Photographing tombstones.
 

Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 1/25/19 6:57 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter


Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot.
Consider morning or evening when the sun is lower. Consider also using a
reflector (or/and a scrim) to get the light where you want it (or don't
want it).


--
Ken Hart

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 26/01/2019 01:27, Ken Hart wrote:
On 1/25/19 6:57 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter


Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot.
Consider morning or evening when the sun is lower. Consider also using a
reflector (or/and a scrim) to get the light where you want it (or don't
want it).


Or a flashgun on a long lead, or (these days) a cheap video light from
eBay. Don't locate them too close to the stone.

Photographing tombstones.
 

newshound wrote:
On 26/01/2019 01:27, Ken Hart wrote:
On 1/25/19 6:57 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter


Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot.
Consider morning or evening when the sun is lower. Consider also using a
reflector (or/and a scrim) to get the light where you want it (or don't
want it).


Or a flashgun on a long lead, or (these days) a cheap video light from
eBay. Don't locate them too close to the stone.


Also consider using an off camera flash with a remote trigger.
My current budget setup is a Godox TT350F with their X1T-F trigger.

--

Regards,
Savageduck

Photographing tombstones.
 

Peter Jason:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter

Ken Hart"
Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot...

That is one way to do it. I'm not a habitual tombstone photographer,
but I had occasion last autumn to make some such photos. I knew the
challenge going in and decided not to place myself at the mercy of the
solar angle, but to make my own sunlight. I used a 2-stop diffuser and
I skimmed the surface of the granite with a Profoto B1 flash. It
required a couple of trial pics to get the flash angle right, and I
ended up with natural-looking light (no harsh shadows) and legible
engraving, even on one worn stone dating to 1812.

Where do you suppose that it *is* legal to go into a cemetery and move
tombstones about?

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

Photographing tombstones.
 

newshound:
Or a flashgun on a long lead...

You mean like my grandpa used in the 1950s? How quaint! How about a
battery-powered Profoto 500 watt-second with its own radio trigger?

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 2019-01-25 20:27, Ken Hart wrote:
On 1/25/19 6:57 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter


Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow.

+1


--
"2/3 of Donald Trump's wives were immigrants. Proof that we
need immigrants to do jobs that most Americans wouldn't do."
- unknown protester

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 26/01/2019 00.57, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?

If you want legibility, I would try adjusting the curve (however
photoshop calls that), trying to enhance a portion of the "greys".
Hopefully the letters are just a bit darker, so the idea is to increase
the contrast between the letters and the surrounding area.

I don't know if I explained it well... I have done this often, but not
explained it.


--
Cheers, Carlos.

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 1/26/19 5:54 AM, Savageduck wrote:
newshound wrote:
On 26/01/2019 01:27, Ken Hart wrote:
On 1/25/19 6:57 PM, Peter Jason wrote:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter


Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot.
Consider morning or evening when the sun is lower. Consider also using a
reflector (or/and a scrim) to get the light where you want it (or don't
want it).


Or a flashgun on a long lead, or (these days) a cheap video light from
eBay. Don't locate them too close to the stone.


Also consider using an off camera flash with a remote trigger.
My current budget setup is a Godox TT350F with their X1T-F trigger.


In either case, with that off-camera flash throwing light across the
surface of the stone. The goal is for the engravings to create their own
shadow, making them stand out more.

Of course if you are going for an artistic composition, little of this
applies.

--
Ken Hart

Photographing tombstones.
 

On 1/26/19 8:32 AM, Davoud wrote:
Peter Jason:
Sometimes, on a sunny day, I like to visit
cemeteries to photograph tombstones.

However, the text on most old headstones is hard
to read.

Is there some PShop trick to enhance the writing &
engravings?
Peter

Ken Hart"
Are you going for 'art' or research?

If your goal is legibility, you want the light coming across the face of
the stone, so that the engravings cast a shadow. Since it's fairly
difficult (and illegal in some areas!) to move the stone for better
lighting, you are stuck with waiting for the sun to be in a better spot...

That is one way to do it. I'm not a habitual tombstone photographer,
but I had occasion last autumn to make some such photos. I knew the
challenge going in and decided not to place myself at the mercy of the
solar angle, but to make my own sunlight. I used a 2-stop diffuser and
I skimmed the surface of the granite with a Profoto B1 flash. It
required a couple of trial pics to get the flash angle right, and I
ended up with natural-looking light (no harsh shadows) and legible
engraving, even on one worn stone dating to 1812.

"Skim the surface" is exactly the point that I failed to make. Thank you!

Where do you suppose that it *is* legal to go into a cemetery and move
tombstones about?

I suspect that it is pretty much universally illegal to randomly move
tombstones, but since I don't know as an absolute certainty, I prefer to
hedge my bets. If I were say that it's always illegal, some
anal-retentive (with no shift key) would cite an exception somewhere,
and we would be off to the races!

I find that it's usually safer to avoid speaking in absolutes. Even now!

--
Ken Hart