Dear Editor, the photos in MEW are so good I wish to be directed to the place where I can learn? how to submit such quality with an article for approval.
Pictures that I have taken have been on the front cover and I don’t profess to be a photography by any means…….SO, my advice would be :
1/ Light, Light and more light, but make it passive and NOT directly shining at the object.
2/ Make the photo relevant ….. i,e, If ur showing a measuring operation, show the complete setup and the tools used…..and if more than one picture is required take more
3/ Pictures speak a 1000 words…….. the more photo’s the better
4/ Focus ….. Make sure the focus is set on the Object, not the background
5/ Camera … Digital and prolly 3 megapixel minimum ….. Ideally 5
6/ Clutter ……remove it, and try to make the background clear and if possible white
7/ Cleanliness …. try to keep tools, machines clear and clean, the photo’s are more aesthetic
Photo’s are colour corrected and cropped / edited in house ……. and these people are GOOD, so have no fear that less than ideal photos can be used.
There are several good “Digital photography for “dummies” ” type books ( no offence intended ), as well as some hints in previous editions of Model Engineer………I will look them up for reference if I can.
Regarding cleanliness, I get the impression you blokes keep a well polished, unused Myford just for your magazine photos. Just an observation from the colonies
My older Myford ML7R (green) is quite dirty as I tend not to clean it as much as I should but it was purchased new and unused from Ebay at a good price. I would estimate no more than 40hours use.
My newer Myford has been used prior to my purchasing it second hand from Myford but other than a very bad crack to the paint it is in excellent condition. I have used it for about 6 hours in the last couple of months. It is a nice machine with power crossfeed and a large bore. I did not think I would use the cross feed but it has proved indispensible to machine the faceplate with.
Oh for some more workshop time.
I will be using the Tom Senior mill tomorrow to machine the trunk guide slot in a Stuart 10 H casting.
Hope you had a good run in the workshop without too many distractions.
I was having a friendly dig because the machines in the magazine photos look so very clean, nothing like mine! The clean machines and uncluttered backgrounds do make the photos much more ‘readable’ and easier to understand the point being made in the picture.
Workshop time is also in short supply around here as I’m still working full time (probably will be for at least a couple of years after my death) but the daylight hours are getting longer again so things are looking up, but SWMBO is still the limiting factor for workshop time!
Workshop time is also in short supply around here as I’m still working full time (probably will be for at least a couple of years after my death) but the daylight hours are getting longer again so things are looking up, but SWMBO is still the limiting factor for workshop time!
Regards,
Dave
Hi Dave,
It made me laugh when I read that comment about “She Who MUST be Obeyed” regarding workshop time!! That is precicely why I have just packed my “domestic management” and her 2 delightful offspring off to the sunny island of Kos for a fortnight whilst I stay at home, feed the cat, water the garden and spend copious amounts of time in my workshop.
The peace and quiet is utter bliss, so much so that I am tempted to do a runner before they get back but I can’t stand my own cooking for more than a couple of weeks so it seems I’m trapped for want of a decent meal!!
Joking aside I love ’em all really and she does let me loose on the machinery frequently. I get to use the lawn mower once a week, the vacuum cleaner a couple of times a week and the dishwasher every day if I’m lucky so I can’t complain really can I?!
“The peace and quiet is utter bliss, so much so that I am tempted to do a runner before they get back ” – I’m hearing you brother!
“I can’t stand my own cooking for more than a couple of weeks ” – have you considered cooking lessons?
It doesn’t get any easier when you become an ’empty nester’ either because there is nobody else to ‘share the load’.
Like you Martin, I wouldn’t be without her but a break now and then where you are free to set your own priorities around the house (ie workshop time) is pure bliss!