Woodworking: Recording Your Work

Recording Your Work

Why should I keep a record?

Whether to record your work really comes down to one question: is it really important to you? If you answer no, then I would bet the bank that you haven't thought on it for long, or haven't lost track of very much. As for my situation, I have been building things for years, both for myself and others. I find it very sad that, although I am working in my sixth shop, I never took any pictures of the first three. Also, I have no pictures of any of the projects made in my first three shops, other than those few carried over from move to move I get tired of looking at. I always wish I had better photos and I had taken more time to take them.

I regret the fact that although I have done kitchen and bathroom cabinetry from rough lumber to installation, I never took a single photo. Perhaps photos exist, but I have yet to track them down. Although I once built a rather tricky bathroom cabinet designed to incorporate both a small footprint and work around a very unusual steam heater, the only photos I did have got lost in one of our moves. In fact all of the photos I had before our big move in 1997 were lost (or haven't been discovered since). So where does that leave me?

Basically this leaves me looking for a way to keep better track of my projects. Discipline is the first place to start. No record is complete without pictures. That being said, you have to learn to live with the camera no more than an arm's length away at all times (regular and digital if you are so endowed). Discipline yourself to always think, "would this be a good point to take a picture?" A constant state of readiness will provide you with the best photos you can get. If you are not ready at all times, you will miss something. The presence of the camera is a constant annoyance but in the end it's worth the disruptions in your work.

It is not enough to be ready, you must have a plan. What will you do with the photos when you are done? I have two plans for this. First I am starting a scrapbook to hold the pictures and plans, and any written information I can come up with. Second, I intend to make use of the web to put up pages showing and explaining my projects. That is where this site comes into play.

You don't need to be net savvy to keep track though. Just keep that camera handy and discipline yourself to take pictures often. Not after every action, but often. Then decide the best way to keep track of things for you. Remember to include the date of each picture and a brief description of what it is all about. It helps, especially for close-ups and other tricky shots, to write down the camera settings you used. If you are shopping for a digital camera, keep this in mind. Many of the newer ones record all this for you.

Jot down a few words about major projects describing some of the triumphs and failures you experienced on a woodworking level. Document processes you would use again, and recall those you would never repeat. I guarantee that some day, you will come back to these reminiscences and enjoy every bit of them.

That is my opinion, for what it is worth. Having read it, make up your own mind and do what is right for you.

Tip List for Photographing Your Work

Here is a list of tips I have picked up along the way. I am continually learning new things and making new discoveries, but that is the beauty of creativity and experimentation.

Use a tripod. Especially when photographing with an autofocus type of camera, you should use a tripod for all portrait work. When taking closeup shots of anything, the least little vibration from your hands will cause blurring. It is important to get your shots as clear as possible. I am still trying to perfect this. If possible try to use a cable release for your shutter. The simple act of depressing the shutter button can cause enough vibration to ruin the picture.
Use strong raking light. When trying to show off details, like relief carvings or a nicely rubbed out finish, a strong raking light will highlight the surface features of your project. If you are using an autofocus camera, like my digital, the chip inside has a lot more control over light levels than you had with an old standard camera. Try placing a strong light source to the side so that the piece has a strong wash of light at a steep angle (not directly pointed at it), then take your picture without the flash. Here is an experimental picture to show you what you can get.
Use a background Place a cloth or something else behind the subject as a background. It shouldn't be too gaudy, yet should be a color that makes the subject stand out. It should be all one color too; don't use plaid or something like that. A pale blue is the best color, and it should be stored on a roll so that it is seamless and wrinkle free. The key is to be unobtrusive so as to draw the eye to the project. If you ever want to turn your image into a transparent GIF for the net you must make sure that your background is all one color. Then you can select the background with your software and remove it.
Large objects can be photographed in place. My opinion is that they are still better photographed where you can control the background. If you are photographing in place pay attention to what is behind the piece. Can you cover it up?
Small objects should be photographed on some kind of platform. Take care to ensure that the platform is sturdy and vibration free.
Keep it clean. This may sound absurd, but make sure that you clean and dust the piece before photographing it.
Take many pictures. Don't be afraid to use up some film. If you pin all your hopes on one shot, the odds are it will come back with a thumb right in the middle of the frame. Take several shots and do it from different angles.
Point and shoot cameras compensate electronically for light. This includes most digital cameras. In many cases lower light pictures can turn out better with these than with an SLR camera.
Pick a lighting strategy and stick with it. You will be able to produce more consistent results if you use the same lighting practices every time.
The least expensive, but acceptable, lighting source is a few of those clip-on work lights with the big aluminum reflector bowls that you buy at Home Depot. You can even use expensive tungsten photography bulbs with them.
Use several lights to light each plane of your project differently. This will make your project appear more 3-dimensional. Set two or more lights at opposing angles and at different heights. Different levels of light on different planes doesn't mean lots of shadow - that can ruin a photo. This method will minimize the heavy shadowing and give greater detail. We want some shadow, yet we want to control it.
Very bright lighting will allow you to use slower film (ISO 125 or 200 film) and this will result in finer detail. Watch that you don't over-illuminate because it can cause white spots on your film where it was overexposed. High gloss finishes are bad for this but you can generally compensate with creative placement of your light sources.
Don't mix light sources. Fluorescent, natural, and incandescent light sources all have different properties and should never be mixed.
Never use fluorescent lighting. It turns everything a greenish hue and will not produce satisfactory results.
Don't use your electronic flash. It will destroy all the work you have done to control your lighting.
ISO 200 to 400 film is probably the best. I personally prefer FUJI 400 as I don't need as intense a lighting source, and it is less grainy than some other manufacturer's films.
The best camera is really a fully manual Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. This is the only way to retain complete control over your shutter speed and aperture settings (f-stops). If you are buying one new, the 50mm lens that probably will come with it is no good for what you want to do. Ask to trade it in for a 55mm Macro lens. The regular 50mm lens is no good for close ups closer than 3 feet. You could also try a 28-80mm zoom lens. Use a small aperture setting such as f-22 to give you a greater depth of field.
Set your digital camera to Macro Mode if photographing anything closer than 4 feet. Beware fixed lense in digital cameras. I find that they are fine for outside scenery shots, or acceptable for some close-ups on Macro Mode, but general indoor shots at a distance of 6-12 feet are hard to focus. My next digital will have manual focus or I may just stick to my old SLR and my scanner.
Practice, practice, practice! Nuff said!