Lighting
One lighting concern is the white balance
of the photograph. Natural light, incandescent
light, and florescent light each
takes on a different color. Incandescent
light tends to be orange-toned, florescent
light tends to have a green tone, and natural
light has a blue tone. If using a film
camera, there isn’t much you can do, but
most modern digital cameras have a white
balance adjustment that will compensate
for the lighting.
If something is lighted poorly, the
project either looks one-dimensional and
flat, or the shadows obscure the project’s
details. With computer software, we can
sometimes lighten an image up, but this
often degrades the image.
It doesn’t take professional-grade
equipment to do an acceptable job of photographing
a project. Scrolled works look
best if lighted with two equal lights. Most
scrolled work is designed to hang on a
wall or sit fl at, so it is important to highlight
the details equally. The lights should
be the same wattage, the same distance
from the piece, and angled at the piece the
same way. This will show all the details of
the project.
Pick up a couple adjustable desk lamps
at a home improvement store, and fit both
with the largest bulb they can handle
(usually between 60-75 watts).
Suspend a white sheet or piece of
cheesecloth 6-8" in front of the lights to
soften the glow, and you are set. If you use incandescent bulbs, be sure to adjust the
white balance of your camera to compensate
for the color of the lights—otherwise
your project will come out looking orange.
A better solution is to fit the lamps with
two of the spiral florescent bulbs that have
a traditional, screw-type base. These bulbs
give off light that is much closer to natural
sunlight, and make it easier for you to
photograph the scrolled work. |
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A good photo
of a Lora S. Irish
intarsia design
scrolled by Sam Willcox.
The balance of shadow
and highlight shows off
the details of the project.
Note the softness of the
outer shadows that are cast
by the piece. |
|
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| Digital cameras have a “white balance” setting in
place to compensate for different lighting conditions.
If you choose the
wrong setting, the photos
will take on an odd color. |
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