Camera Lighting Question (and Prime Pic)

I am still fooling around with Proper Lighting finally after getting a Tripod for my Camera and was just wondering which of these pics looks the best lighting-wise. I could also use a few pointers for more proper lighting techniques, I was using a Clip-on Lamp similar to the type you'd find at a hardware store, cheap aluminum 'shade' enclosure.

Take 1


Take 2


Take 3


Take 4


Take 5


Take 6


Oh and I used the Backdrop from the Sam's Club Exclusive as a backdrop for the picture.

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Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For You are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup!

I think using point and shoot cameras do not give you any control...

JOHN

You need to figure out how to use the camera's macro mode. Look for the little flower.

Otherwise, pull back farther, shoot at a higher resolution, and crop.

It's a 1 Megapixel Digital Camera HP C200 and here is the Original Unedited/Uncropped Picture of Take 1:



I'm lucky to have what I own for a Digital Camera, I'm just trying to get the best out of it I possibly can. What I'm mainly asking about is what is the best suggestion for Lighting (ie Bulb Type/wattage/size/color).

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Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For You are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup!

ATTENTION, LODAN: DOES THE CAMERA HAVE A MACRO MODE? DOES IT HAVE A LITTLE FLOWER ICON ON THE CAMERA OR IN THE MENUS?

Yeah, man, listen to Rog... The 'Macro' mode allows most digicams to switch to a closer focusing distance (with 2~3 feet usually). The switch is usually marked with a 'Flower' icon. If your cam doesn't have this function, you need to take your tripod further back, like at least 4~5 feet. Otherwise all you'll get are these blurred/out-of-focus shots.

No Flower Icon, Nor does the manual say anything about a Macro Mode, Also did a little test of near and far shooting and came up with Crap for far Shooting compared to Near... MY MAIN QUESTION WAS LIGHTING!!!




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Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For You are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup!

If there's no macro mode, then I doubt lighting is going to help you. If you want better pictures, you need a better camera.

With a 1 megapixel camera, you're not going to get much.

FWIW, lighting in #1 is the best.

as for lighting...put some translucent/softening material between your subject and your light source like a copy paper or white cloth or bounce your light source into a wall and the light getting ridrected to the subject..

...the light is waay too bright and too near the subject hence the blown out highlights...

and besides try to read your camera manual...regarding your camera's minimum focusing distance... if it doesn't have a macro mode the best guess is the minimum focusing distance of such point and shoot cameras will be 4-6 feet...

Minimum Focusing distance means...from the front of th elens to the subject...

JOHN

Well I finally understand what roger was trying to ask me about. He was asking for a Close-up mode. However he was asking in terms that were either too technical or not descriptive enough.

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Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For You are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup!

Dude, I dunno....I've never heard any camera manufacturer use the term, "Close-up mode". In all my years of photography, it's always been "macro mode", and the implications of working in this mode are more than just "close-up" shots.

Did you try to research "macro mode" when Roger first mentioned it? If you google it, you will get almost 1.4 million hits...starting with this one, which should answer pretty much all of your questions in this thread:
[www.ephotozine.com]

For real, though, if you've got some Fisher Price "My first digital camera" bullshit going on, you may wanna consider upgrading. Not to disrespect, of course, but that's just how it is. It's not you. It's the camera.

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Sanjeev

'Us Massholes straight up just don't give a fuck. I still pronounce "Mazinger" as "Tranzor Z".'
-Nekrodave