Taking Pictures of Watches

[RKTudor]

Morning guys and gals,

To put it bluntly, I suck at taking pictures of my watches. I know that getting a camera won't solve my problems totally, but I'd like to start trying to use a camera instead of my phone to photograph my watches. The driving force behind this is a book I'm putting together about my collection - primarily for my own consumption but also to share for free with the Tudor community.

Any advice about the best camera for taking pictures of watches? Any photography tips? Many of you take pictures I'm envious of, so please help a friend out!

Thanks,
Rick

[GerardoG]

Jocke is the 'go to man' for this, please share with us as well!

[tvad]

Depending on cell phone model, the camera can be excellent. It may not be necessary to purchase a stand alone camera to take exceptional photos of your watches.

A steady lens and good lighting are essential, regardless of whether a cell phone or stand alone camera are used.

I would look at the following:
1) Cell phone Tripod and Adapter
2) Light Tent Kit

[RKTudor]

I use an iPhone 6+ - I've read that's good enough for my needs, but I took such better pics with this old camera I had. It's broken now unfortunately.

Interested to here from Jocke.

Thanks guys!

[jw0n]

Agree with the rest, Jocke is the man of this department. What you need to remember is that light is important for good pictures. Light can change the tone, alter the mood. Then composition. Hardware is secondary.

Good luck, share some pictures and I'm sure the kind folks of TRF will chip in with comments.

[alcrts]

I've had super well shot pics with my iPhone for years. The camera on these things keeps on improving.

I personally shoot with the iPhone 7 right now and use Lightroom to enhance the pic a bit. Here is an example of my Daytona!




EDIT: Damn that thing looks blurry after posting.. It has great quality on my phone and Mac...

[OmegaJJH]

The best camera is the one in your pocket (and that is invariably your phone).

If you want more pro like shots then you need a DSLR. I'd recommend Nikon.

Although as Gerardo has quite rightly pointed out Jocke is the watch photography expert around here...

[multimedia]

Originally Posted by OmegaJJH

If you want more pro like shots then you need a DSLR. I'd recommend Nikon.

No need for a DSLR to shoot watches. One can easily handle this kind of work with an mirrorless digital camera. E.g. the FujiFilm X-T10 is a very good example of this. :)

Cheers,
Joe

[Cobain]

Better question, how do i avoid looking like a complete tool while taking a picture of my wrist?

[Jocke]

You can buy a camera set up for $10K and get bad pics and you can get great pics with a Iphone. The trick is to get control
of the light, you need a good light and you have to diffuse it to avoid reflections from the crystal and the polished parts.
It's not easy just to say what to do, maybe you can post some of your pics for us to see what you have. For me it is experiment
with the light and different angles to get a good result.

You can check some of my work at my website: http://www.watchwallpapers.com/ and maybe get some inspriation.

Good luck.

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by multimedia

No need for a DSLR to shoot watches. One can easily handle this kind of work with an mirrorless digital camera. E.g. the FujiFilm X-T10 is a very good example of this. :)

Cheers,
Joe

That is correct, you do good with many cheap cameras and phones DSLR is when you want to control what you do in detail.
When I shot watches with DSLR I do all settings manual, even the focus.

[bdex75]

In my experience taking watch pictures is a lot like painting a wall. 90%+ is in the prep. I like to find. Natural light that is diffused somehow sunrise, sunset etc. and as Jocke said the reflection is the hardest thing for me to get right with watches and other shiny objects. I use an iPhone 6+, and if I actually take my time and get the shot set up correctly it works very well. And always try to find an interesting background. Fill a decent portion of the frame. The rest is Lightroom. This was a 30 second picture (and it looks like it for the most part) where I threw the Tudor sub into the bush because I thought the color of the flowers really brought out the lume color of the watch. iPhone 6+




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[You]

You can take really nice photos with an iPhone. There's really no need for a camera unless you want top quality. I've went through many phones and the best one for taking photos of watches would be the iPhone 6. I haven't tested the iPhone 7 yet so we shall see.

[tvad]

Originally Posted by Cobain

Better question, how do i avoid looking like a complete tool while taking a picture of my wrist?

[tvad]

Originally Posted by Jocke

The trick is to get control
of the light, you need a good light and you have to diffuse it to avoid reflections from the crystal and the polished parts.

Exactly.

Which is why a light tent is great (particularly for product shots).

Otherwise, shooting outside in a shaded area will help to avoid harsh reflections (which sometimes are very interesting as well...).

[descartes]

Having a camera with a 1:1 Macro lens makes a big difference if you are looking for detail

[locutus49]

I use iPhone 6 plus and just snap them in normal light on ordinary surfaces.

Here is an older example:

[DeeTee]

Get yourself a Macro Lens

Play in different lighting

Try to place the watches on cool and exciting thing

[Pix]

Besides a good tripod, and photoshop... head over to a Hobby Lobby and pick up some Vellum to soften your light source (or white plex ) you also need white and black cards to control reflections, also try google how to photograph a Rolex.

[GradyPhilpott]

Dan Pierce never fails to post good, clear, crisp shots.

If he's still using the same set up as when I last asked about it, it's not an expensive or complicated one.

He has used a point and shoot with an exceptional lens (Leica, if I'm not mistaken) and has a place in his home with plenty of diffuse light and he almost always uses a tripod, except possibly when he shoots on "location."

Dan's shots are proof that Jocke's advice is very sound, indeed.

[Manofsteelpt]

I've accepted the fact that I stink at taking watch pix...

[Manofsteelpt]

Originally Posted by locutus49

I use iPhone 6 plus and just snap them in normal light on ordinary surfaces.

Here is an older example:

This pic is just nuts!!! Can't believe it's from an iPhone (and I'm not saying I don't believe you, lol). Does the 6 and 6+ Have the same camera?

[locutus49]

I think so. my wife has 6 and I have 6 plus. I honestly don't remember which phone we used for that, but we haven't owned a camera in several years.

Originally Posted by Manofsteelpt

This pic is just nuts!!! Can't believe it's from an iPhone (and I'm not saying I don't believe you, lol). Does the 6 and 6+ Have the same camera?