DIGITAL PHOTO SHOOT BASICS

A hard floor is recommended over a carpeted floor. It is not desirable to roll background paper over carpet. Light stands and background supports will not be secure on a carpeted floor.

You will be attempting to light your subject with pure studio lighting so that the camera can properly adjust for bulb color temperature. Take some test shots and preview them on a quality calibrated computer monitor to make sure the ambient (room) lighting is not casting an unwanted tint. Laptop LCD monitors are not as good as CRT's in representing colors so we suggest that you connect your laptop to a tube if possible.

If you can't sufficiently reduce ambient light, look for another location for your shoot.

• White Balance: Light has a wide variance in color temperature which will effect the overall color tint of a digital image. Digital Cameras provide adjustability to compensate for variation in the color of light and this function is referred to as "White Balance".
  
  The optimal white balance setting is "captured" by the camera and is typically available on most 4 mpix and up digital cameras. This feature allows you to "custom set" the white balance using a "white card" placed in front of the camera. This feature is available on the FUJI S5200 and the FUJI S9000 cameras and is frequently referred to as "custom" white balance. This option will provide near perfect color reproduction when using artificial lighting. Study your camera manual for procedures on setting "captured" or "custom" white balance. (NIKON refers to this feature as pre-set white balance) If your camera does not provide "captured" or "custom" white balance, you should consider upgrading your camera.
  
  The second choice is selecting a "preset" white balance. Study your camera manual for procedures on setting a "preset" white balance.  Use "interior", "incandescent" or "Tungsten" for our continuous HOT lighting kits. Many cameras today provide several presets for florescent lighting. If your camera does not provide several florescent presets then use "daylight" white balance with our ALZO Cool lights.
  
  Using a "pre-set" white balance may not reproduce perfect color but will always be consistent when using a specific light source. A consistent color shift is easy to correct in software, and once you get the correction parameters set, you will use this adjustment on every image and get excellent results. Using a preset is a better choice than "auto" because you can consistently correct the color shift. 
  
  "Auto" white balance is your last choice and should be avoided.  "Auto" white balance can cause random color shift depending on the subject, and this color shift will require individually color balancing each image in software. 
  
  Color correction with the QP COLOR KIT is the ultimate solution for perfect color reproduction. This software solution will always guaranty color fidelity no matter what white balance options are available on your camera.
   
• Focus: Use "Auto focus" for most shots and use "manual focus" for close up macro focus of very small objects. Most digital cameras have very sophisticated focus controls and are perfect for objects more than 1 foot from the lens, and in most cases better than your eye.  Always use Manual focus for very small objects when you are in "macro mode". 
   
• Auto Metering: "Spot" or "Center Weighted" metering is preferred for most objects, especially when shooting with a Table Top Studio or Tent. When shooting with a white background the "averaging" light meter of a digital camera will darken the object and produce a gray instead of white background. Spot metering on the subject will produce far better results. If your camera only provides "averaging metering" you should consider upgrading your camera. 
   
• Exposure Compensation: We have found that most digital cameras require "Exposure Compensation" when using studio lighting. Exposure Compensation provides the ability to influence the auto exposure control of the camera and allow you to correctly expose a subject on a white background. Typically when using "Spot" or "Center Weighted" auto exposure control you will set the Exposure Compensation from +1 and up to +2. 
  
  You will need to experiment with your camera until you get satisfactory results and them leave the camera set to the necessary exposure compensation setting. 
   
• Manual Exposure Control: Manual control of exposure provides the ability to manage the aperture of the lens, which is very important for maximizing "depth of focus". Small apertures (larger numbers like f-8 of f-11) are the most desirable settings to maintain sharp focus over an entire 3 dimensional subject. Setting the camera to manual exposure control or "aperture priority" will allow for the selection of a small aperture.  When using "aperture priority" the shutter speed will be selected by the camera and in manual mode by the photographer. In many cases, with small apertures, the shutter speed will be slow and a tripod is essential. 
   
• Shutter Release: When photographing objects, we use a tripod and the camera self timer, shutter release cable or remote control shutter release to assure a rock steady camera. Even mounted on a tripod, the motion of pressing the shutter button on the camera can reduce the image quality. The FUJI S9100 provides for a shutter release cable which is a highly desirable feature for studio photography.

It is best to keep the camera away from the subject and zoom in on the subject. This will assure accurate perspective of the subject. If the camera is too close to the subject requiring a "wide angle" zoom lens setting, this can distort the shape of the subject.