This thread is no longer valid after the September 2020 Gunboards upgrade.
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I was asked how to post photos and I responded in a PM to avoid hijacking the thread. Then I thought this might be of some use to new members, so here it is:
1. Buy a camera; it does not have to be expensive. The camera I bought new in 2001 and still use is not the best but, as an example, right now Ebay has seven used Sony DSC P30 cameras like mine ranging from $9.88 to $22.00. You can download an owner’s manual from Sony.
2. For posting, you don’t want your photos to be too large. You can set your camera for different size photos; I use 640X480 (email size). My photos are technical photos to show detail as opposed to artistic photos, favored by some.
3. I mainly take gun photos outside in open shade or overcast to avoid shadows. For full length rifle photos and other photos at 4-5 feet distance, I use half flash to brighten the photo. That also warms the color balance which can be rather cool in open shade or overcast, but it can cause reflections. I also use half flash at about 4 feet distance with telephoto in order to fill the frame to take a shot of a bayonet mounted on the rifle.
4. Very close photos are best taken under artificial light. I use a full spectrum 150W desk light with no flash. Use macro setting and position light and camera to minimize shadows. Using sunlight can be an option but it is more difficult to control shadows.
5. Learn to compose your photos properly in the viewfinder (screen) instead of later in some computer program. For a full length rifle shot, I put the butt in the lower left corner and the muzzle in the upper right corner for the bolt side of the rifle, then the opposite for the other side of the rifle. That makes the rifle as large as possible in the photo. I take a shot of the mounted bayonet with separate scabbard in a different photo.
6. Use a neutral background. Gray weathered wood or a gray blanket work well. Photos posted with a busy background drive me nuts.
7. Download photos from camera to computer. Under the existing directory (folder) “Pictures”, I have added sub-directories such as Gun Photos, Mauser crests, etc. Label the photos of different guns uniformly so that you can easily find them later. For example, German K98k 42-1939 1.jpg. That is: last country of use/model/manufacturer-year made/photo number. A second gun of the same model/manufacturer/year would be II; for example: Colombian FN1950 Carbine” and “Colombian FN1950 Carbine II”.
To post photos on Gunboards:
At the top, go to Forum Actions.
Go to General settings.
Go to Miscellaneous Options.
Go to Enhanced Attachment Uploading.
Select Enhanced Attachment Uploading off. (Do this one time only)
Start a thread. You can practice at: Test Forum
Go to Post new Thread. (If you click on "Reply" instead of going to "Post New Thread", you will also need to click on "Go Advanced".)
Enter your text in the post.
Go to Manage Attachments.
Go to Choose File.
Go to the desired directory (like Gun Photos).
Find desired photo and double click on it.
After selecting all desired photos, go to Upload.
After upload is finished, go to Close This Window.
Go to Preview Post.
Go to Submit New Thread.
Go to Reply to make a new post if you need to post more than 10 photos. There is a way to post 12 photos in the original post, but that is left as an exercise for the student to figure out.
Gunboards will sometimes mess up the sequence of photos for reasons unknown as seen below. Sequence numbers are shown in the photo labels; the last three photos are posted first in error, out of sequence.
~~~
I was asked how to post photos and I responded in a PM to avoid hijacking the thread. Then I thought this might be of some use to new members, so here it is:
1. Buy a camera; it does not have to be expensive. The camera I bought new in 2001 and still use is not the best but, as an example, right now Ebay has seven used Sony DSC P30 cameras like mine ranging from $9.88 to $22.00. You can download an owner’s manual from Sony.
2. For posting, you don’t want your photos to be too large. You can set your camera for different size photos; I use 640X480 (email size). My photos are technical photos to show detail as opposed to artistic photos, favored by some.
3. I mainly take gun photos outside in open shade or overcast to avoid shadows. For full length rifle photos and other photos at 4-5 feet distance, I use half flash to brighten the photo. That also warms the color balance which can be rather cool in open shade or overcast, but it can cause reflections. I also use half flash at about 4 feet distance with telephoto in order to fill the frame to take a shot of a bayonet mounted on the rifle.
4. Very close photos are best taken under artificial light. I use a full spectrum 150W desk light with no flash. Use macro setting and position light and camera to minimize shadows. Using sunlight can be an option but it is more difficult to control shadows.
5. Learn to compose your photos properly in the viewfinder (screen) instead of later in some computer program. For a full length rifle shot, I put the butt in the lower left corner and the muzzle in the upper right corner for the bolt side of the rifle, then the opposite for the other side of the rifle. That makes the rifle as large as possible in the photo. I take a shot of the mounted bayonet with separate scabbard in a different photo.
6. Use a neutral background. Gray weathered wood or a gray blanket work well. Photos posted with a busy background drive me nuts.
7. Download photos from camera to computer. Under the existing directory (folder) “Pictures”, I have added sub-directories such as Gun Photos, Mauser crests, etc. Label the photos of different guns uniformly so that you can easily find them later. For example, German K98k 42-1939 1.jpg. That is: last country of use/model/manufacturer-year made/photo number. A second gun of the same model/manufacturer/year would be II; for example: Colombian FN1950 Carbine” and “Colombian FN1950 Carbine II”.
To post photos on Gunboards:
At the top, go to Forum Actions.
Go to General settings.
Go to Miscellaneous Options.
Go to Enhanced Attachment Uploading.
Select Enhanced Attachment Uploading off. (Do this one time only)
Start a thread. You can practice at: Test Forum
Go to Post new Thread. (If you click on "Reply" instead of going to "Post New Thread", you will also need to click on "Go Advanced".)
Enter your text in the post.
Go to Manage Attachments.
Go to Choose File.
Go to the desired directory (like Gun Photos).
Find desired photo and double click on it.
After selecting all desired photos, go to Upload.
After upload is finished, go to Close This Window.
Go to Preview Post.
Go to Submit New Thread.
Go to Reply to make a new post if you need to post more than 10 photos. There is a way to post 12 photos in the original post, but that is left as an exercise for the student to figure out.
Gunboards will sometimes mess up the sequence of photos for reasons unknown as seen below. Sequence numbers are shown in the photo labels; the last three photos are posted first in error, out of sequence.