Thank you all, for the comments!
One of these days I am going to get into photographing my works better. may need to upgrade the camera too. It is on my long list of to do things. Nice job on both the pens and the photos.
I actually started a thread (unposted yet) to describe how I'm doing my photography these days. It might take me a day or two to fully finish it, but I'm describing each aspect of the setups, from design, to lighting, to props, etc. I figured I've learned enough that I should share with the community. I do use a nice camera, but...I think as long as you have a bit of control over your focus, and the right focal length, you really don't need anything particularly fancy. In my case, I choose to use a 100mm macro lens, as it gives me a lot of latitude to get close in without losing the ability to focus, and somehow (which kind of surprises me) it gives me a nearly perfect FoV. On some cameras, the optimal lens might be a 50mm or 70mm, once you find that sweet spot, then you are pretty much golden for this kind of closer up photography.
Beautiful pens! Your photos are very well thought out and look great! Buckeye Burl always looks great as it's always different and when turning it down there's always good surprises.
Thank you. I have spent some time exploring what other sellers do, and some people have truly phenomenal product photography. Not just pens, all kinds of wood items (and other hand crafts like pottery.) So, I felt I had to step up my game, or be lost to oblivion. I still don't think my photography compares to some of the greatest product photos out there yet, but I do think I am progressing regularly enough that I'll get there some day in the not too distant future.
I love Buckeye Burl; I love your turnings; and I love your photos!!!
Well done.
Buckeye is one of my favs also. So much character. Your pens look Very elegant.
Nice work!
Really nice Jon. I agree, the Buckeye Burl is perfect for those!
Aye! Buckeye Burl is some of my favorite wood! In the past I have not necessarily chosen companion hardware so well. I think these two were perfectly made to match with this buckeye... This was a really intricately detailed piece, too, and it didn't quite look it from the outside. I think that's one of the things about wood I love the most...you often just never know what you are going to get! I turned a vase in 2021, one of my first, from this piece of maple that looked really janky and nasty on the outside. I picked it, because it was one of my first vases, and I figured if I screwed up it wouldn't matter given the wood. Well, once it was turned, it had the most beautiful internal staining, these little brown flecks spattered about one side of it, a slight bit of spalting in one area, and it kind of patchworked through a few different colors. In the end, the wood was truly beautiful, but you would have never known it from the outside!
