taking pictures of guitars

[jacksonface]

Hey all, I'm about to try to sell some Jacksons on ebay and was wondering what would be good shots, and what kind of background would work best. I'm a new digital photographer (nikon coolpix 4300) and I'm not really sure. I did take some test pictures, but I think I need to spend some time on a better background, lighting, and just what shots to take.

[wulfe13]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Lots of close ups, but watch out for the flash! I would take one full front and one full back, as well as any blemishes. That is if you can get them to show. That just lets bidders know you're honest. That's what I look for when bidding. The background depends on what color the guitar is. White on dark and vice versa!

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

That Nikon camera you have is pretty good, actually. It's surprisingly user-friendly. You should be able to pull off more than decent shots of your guitars. Maybe this topic will help a little bit:

http://www.jcfonline.com/ubb/noncgi/...=003158#000000

Natural light is your friend. Copious amounts of it is generally preferred rather than trying to use a flash in a dim basement at night to fully capture your subject. Take your guitar outside and you might be surprised that the camera may capture some of the beauty (and maybe some blemishes) of the guitar that you didn't know existed before. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Manyaxes]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

On another note, how come your not offering them here first? [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

[Sunbane]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Originally posted by ManyAxes:
On another note, how come your not offering them here first? [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">He's a "junior member" and thusly can't post in the classifieds.

[Manyaxes]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Ooops, didn't catch that! [img]graemlins/eyes.gif[/img]

[Chuckracer]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

So that means all his trick custom shop Jacksons and San Dimas Charvels he's selling for about a third of street value will go to the bay first instead of here? Bummer. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[RockBrigadePC1]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

I would take a picture of any damage the guitar has. Like others have said, it is better to be honest, that way the buyer will trust you.

Also, post around here some more and put them here

[Newc]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Yeah make sure you take plenty of blurry, small full-figure shots - folks around here might think you were selling a guitar that had been cut into pieces unless they can see the tip of the head and the rear strap button at the same time [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

My next round of pics is going to be a huge puzzle - ya wanna see the whole thing, print em out and start with the ScotchTape [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[Budman68]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Originally posted by Newc:
Yeah make sure you take plenty of blurry, small full-figure shots - folks around here might think you were selling a guitar that had been cut into pieces unless they can see the tip of the head and the rear strap button at the same time [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

My next round of pics is going to be a huge puzzle - ya wanna see the whole thing, print em out and start with the ScotchTape [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] No wonder you're so against drugs Matt, you don't need them bro! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]


Dave->

[mhalsey]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Natural light is your friend. Copious amounts of it is generally preferred rather than trying to use a flash in a dim basement at night to fully capture your subject. Take your guitar outside and you might be surprised that the camera may capture some of the beauty (and maybe some blemishes) of the guitar that you didn't know existed before

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree with NOTP. I've been a member here for about 3 weeks and some of the best pics I've seen posted were taken outdoors. Every pic I've seen of the DK2 Crimson Swirl pales in comparison to the one I saw in here that was taken outdoors. The detail it showed was awesome.

[MadHatter]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

Outdoor pictures with good sunlight can't be beat.

[Tekky]

Re: taking pictures of guitars

A couple other suggestions:

1) Find a chubby redneck, have him wear jeans, a sleeveless camo t-shirt, a mesh baseball cap, and aviator sunglasses. Make him pose with the guitar in various "rock poses" and "metal faces" regardless of how rock or metal he looks.

2) Find a chick with a very good body and have her pose with the guitar, but NEVER show her face.

3) Find an average looking girl and have her pose with the guitar. (you'll get a lot of mileage from this site as half the members on this board will tear her apart, while the other half will reply with "I'd do her")

4) Take vaseline and "polish" the lens of the camera. (this also works with Mayonaise, bacon grease, or lard)