SLR DSLR Watch Photography Guide: Tips and Settings

[yannis]

Since i cannot find a relevant thread i thought that i could post this so that people with an interest in watch photography and an attitude of sharing the knowledge, share techniques and settings for watch photography. Anyone who wants to share the knowledge with the rest please feel free to post photos and mention
1. camera/gear
2. settings/tips and
3 lens used

[Valenciawatchrepair]

I'll bring up gear later. But, a nice technique I've learned is focus stacking. Especially helpful for small parts and when a lot of magnification is used. It helps to get more of the subject in focus. A single shot will not have as much DOF as multiple shots "stacked" together that were taken with multiple points focused on.

Here's a method I used
https://photography.tutsplus.com/art...p--photo-12621

Single shot:


Focus Stacked shot:

[Why-Not]

Originally Posted by Valenciawatchrepair

I'll bring up gear later. But, a nice technique I've learned is focus stacking. Especially helpful for small parts and when a lot of magnification is used. It helps to get more of the subject in focus. A single shot will not have as much DOF as multiple shots "stacked" together that were taken with multiple points focused on.
...

Great tip! I know that focus stacking is used in landscape photography, but did not even think about using that technique for taking pictures for the objects as small as watches. Will definitely try it. Thanks!

[yannis]

That is one fantastic technique and great end result; thanks for posting!

[tamiya]

Handy photoshop trick :)

Without photoshop we'd have to increase Depth of Field by moving camera further & using a longer lens, then get the longest possible exposure by cranking down the aperture... pinhole cameras have great DoF.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by tamiya

Handy photoshop trick :)

Without photoshop we'd have to increase Depth of Field by moving camera further & using a longer lens, then get the longest possible exposure by cranking down the aperture... pinhole cameras have great DoF.

Technically yes. But, in practice it doesn't work that well.

Just a quick DOF calculator with some random numbers.

1.6x Factor Crop Sensor
Aperture - f/32
Focal Length - 200mm
Focal Distance - 60inches/5 feet

Nearest Acceptable Sharpness: 58.76in
Furthest Acceptable Sharpness: 61.3in
Total Depth of Field: 2.56in

So, still only a 2.56in area will be sharp, although at F/32 diffraction is going to seriously degrade image quality.

[yannis]

Nikon D7000 with 105 macro lens f. 4

[timepiecegentleman]

Great article. I'm a fairly new photographer and was curious about watch photography.

[jhunter3]

Helpful hint (from doing it wrongly): polish/clean watches before shooting. By polish, I mean "shine," not machine polish, haha.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by jhunter3

Helpful hint (from doing it wrongly): polish/clean watches before shooting. By polish, I mean "shine," not machine polish, haha.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I did this too. Fingerprints on a watch.

[jpgreenwood]

I use a simple light box made from sheets of photocopier paper and with a standard lamp above. The paper disperses any shine or shadows so you get a crisp dial/glass.

[Pix]

Or use a tilt/shift lens and keep the plane of the object sharp.

[jw0n]

I guess there are many techniques with getting the perfect shot, but I personally believe in a few basics: lighting, depth of field and composition. You need to understand how the watch reflects or absorbs light, and you need to find an interesting placement. After that, you can even start to layer with objects to make it more interesting.

Here are some of my attempts, taken with a mobile phone camera (Huawei P10). All handheld shots (with exception of the wristshot which was taken in my car, at the lights) but with a small, wireless LED lamp which I can move around to manipulate my lighting. All the images below were captured on the phone and also edited with basic image editing apps that are available on Google Play/App Store.

My humble opinion is that in photography, the most common limitation is the person behind the picture, rather than being a device or hardware limitation.

Comments & feedback always welcome

[Lightsped]

For me, the thing I struggle with are the reflections off of the crystal. Most of my shots are real world type shots of watch on a table or a wrist.

[MohiMedia]

I've got a Sony A6400 (4k video is nice for my business) and of course the photography is only limited by my skill as well.

About to get a pixel 4 as well.

I don't have any settings tips as I am an extreme novice, but the dramatic difference when you frame a shot by adding items in the foreground and background to be out of focus while focusing on a target in between the two is a great first step imo to anyone taking watch pics for the first time.

In simpler terms, put something close to the camera and something away from the camera and then focus on an object between them. I don't have any with watches on my computer right now so these will have to do:

Before:
https://imgur.com/7SLjcAy

After:
https://imgur.com/3XkXg94


A good way to do this with a watch would be a shot focused on the watch with the watch box or something else with the watch logo in the background slightly out of focus.

Before anyone asks, I was at a friends house and I drink much better beer haha

[Avav1]

As a newbie, I’ve found that using natural light on an overcast day is a great way to get great shots fast. Tripod is a must. Once set up, move the watch in tiny increments to find best reflection and shadow composition.

T2i
Canon efs 15-85

[Avav1]

Now with photo

[77T]

Digital photography evolution will offer much more control over images in post production. In the future I foresee 1-touch edits to remove reflection, fingerprints and dust spots. All can be done today but is a multi-step process.

But poor composition is still a few technical generations away. I expect focal length stepping will soon become an image control in post production. We see it now in smartphone portrait modes but that still requires setting prior to making a shot.

I can also foresee reframing as well. In other words, no matter what the photographer chose in their viewfinder, the camera will be smart enough to actually shoot multiple, wider angles and save them for expert post processing and image reframing.

What I routinely see lacking in watch photography by-and-large is a lack of contrast and choice of light control (exposure) in the original image.


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[Jocke]

The most important is to control the light and it's very tricky sometimes when it comes to watches because of the crystal
and the polished parts. One watch is not so hard to get good but several watches in different distance from the lens is the
hardest you can try to do.

Here is a few pics of that kind I'm pleased with.

[Avav1]

Jocke- sweet photos

[DeskPop]

Many great options can take exquisite images with well executed lighting and exposure control. Try turning off all the lights in the room and just use a desk lamp to illuminate your watch from various angles to see what you get. You can get great images on modern cell phones with DIY lighting setups, and modifiers.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

[DeskPop]

1. camera/gear: Sony A73 body, Rotolight Neo I in a softbox
2. settings/tips and: f/2, shutter 1/200th, ISO 2500, edited in Lightroom for color saturation/luminesence, highlights/shadows
3 lens used: Canon 35mm f/1.4L, Metabones 4 adapter

This would have been a better picture with a second light to fill in the shadows from the left side of the frame.

[DeskPop]