Some new pens

[Paul Heely]

I've changed my photo setup somewhat. I think the pictures are getting better but I still need to work on my lighting to better show the glossiness of the finish.

The El Grandes are both re-claimed kits from earlier pens that I turned. The fountain pen was originally done in ebony but it cracked. The ballpoint was blood wood with a friction finish that I never liked.

I'm still trying to figure out what finish will go best with the yellow heart. Didn't like it in the satin gold and not sure about the platinum. It could also be the large amount of black in the El Grande FP that I don't like. Needless to say I really like the yellow heart and I'm intent on finding a kit and finish that go well with it.

On to the pens:
Bubinga, El Grande Ballpoint, Ti Gold, CA/BLO finish

Yellow Heart, El Grande Fountain Pen, Platinum, Enduro finish

Cocobolo, Americana Ballpoint, Ti Gold, Enduro finish

Thanks for look and comments, good or bad, always appreciated.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very nice pens Paul! I like that first best but they are all very nice!

[Patrick Taylor]

Great job Paul! The photos look good. Maybe try upping the exposure compensation and/or white balance? By all means, not bad, but tweaking might make them even better.

Penslook great, especially the cocobolo. Fit/finish on the yellowheart is awesome. Does the bubinga get a bit thin in the body before it goes into the upper barrel, or is it my imagination?

Keep up the great work!

[Paul Heely]

I think I need to work on the exposure and/or lighting more than anything. After melting the vinyl shade with the 500w halogen I switched to a couple of fixtures with compact fluorescents. My next step I think is to use the 30w ones instead of the 20w that I had on hand. When I took the shots I bracketed the exposure (0, +1, +2). The +2's were washed out. I'll have to experiment some more with 1-1/3 and 1-2/3 and see how that goes.

The white balance on the camera was set using an 18% gray card. I also had a black/white/gray card in the photos before cropping them, was unable to make any significant adjustments from those. I'm not sure what else I could do with the white balance.

Now that I look at the bubinga pen again it does look like the body tapers down before entering the upper barrel. Its an optical illusion in the pictures. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future when I'm taking my shots.

Thanks.

[Jim Podsedly]

Paul,

Nice looking pens. I really like the Burbinga. Excellent fit and finish.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

nice work, paul!

the photos are looking good, too.

keep experimenting until you find something that you are pleased with.

[Patrick Taylor]

I think I need to work on the exposure and/or lighting more than anything. After melting the vinyl shade with the 500w halogen I switched to a couple of fixtures with compact fluorescents. My next step I think is to use the 30w ones instead of the 20w that I had on hand. When I took the shots I bracketed the exposure (0, +1, +2). The +2's were washed out. I'll have to experiment some more with 1-1/3 and 1-2/3 and see how that goes.

The white balance on the camera was set using an 18% gray card. I also had a black/white/gray card in the photos before cropping them, was unable to make any significant adjustments from those. I'm not sure what else I could do with the white balance.

Now that I look at the bubinga pen again it does look like the body tapers down before entering the upper barrel. Its an optical illusion in the pictures. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future when I'm taking my shots.

Thanks.

I set the white balance off the backdrop, but YMMV. I agree that higher wattage may help, but I've never tried shooting with CF bulbs.

Was the halogen on a little frame stand? They get pretty hot, but mine has a little 2" tall frame that just lifts it off the ground.

RE optical illusions, for some reason with pens it seems that half the photos I take give the pen some funny shape that's not really there! I've narrowed down to a few "poses" that seem to avoid these issues. keep playing with it until you're happy.

[Paul Heely]

The halogen light I have does have a stand but it was too big and clumsy to use. I laid the light down on its back like in the phrugal photo setup pictures. Got too hot that way for the vinyl.

I've got a list of things I want to try with my pictures. Hardest part is being systematic about trying things so I can keep track of what works and when and being able to backtrack if need be.

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.