[Digitalis]

I was giving a demonstration of how to photograph metalware to my studio students, and nothing quite exemplifies the difficulties encountered with this kind of subject quite like musical instruments. the instrument on the top is my 113 year old Rudall Carte in thinned Cocus wood and britannia silver keywork, and below is My Altus 1507 (solid britannia silver keys and body tube) with my custom made Mopane wood headjoint by Robert Bigio.



Pentax K1 - SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 @ f/11 ISO 100 1/200th

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Last edited by Digitalis; 08-12-2021 at 12:25 AM.

[fs999]

FF Mode • 100 ISO • Canon FD New 85mm f:1.2 L • Scoptics adapter FD/PK • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 1600 ISO • Pentax DA* 200mm F2.8 ED SDM • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Pentax F 50mm F1.7


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Pentax FA* 24mm F2 IF AL
Machico • Madeira

[WPRESTO]

I was giving a demonstration of how to photograph metalware to my studio students, and nothing quite exemplifies the difficulties encountered with this kind of subject quite like musical instruments. the instrument on the top is my 113 year old Rudall Carte in thinned Cocus wood and britannia silver keywork, and below is My Altus 1507 (solid britannia silver keys and body tube) with my custom made Mopane wood headjoint by Robert Bigio.



Pentax K1 - SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 @ f/11 ISO 100 1/200th

I presume you are a player and not just a collector. Do you play only for yourself and friends or is there a local orchestra?

I encountered problems with spectral highlights during my B&W days in the Film Era, but the subject was about as different as could be imaged = fossils. Many fossils are coated with clear lacquer to seal them against water gain or loss which can destroy them, but that puts on a highly reflective surface. Also, the enamel of some fossil teeth has mirror-like reflective properties that make them difficult to photograph. Soft, diffused lighting, a light tent or something similar sometimes works to lessen the blank-white reflective spots. For very small teeth, we would coat them with powdered magnesium so they would be uniformly medium gray. Then you can adjust the lighting for shape modeling as was once done for B&W portraiture. Aside from killing the spectral highlights, the magnesium coating covers major difference in the colors of the specimen which can also mask or distort the perception of shape in a published illustration..

[normhead]

I was giving a demonstration of how to photograph metalware to my studio students, and nothing quite exemplifies the difficulties encountered with this kind of subject quite like musical instruments. the instrument on the top is my 113 year old Rudall Carte in thinned Cocus wood and britannia silver keywork, and below is My Altus 1507 (solid britannia silver keys and body tube) with my custom made Mopane wood headjoint by Robert Bigio.



Pentax K1 - SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 @ f/11 ISO 100 1/200th

My own class used silver ware. We had to photograph a spoon, fork and knife with no reflections or blown high lights. I remember I got the lighting perfect but lost marks because of a thumb print in the corner of the print. I must have picked up the paper with fix on my thumb.

Given my lighting set up, a translucent cone aligned so I should get the camera lens through it at an angle the defeat reflections, I'd need a boatload of transluscent paper to do a flute.

A buddy who used to shoot big trucks for GM, used the same principle. He bought something that resemble a small circus tent made of white canvas and positioned light towers around the outside, for the necessary lighting, all light coming thorough the tent which acted as a diffuser. The same technique I employed on knives and forks on a much grander scale.

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Last edited by normhead; 08-12-2021 at 06:02 AM.

[Digitalis]

I presume you are a player and not just a collector. Do you play only for yourself and friends or is there a local orchestra?

I'm currently working on my bachelor degree in classical music performance at Adelaide University. I do collect older flutes, and I have them restored* to playable condition so I have period instruments to present works that were originally written for them. I have been playing the flute for about 27 years now.




The Cocuswood Rudall Carte is my favorite instrument in my collection, I have many flutes made by famous flute makers: Louis Lot, Haynes and Powell. But this flute has a remarkable sound quality that modern flutes simply cannot equal.

My own class used silver ware. We had to photograph a spoon, fork and knife with no reflections or blown high lights.

Yes, cutlery is the basic test for any photographer to manage. There are lots of little tricks you can use to keep reflections under control. But as subjects get bigger and bigger it becomes exponentially harder to keep the light even across the subject, which is important or highly reflective subject matter.


Never underestimate the utility of a well placed reflector.


* As it so happens there is a specialist instrument repairer here in Adelaide who has expertise in restoring old instruments. He collects old flutes, but he doesn't play them....on numerous occasions we have ended up bidding against eachother on the same instrument in auctions.

