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i seriously can't figure out how to change the settings, because these photos look like gak...can someone please help me??

Well on my camera theres a flower button (macro?) which is necessary for close up detail.

You might get more help if you tell us what camera you have.

Also maybe use a lamp to help.

I am moving this post to P&M. It's not a blog post.

For close up shots focusing on one model or a small few together use macro (flower)
For a large amount of models, use the other option (unsure what it's called it's usually a mountain and the opposite of macro).
Try to have adequate lighting from behind you, but without castig shadows on them, so as to avoid using flash which will get rid of some of the detail.
Also if you need to do a close up of something, don't move the camera closer, use zoom. If you get too close it will go blurry usually and by using zoom and macro you can take close up pictures with a fair amount of detail.

You might also want to make a light box to block out any light that get's in the way. Its as simple as a box without a front or top lined with white inside. For my ones with the white in the background though, it's a small bookshelf I got ages ago. Luckily it also makes a good light box when I need to take photos

Can you furnish a pic of the rear or control panel area of your camera?

Without knowing the make and model of camera, it's kind of hard to tell you how to do something.

Read the tutorial articles here.

Your basic problems are bad lighting and camera shake cause by bad lighting.

The macro mode is for close-ups. It is usually shown by a 'flower' button.

Rest the camera on something steady to prevent camera shake. A rolled up towel will do, or you can buy a bean bag or cheap tripod.

Also use the timer button rather than your finger to take the picture.
Buy a small tripod - you should be able to pick one up for £10 or so.

There's no need for a tripod really, unless you want one. Just make a stack of books, or mags, or similarly stable objects. Something like a bean bag would work well too. A white background would be much better, as would natural light. Your white balance looks off too, so look through the options in the menu to change this.

yeah thanks for the tips guys I FOUND THE FLOWER BUTTON! w00T!!!! THANKYOUUUUU!!!! now one last question, before i upload my traitor blog...where does the light source have to be...behind, above or in front of the models???

thanks again

Should ideally be in front, i.e. looking over your shoulder if it's daylight, or up and to the side if you're using a spotlight

Actually, just an FYI, newer digital images uploaded onto the Dakka server also put all camera details and setting information at the bottom right corner. Thanks Dakka!

Of course, macro setting doesn't work as well for my images as a few other settings so depending on your camera, you may want to take different shots on different settings to figure out your best combo. Also I swear by using a 2 second delay to get rid of a lot of slop in photo taking with my mediocre+ camera and lighting set-up.

A light source should be mostly in front of the model but as widely diffused as possible to get rid of harsh shadows.

Some day...

Million wrote:There's no need for a tripod really, unless you want one. Just make a stack of books, or mags, or similarly stable objects. Something like a bean bag would work well too. A white background would be much better, as would natural light. Your white balance looks off too, so look through the options in the menu to change this.

A tripod allows you to control the angle of the shot in ways that a pile of books cannot. Given that you can get them for $20, if you want to improve your pictures, it's worth the investment.

Read the photo tutorials.

Daylight is the best light. A north facing room will be ideal.

You can use white card or sheets of paper to help fill in shadows.