Use a camera with a flash. It will help lighten up your photos

one thing I've been doing is just using MS paint to crop the pics down to what I'm trying to show, since the forum shrinks them to fit anyway.

also, a steady hand is key. I learned this when taking pictures of my unfriendly bugs. now I hold the phone with both hands.

Bhutnan and Judo thank you for sharing. I hope GW may have the file size we are allowed to upload but I am not sure.

Using a camera stand and natural light would be very helpful to take a good picture too. I have found most of us use smart phone that is sometimes not easy to hold steadily. In this case sometimes I look after something I can lean my camera holding hand. It is very difficult to use camera phone to take some mobile small insect. An exemplary picture is here. I took it after I posted my first post. The insect is smaller than an aphid: {{gwi:1166858}}

I am going to post it in the related forum but I am not sure anyone can identify this insect from this picture.

Please share your tips and tricks.

Caelian

Taking superhot (or any pepper, really) pics is quite difficult. I find that the right amount of shade will help, but not too much or the camera won't focus. A backdrop, such as a hand or dark uniform surface will improve the focus, too. Other than that, I use a shotgun approach - I take lots of pics, and usually one of them is good ;-)

Here's an old pic - the classic Bhut Jolokia :-)

Nice bhut.

Nice shot. I agreed background of the object is also important, thanks for the tip. FinePix E550 is a good digital camera.

Another exemplary picture of not good background:

{{gwi:1180498}}

Caelian

Bright shade is probably best overall for taking pics. You don't have blown out areas or super dark areas. The problem with the second picture is the bright spot. The camera took that extreme (compared to the surroundings) bright spot into consideration when determining what exposure to use. That forced everything else darker.

Aside from that, a little fill flash goes a long way. Or force the flash on on your phone and see if that works. But, be careful of too much flash if you get too close to the plants. If it is too much, back off a few inches and see how it does.

This post was edited by tsheets on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 22:59

I thought this was going to be another Kate Upton pictorial.

haha! Talk about being let down!

Bhutnan also mentioned about using flash, I will try.

Thanks for the tips.

Caelian

Still I am hunting for tips:

{{gwi:1180499}}

Most adorable bug I have ever found in my containers garden.

Caelian

I have found gettinga camera with a high pixal count and a macro setting a plus. Usually I prefer to take my outdoor pics early in the morning or late at night. I aslo prefer no flash with my closeups. One day I will buy a sweet camera with a zoom lens.

Awesome pictures. Romy are you a professional your pictures are so nice and artistic? I agreed with you early morning and evening without flash gives the best result and background also plays an important role to the pictures.

I do not use a real camera, I enjoy my iPhone so it does not have many features available in real camera. I use magnifying glass with my iPhone to take small insects :-)

Thanks for sharing.

Caelian

Oh no not even close to a proffesional. Let me share a link that has some real professional photos. This is my friend Jon/ prodigal_sons grow log. Skim thru his glog if you want to see some real pro pics. And a man that know how to grow some wilds too!

Here is a link that might be useful: psons grow log!

Thanks for the link.
Caelian

Caelian,

Sorry, possible wrong bug id on my part.

This post was edited by robeb on Tue, Jun 18, 13 at 18:34

Robeb, I thought, it was ladybug. Just I Googled to see spotted cucumber beetle pictures. They look like ladybugs. This is my first time I saw it. It is very good information for me, thank you.

Caelian

I think your pic may indeed be of a ladybug, not a cucumber beetle.

I think so, cucumber beetle has a bit longer body and ladybug are rounded but it would be very easy to confuse people like me as a beginner. Your post was so useful, now I knew cucumber beetle, without your post may be I take a bit long time to know it :-).

Thanks

Caelian

IT'S ALL IN THE LIGHTING

Michelloit, it is very nice to see a post from a senior forum member. Thank you for your feedback and time. I agreed with your opinion.

Caelian

Updates:

{{gwi:1180502}}

Caelian

As a general rule early morning and late in the day are the best times for outdoor photos.

Phildeez, thank you for sharing, I agreed with you.