[fs999]

FF Mode • 100 ISO • Pentax DA* 200mm F2.8 ED SDM • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 200 ISO • Pentax DA* 200mm F2.8 ED SDM • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Soligor C/D Wide-Auto 20mm f:2.8


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Irix Blackstone 15mm F2.4
Madeira

[Erictator]

FF Mode • 100 ISO • Pentax DA* 200mm F2.8 ED SDM • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 200 ISO • Pentax DA* 200mm F2.8 ED SDM • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Soligor C/D Wide-Auto 20mm f:2.8


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Irix Blackstone 15mm F2.4
Madeira

Every day should be a Soli-Day!
Nice Frederic.
Eric

[JimJohnson]

I'm currently working on my bachelor degree in classical music performance at Adelaide University. I do collect older flutes, and I have them restored* to playable condition so I have period instruments to present works that were originally written for them. I have been playing the flute for about 27 years now.

* As it so happens there is a specialist instrument repairer here in Adelaide who has expertise in restoring old instruments. He collects old flutes, but he doesn't play them....on numerous occasions we have ended up bidding against eachother on the same instrument in auctions.

I have enjoyed the photos and discussion. As many readers here know, the techniques apply in more areas than metalwork. I photographed our 2 month old granddaughter last year when nobody in their right mind would go into a studio. It was warm so we set up on the shaded patio. I bounced my flash off the house's white siding behind the camera and had my son-in-law use a reflector on the other side of the sleeping infant outside the frame to re-bounce light into the shadows. We had beautiful soft glare-free light.

One of my wife's cousins worked his way through his undergrad degree and law school at the Cincinnati Fluteworks. I won't drop names, but he worked on instruments for a number of internationally known professional performers. While he is well established in his intended career, I think he still works on instruments for a few select clients. His toolkit didn't seem all that large to me. I suspect the task is highly dependent on the skills of the tool user.

[tim60]

I have enjoyed the photos and discussion. As many readers here know, the techniques apply in more areas than metalwork. I photographed our 2 month old granddaughter last year when nobody in their right mind would go into a studio. It was warm so we set up on the shaded patio. I bounced my flash off the house's white siding behind the camera and had my son-in-law use a reflector on the other side of the sleeping infant outside the frame to re-bounce light into the shadows. We had beautiful soft glare-free light.

One of my wife's cousins worked his way through his undergrad degree and law school at the Cincinnati Fluteworks. I won't drop names, but he worked on instruments for a number of internationally known professional performers. While he is well established in his intended career, I think he still works on instruments for a few select clients. His toolkit didn't seem all that large to me. I suspect the task is highly dependent on the skills of the tool user.

There are quite a lot of kinds of work where you only need a few tools but they may be quite specialised.

[Rondec]

Sunrise (DFA *85 mm)



Tower at Antietam (DFA 15-30mm)

[WPRESTO]

I suspect the task is highly dependent on the skills of the tool user.

M had an uncle who through a love of music taught himself to restore and tune pianos, a complex skill that also requires several skills you cannot learn = perfect pitch and sensitivity to the "touch" of the keys. In retirement from his day job (don't know for sure what it was) he developed such a reputation that there were always several pianos in process and potential clients who could only be placed on a list.

[fs999]

Every day should be a Soli-Day!
Nice Frederic.
Eric

I will do my very best

FF Mode • 100 ISO • Canon FD New 85mm f:1.2 L • Scoptics adapter FD/PK • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Soligor C/D Wide-Auto 20mm f:2.8


FF Mode • 200 ISO • Pentax F 50mm F1.7
Wiener Schnitzel, Flour Dumplings

[Erictator]

I will do my very best

FF Mode • 100 ISO • Canon FD New 85mm f:1.2 L • Scoptics adapter FD/PK • Kenko Pz-AF UniPlus Tube 25


FF Mode • 100 ISO • Soligor C/D Wide-Auto 20mm f:2.8


FF Mode • 200 ISO • Pentax F 50mm F1.7
Wiener Schnitzel, Flour Dumplings

That 2nd one is epic Frederic! Yes, keep doing your very best, no more phoning it in... LOL!
Great use of the Soli bokeh and subject isolation. The others are nice too, for non-Soli shots.
Eric

[Jeff]

All with the 28-105.

[WPRESTO]

Utah. It's easy to find good landscapes in Utah.