Help needed in taking professional looking pictures of Tattoos

[Trent]

I'm not really a professional, but i'll be using a Canon SX10IS to take shots for the magazine http://www.bodyartsingapore.com. I have had the problem where doing a macro shot where the skin gets too magnified and the skin pores show too clearly and makes the whole tattoo look ugly.

But if i dont use macro, the tattoo isnt shot that clearly either, any tips?

P.S They are also hiring temp photographers for the singapore tattoo show in 2009 jan if anyone wants to freelance there.

 

[Reportage]

Play with the lighting...a little pore is okay..

 

[Trent]

Normally I think it'd be okay, but the guy in charge is asking me to shoot a kind of closeup and stitch up the photos into one shot. I've seen it done on a few tattoo websites but im not sure how they achieve this effect too..

 

[Reportage]

he wants a collage or simply a stitch job?

 

[Trent]

Both, i'll be taking at least 100+ different pics over the 3day convention and i'll let them choose among the shots to do whatever

 

[Reportage]

Both, i'll be taking at least 100+ different pics over the 3day convention and i'll let them choose among the shots to do whatever

if nothing special so just do as per normal.

what you can do is get several photos beforehand and show him the various arrangements stitched and collaged so that more or less you know how he wants the style to be.

 

[Daedalus Trent]

Another Trent!

haha, anyway, direct, frontal lighting should get rid of the pores :think:
Just make sure the person's skin isn't too oily or it'll reflect the light back in a terrible way.

 

[Trent]

Thanks for the help, although I think their photographers should do a lot better than me. I'm just there to cover up any loose ends.

 

[Trent]

Another Trent!

haha, anyway, direct, frontal lighting should get rid of the pores :think:
Just make sure the person's skin isn't too oily or it'll reflect the light back in a terrible way.

That's a part of the problem though, after a fresh tattoo the artists slick on lubricant. And because of this the light reflects it in a terrible way. Not sure how to get around this too.

 

[zac08]

That's a part of the problem though, after a fresh tattoo the artists slick on lubricant. And because of this the light reflects it in a terrible way. Not sure how to get around this too.

Diffused flash.... or bounced...

 

[Trent]

Diffused flash.... or bounced...

Thanks for the tip, I hope I can pull it off with my prosumer camera though.

What do you think of the photos taken in this gallery?
http://www.bodyartsingapore.com/think_tattoo_portfolio.html

I'm trying to get my shots near to the quality of these...

Instead of http://www.bodyartsingapore.com/time_tattoo_portfolio.html , where all the shots look like they were taken by an amateur.

 

[Daedalus Trent]

i'm afraid you need directional lighting for those kinda shots :think:

Do they have adjustable lamps there you can use?

 

[Trent]

i'm afraid you need directional lighting for those kinda shots :think:

Do they have adjustable lamps there you can use?

Hmm, unfortunately i dont think so .... i dont suppose but do you think a lens hood might help?

 

[zac08]

Hmm, unfortunately i dont think so .... i dont suppose but do you think a lens hood might help?

No.... consider using a different camera or use some specialised diffuser meant for onboard flash.

 

[Daedalus Trent]

Hmm, unfortunately i dont think so .... i dont suppose but do you think a lens hood might help?

nope, a lens hood wouldn't make a diff.

However, using reflectors to control ambient light may help (provided the ambient light is sufficiently bright):think:

 

[Trent]

I see, thanks for the advice guys. Can someone comment on how well these photos were taken? http://www.bodyartsingapore.com/think_tattoo_portfolio.html

They seem to not have any glare, yet are closeups and all round seem good to me. Perhaps someone more experienced can comment.

 

[zac08]

I see, thanks for the advice guys. Can someone comment on how well these photos were taken? http://www.bodyartsingapore.com/think_tattoo_portfolio.html

They seem to not have any glare, yet are closeups and all round seem good to me. Perhaps someone more experienced can comment.

Diffused flash... you can see the flash effects but it seems dialed down... with DSLR, you can choose to lower the flash ev to balance the flash power and not overpower the scene.