May I humbly suggest a way we can improve the photos of helmets and other headgear we post here?
NEVER shoot indoors and NEVER use a flash.
Shoot outdoors in good sunlight. Use a white piece of paneling or matboard for a background so that there is nothing in the background at all that takes time to download or which obscures details of the helmet you are trying to show. I used a 4' x 8' piece of matt finish white ceiling paneling and I set the helmet far enough in front of it that there are no shadows cast upon the background by the helmet itself.
I use the base and rod from a half mannequin, put this on a small stool or barrel out in front of my white background and then position everything so there are no shadows when I set a helmet or hat on top of the pole. I put a round wood block on top of the pole for the helmet to sit over.
Another thing that works very well to set a helmet on is a liter pop bottle of clear plastic with the label removed. Done just right, it disappears in the photo because it is clear plastic and it makes the helmet look like it's floating in air and all edges of the helmet can be seen clearly.
Also if you are using a camera where you can set the f stops -- shoot it with a high number f stop and slower speed so it has good depth of field and that way edges won't be out of focus -- and shooting outside in sunlight means you've got lots of light so you can shoot at f16 or higher -- just be certain to take your reading from the dark helmet itself and not the white background or the helmet will be too dark in the photo.
Attached is a photo showing what I mean -- a double decal M35 that belonged to Obgfr. Kurt Roland, "Listening" Company 3, Intelligence Unit 56 -- the bilingual radio specialists who listened in to British radio traffic (with its poor security) and reported to Rommel and were an important part of his early success until the Commenwealth forces finally got wise to what was happening and sent an Australian unit (26th Infantry Brigade) to destory and capture this unit at Tel el Eisa on 9/10 July 1942 about 13 km east of El Alamein.
I think using sunlight makes for bad helmet photo's. Makes the helmet look terrible alot of times and inhances any scratches and blemishes (not that indoor lighting hides them, sunlight makes them look worse). My experiance though..
John Hodgin would be the man to ask as he does this for a living. He's photographed many helmets, tunics/smocks, etc,.
I agree with the out-of-doors thinking...I get the best shots from indirect natural light outside.
John Hodgin is the man to ask, but he has the major equipment and know-how most of us aren't privy to... I think a lot has to do with the quality of the camera, but lighting is EVERYTHING from what I've found.
Thanks for the kind words about my work Perry and Skip! Though it may sound like a contradiction, I think Perry and Ralph are both correct. About fifteen years ago I taught a large helmet collector to photograph his helmets in the style Ralph suggests. Great shot Ralph, and super helmet! This is a good way for someone without advanced lighting equipment to photograph helmets. Use a white or neutral light grey background, elevate the helmet so there are no harsh shadows below, and try to have the sun over your shoulder behind you. On matt painted helmets you can add large white cards on the sides to "open" any deep shadows.
What Perry objects to, and so do I, is that here in the "sunny south" full sun is often too harsh, especially on helmets with glossy paint. This situation leaves an objectional glare on the helmet, and the shot ends up looking like crap, even with Ralph's method. Glossy paint is best photographed on bright, but slightly overcast days, however this can alter the color towards too much blue. Living further north, Ralph has the benifit of more days with softer light.. I have the advantage of studio "soft box" light sources which provide the soft light but with correct color.
Hi to all,
some good ideas here !! except on the sunny south coast of the U.K. the sun doesn`t shine to often, and photography is done when and where ever available.
So it is to debate wether to produce the best as possible, or none at all (or at least very few).
What I was suggesting was meant for those without the professional lighting equipment of a professional photographer like John. What I've been seeing here on the forum all too often are photos taken indoors with a very cluttered background and photos taken with a flash attachment that leaves a very bright hot spot and little else to be seen. That leaves us wondering what we are supposed to see besides someone's living room couch, dining room table, computer desk, etc. in the background and some very good helmets looking like a lump of coal with a bright glowing spot in the middle from the flash.
The method I use is simple and something anyone can do without the expensive professional lighting equipment, light diffusers, reflectors, etc. of a pro like John. It was advice meant for the rank and file of members who have some nice helmets to share photos of. You can avoid very bright sunlight by shooting on days with diffuse sunlight on a slightly overcast day -- not in the bright glare of a hot southern sun or you can take your photos at different times of the day. One good photo is worth more visually than a dozen bad ones. I've been waiting for several weeks now for a day with decent sunlight to photograph two more tropical tan painted helmets belonging to a friend. Patience will pay off with a couple good photos.
I've also gotten good photos of prewar continental helmets with their shiney surfaces by shooting outdoors on days with light cloud cover so there are no bright reflections from the sun and the colors are still true to the helmet and what you'd have seen a soldier wearing had you been on one of the Reich's war fronts in WWII.
John and Ralph, Great ideas on how to shoot. I had some shots Patrick posted for me on a white table, But the white background idea is simply genius. When I become a associate member I will definetly use your suggestions
Great thread! I must say that IMHO, the best "helmet photographer" is Cody Grayland. He has good techniques for picture taking and it really shows...not that everyone else is bad
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"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln -Painted M1 helmets: North Africa, Sicily, Italy.-
Photoshop does wonders for photos. I can burn out glare from the flash, correct the color...even tweak it so the photo looks better than the actual paint. I can hit scratches too, which is great!
I can improve decals, even add them if I desire. This is a must for helmets I sell on eBay too.
Yep here in England it is very rarely sunny ,so we dont want to take our helmets out into the rain ,and I love seeing peoples front rooms sometimes they are more interesting than the helmet ,Rob
Helmet photography 101
I have the advantage of studio "soft box" light sources which provide the soft light but with correct color.
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