Today's morning pictures updates:

{{gwi:1180506}}

{{gwi:1180509}}

Caelian

Great images!

Josh

Josh, thank you.
Caelian

One thing you might try to improve the photos is to use a bounce card. This can be as simple as white posterboard. Anything large and white can be used to reflect light onto what you're photographing. It makes a difference, and more of one than you'd imagine. (Also, placing a black card next to the subject tends to reduce the light...)

The 2nd picture (among others) by romy6 above would've benefited by having a bounce card camera-right.

Also, someone mentioned a flash to increase the light. Taking a (white bounce) card and placing it at an angle such that the flash hits the card, then the ceiliing, ...and then comes back down, will produce much better QUALITY of light.

Lastly, and it seems like most everyone participating on this thread has mastered it, but selecting proper white balance never hurts.

ps. I may not have much experience with Hot Peppers, but I thought I'd contribute the parts I know.

Bwaynet, thank you for the useful tips. I will try to use it.

Today's picture my Rocoto De Seda, the lighting is not so good:

{{gwi:1180512}}

Camera: iPhone 4S

Caelian

Bwaynet. you observed the pictures very well I think, probably you might be a professional.

I firmly believe that "bounce card" could make the picture a lot of improvement. I never ever thought about "bounce card" but only I think about source of light. I am going to take a lot of pictures of my plants, your tips would be so helpful to take some better pictures.

Sometimes I like to express my work and feeling through pictures but not easy.

Thank you again for the tips.

Caelian

Our forum is a jungle of information some of them are so useful and practical. I took advice of BWAYNET the result is so good, here you see the pictures.

My 1st last batch Ghost Yellow plant 2013, the picture is without any "BOUNCE CARD"

{{gwi:1180514}}

Without "BOUNCE CARD"

{{gwi:1180516}}

With "BOUNCE CARD"

{{gwi:1180518}}

Thank you BWAYNET for your contribution in the forum. I am going to make different size BOUNCE CARDS with handle :-)

Caelian

What a difference! An excellent tip!

Here's a shot of my Yellow Ghost....sorry, no bounce card ;-)

Very nice pods and picture, Josh.

I think you used Nikon Coolpix camera, it is a good camera, I like Nikon lenses.

Thank you for sharing.

Caelian

You are right again! Coolpix L120 :-)
These are some of the best pods I've got on any of the plants. Here is another shot of the Yellow Bhut Jolokia, some different pods:

Excellent pods!

This season I have problems of seeds. Some of the seeds are not real. I do not have much ghost red too. From my last 1st batch only this time I got some looks like real ghost yellow, red and brown pods, may be they are a little bit late.The season of growing chili here is not so long now.

I have ghost orange but the taste different from the ghost. Usually the ghost are thin skin but the ghost orange is very thick skin and taste also like Scorpion.

I like taking nice pictures so looking for any good tips. Space is problem so I do not like to move around to take some nice pictures for my plants. I have already broke a lot of big branches :-(.

From my point of view having some good pictures besides good writings in our forum is very important to our members and guests. Just opinion.

Thank you again for sharing, people would love to see nice pods :-)

Caelian

OMG these are some beautiful pictures !!!

I do not think these are nice pictures. I tried many times but I cannot do better than these pictures. Somewhere something wrong.

7Pod

{{gwi:1180521}}

Blue Mystery

{{gwi:1180523}}

Please find the mistakes and tell me, how can I do better.

Camera: iPhone 4S

Caelian

Still I am playing with my old iPhone 4S.

Few pictures here.

Wild Tepin in about $2 shopping bag (about 7 gallon). The background is not so good.

{{gwi:1180525}}

The same plant with different background, still I do not like the background.

{{gwi:1180527}}

Pods from the same plant, the blur is not artistic, my hands were shaking when I took the picture.

{{gwi:1180529}}

I think this is not a real Wild Tepin. I do not like this picture. it shows clearly nothing. If I would like to show the pod it must be a closed up shot or if I would like to show the size of the plant then the camera angle is not good. :-) I am playing alone here.
{{gwi:1180531}}

Caelian

sorry something went wrong...

This post was edited by chilliwin on Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 6:45