Best Way to Take Photos of Bats & Jerseys?

[GoCrazyFolks76]

What's the best way to take photographs of bats and jerseys?

How do the auction sites get a completely white background with perfect lighting?

And how in the world does Heritage get their jerseys to do this:

https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-collectibles/uniforms/1953-del-rice-game-worn-st-louis-cardinals-jersey/a/7155-80538.s?ic3=ViewItem-Inventory-BuyNowFromOwner-ThisAuction-120115

Any recommendations or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

[davetiki]

This a great topic and one that I have been trying to figure out forever. I hope we get some great tips and tricks. Cause I stink at this!

[BirdsOnBat]

Agree with Dave. Good topic Mark. Subscribed.

[gobills123]

This is whats known as a 'floating torso' or 'ghost mannequin'.
If you zoom in really close to bottom you can see the bottom of it and it looks like it has tape on it.
The mannequin essentially exists everywhere you cant see and is wide enough to give it 'body'.
The pictures themselves are essentially done in a studio.
In this instance i'd imagine its pretty professional, but really all you need is a table with a white sheet covering it and a white sheet in the back as well.
2 soft light boxes on each side, 1 on top and you are golden!!!
Hope this helps

[TBM]

If you have ever had a professional picture taken. You sit there on a stool and look back at the camera. Remember all that bright lighting and those big white screens off to each side and above you? They provide diffused lighting to the area. This is needed to reduce any shadows. Then you need the proper staging. A proper background that works with your subject and enhances it or allows for digital enhancement like a green screen. However, good clean light is the most important. Some lights will give a yellowish hue to the picture and ruin what you are working on. Just a high level overview with what little I know.
Professional photography is an art and can be expensive depending on the quality of your accessories. A couple of good diffused lighting sources are need as direct lighting will cause more shadows.
Any easy cheap way to mimic this is to take your items outside on a nice sunny day. Setup a table with a white cloth and a another one with for a white back ground.

[sox83cubs84]

You can place it neatly on a clean carpet or floor to photograph it, as well. One thing, though: no one wants to see your feet (especially if they're bare) sticking up from the bottom of the photo.

Dave Miedema

[GoCrazyFolks76]

This is whats known as a 'floating torso' or 'ghost mannequin'.
In this instance i'd imagine its pretty professional, but really all you need is a table with a white sheet covering it and a white sheet in the back as well.
2 soft light boxes on each side, 1 on top and you are golden!!!
Hope this helps

Thanks for the input. I do have a few follow questions:

1. Any idea where I could get a cheap ghost mannequin?

2. I've tried using sheets in the past as a background, and no matter how much I try and iron them or stretch them, you can always see wrinkles or waves. I've also tried white poster board, but that usually isn't big enough for jerseys. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again,

Mark

[gobills123]

Thanks for the input. I do have a few follow questions:

1. Any idea where I could get a cheap ghost mannequin?

2. I've tried using sheets in the past as a background, and no matter how much I try and iron them or stretch them, you can always see wrinkles or waves. I've also tried white poster board, but that usually isn't big enough for jerseys. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again,

Mark

No worries Mark!
When I get back in the office on Monday I'll go to our studio and ask the photographer and see what he says and lyk!
In the mean time, maybe someone else has suggestions!

[gobills123]

Sorry for the delay, busy week!

1st, he said the one we use was already here prior to his arrival but a quick google search for 'floating mannequin' has them for $150. You could probably dig and find a better price... as i literally just googled it and the 1st few were around that price.

As far as issues with wrinkles etc. If whatever you are doing is flat, he uses that white 'paper' that you cut with an exact-o knife.
As for the other shots, he said you can either buy on of those photo backgrounds that pull down like a projector screen or use a sheet.

He said he prefers a sheet, but that means editing is involved.
If you arent doing that, it explains why the white sheet has given you issues.

I hope this helps!

[GoCrazyFolks76]

Some really great advice.

Thanks again!

Mark

[resphotomatching]

We wrote this for an email we'll be sending out later this week, but I thought it might be helpful to post it here too!


8 Tips For Taking High Quality Photos of Game Used Items

Whether for selling, sharing, or sending over photos to get a Resolution Photomatch, taking quality photos of your game used items is important. Below are a few tips that can help amateur photographers take professional looking photos of game used items!

1. The larger the file the better
- In most cases, the larger the file size of the photo on your computer, the clearer the photo will be. This will allow small details and use marks to show up when a specific part of the photo is zoomed-in on. In photomatching especially, those small details can be especially important! Typically 1 MB or more is large enough, though 3-4 MB’s doesn’t hurt. To see the file size of an image you can right click the image and go to “Properties”. Also, be sure the file size doesn’t change when you send it in an email, as some email servers have a default setting of compressing photos. We also recommend JPG for the type of file.

2. Take photos of the whole item zoomed-out, and let viewers zoom-in
- As long as the file size is large enough, taking photos of the whole item and allowing the viewer to zoom-in on what they want to see is usually the way to go. This is important for us to see in photomatching as well, as often times we will compare the alignment of marks or other characteristics on one end of the item with those on the other end.

3. Lay the item flat on a solid background
- While not always as important for photomatching, laying the item flat on a solid background can make photos look a lot more professional. We do NOT recommend taking photos of jerseys on hangers, as there can often be a lot of ruffles and wrinkles in the jersey. Solid colored carpet usually works well as long as it’s clean. Lay the item flat on the carpet, make sure all wrinkles are out if it’s a jersey, and take the photo from directly above.

4. Reduce glare- natural light can help
- Glare can mask marks and other usage characteristics, so it’s important to minimize glare as much as possible. Using natural light can be a great solution to this. If you can take photos during the day, take them near a window and turn off the overhead light (overhead lighting is typically what causes the most glare). Even if the photo appears slightly darker at first, brightness of the photo can be adjusted on the computer as needed.

5. Make sure all usage characteristics are clearly visible
- This is very important for photomatching. One of the most important things we need to be able to see are mesh holes. Make sure jerseys are laid completely flat with as few wrinkles as possible, as wrinkles will make the alignment of the mesh holes harder to see. If the mesh holes still aren’t clearly visible, try putting a piece of paper or a pillow inside the jersey to make them stand out- white for a colored jersey and black for a white jersey. Also be sure to run your hand over the jersey to make sure any loose threads are sticking out and are clearly visible.


6. Take photos from directly above, not at an angle
- Taking photos from an angle can make the item look distorted and make some parts of the item less visible. Taking photos from directly above the item is usually best.

7. Expensive cameras can help, but aren’t a requirement
- A high end digital camera can take very clear, good looking photos. However, it’s the way that the photos are taken that makes all the difference. If the tips above are closely followed, even most smartphone cameras can take a 1 MB photo that can look professional!

8. For a Resolution Photomatch, follow our example photos closely and typically only send those photos
- When submitting an item for photomatching, if it’s ever unclear what photos we need of your item, just ask for sample photos and we will send those out to you. Take photos of your item at the exact same angle and zoom as our sample photos. If there are usage characteristics that don’t show up in our standard required photos, it might help to take 1-2 more of those. But most of the time we only need the required photos, and a lot of additional photos can difficult to sift through. The one exception is helmets. Because of the rounded shape, typically the more zoomed-out photos of all sides of the helmet, the better.