only 1 out of 20 pics that I take.
If using a camera flash, it's best to have external flashes, as this will give you the greater depths from the sides, and still bring out the trichomes. If using the flash that came with the camera, you have to find a proper distance, so that your pics don't get that white flash on them. I like using the zoom, and stand about 4 feet away while using the flash on my camera. Also most digital cams have a wide arrange of effects on them, when dealing with different kinds of lighting. So you can pretty much take photos in any type of lighting, from outdoors, under HPS, MH, and so on down the line. Also there are different types of flashes, such as a ring flash, which gives a photo a nice shadowless closeup. Also there is the slave flash, the one thing great about these is, that you can move(rotate the flash) the flash lens, giving you the perfect balance of light, and are more powerful then the flash that came with the cam.
When taking macros, your lens will determine how close you can get. But using a magnifying glass as already stated can really help some, especially if your cam doesn't have macro mode.
Also arranging the lights from like the ceiling, or side lights can really bring out an emotional feeling. Where as just the camera flash won't. I prefer to take my pics under bright white light.
Also if your camera has it, please use the stabilizer function when taking pics. This helps if your hands shake some, while keeping the lens stable.
Also when taking pics of plants, be creative. You don't have to stand right in front of it. You can get on top of it, angle the camera, shoot from underneath it. Also putting a cloth or something in the background will improve the look of the pic. I also try to avoid a white background, as this will create an underexposed shot most of the time. Gray is great, but can be boring, black is pretty much my favorite, though I do use red alot as well. But a dark background will bring out the trichomes, and just illuminate them, when used in conjuction with a flash.
If shooting in the dark, it's best if your camera has a light or infrared light to find the item you are about to take. I find when outdoors at night, I use night mode, which automatically sets the camera, unlike the old ones you had to do everything manually, and just hit the button without the focus button on. They usually come out better, but light is so important imo.
Also if taking pics for the web, you don't really need a high mega-pixel camera. For web pics, anything around a 3-megapixel will be great. But if you pan on buying a real expensive digi, and want some great print outs, make sure it can take pics in Raw, or Tif. But that's only if you want the best. But if you just plan on putting pics on the net, then don't worry about that.
I also suggest buying some rechargeable batteries, you save lots of pennies, unless you work at a battery plant.

Click for Larger Image


Click for Larger Image

 

[mybeans420]

great thread phototropic,
i've been tring it seems like forever to figure out how to get good macro shots. i have a nikon coolpix 4500 and bog just told me about the the exposure adjustments i need to make to avoid too much flash. so i'll be trying those adjustments. i'll post my results

peace
beans

 

[pistillwhipped]

Agreed! A good thread indeed.


Great pics up there flowerman! I esp. like the crusty leaf

I am using an HP R707 Photosmart. If I had done a little research before buying I would have probably gone with the Nikon CoolPix or something more affordable......remember peeps.....more money does not equal a better product.

 

[Guest]

Excellent information everyone, thanks for sharing your tips and secrets.

Maistre is right, www.dpreview.com is a great site. I just purchased a Canon EOS 300D, can't wait to try out all the new techniques on this little beast.

mybeans420 - any word on the exposure adjustments? BOG certainly has a touch for trichrome shots. Would love to see how he does it.

Please keep the advise coming everyone, this thread can (and did!) help a lot of camera newbies like me.

 

[kindred1]

Great tips everyone!

I just wanted to stop by and share a White Balancing tip i learned a few months ago! Its super easy and works extremely well.

ok,I white balance using a Pringles Potato Chip Lid. Is an opaque white lid.

here is the steps i take when I need to white balance.

1. set the lens to Manual Focus
2. have the camera set to "auto white balance"
3. hold the pringles lid in front of the lens
4. Point the camera into the light source and take a shot.
5. use this pic as the custom White Balance reference.(check your cameras manual for instructions)

best money ive spent on equipment so far and cures the munchies also!...lol

i love it,works extremely well with my Canon Cameras. I have also tried Coffee Filters and the pringles lid seems to work best.

if you want more info,go here and search for "pringles lid",you will find TONS of info on this technique!
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/

If you dont have "Pringles" in your country,you can try another opaque white lid or use Coffee Filters. More info on the coffee filters here:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/viewtopic_archives.php?TopicID=64826&page=0

I just bought some Shop Lights at Home Depot for a newbie lighting setup(20$),only had a chance to try it once,but it works very well, More info on that soon. heres the pics from that shoot.


Click for Larger Image


Click for Larger Image

 

[Guest]

with the sony cybershot 5.1 they have an excellent macro mode....it actually works as a maginfy lens....I put the camera right on top of the nugs and the pics come out pretty clear:

 

[kindred1]

Here is the info on the shop lights from home depot as requested.

they were 22$ and they are halogen shop lights with 2 heads. Frame extends to 6ft tall.They are bright yellow.

be careful!these suckers are hot,ive even heard of ovens that use halogen bulbs to cook with,so that should tell you how hot they get.

You will need to remove the safety grills cause they cause shadows.


to show what you can do with these lights,check this site out,this pro photographer uses these same lights from home de-pot!
i envy his job,taking photos of beautiful women all day....must be nice!
http://www.pictures4fun.com/


Click for Larger Image


Click for Larger Image

 

[dddownlowww]

Great Thread!

Great Thread!

I will be incorporating all of these suggestions as I can! Great thread!

3d