serous newb here.. need some basic help

[tbone13]

i am taking pictures of clothing to sell online and i have a problem with picture quality.

my setup:
sony digiatl camera.. a very old one (does the age really make a difference?
6 home made light boxes made of foam board. covers are made of white sheets.
backdrop is a a large white sheet.
i am using compact flourescent bulbs 42 watts.. lumens are 2800 bulb link

problem:
neutral color items come out great. background is white and the item is true in color.

however, when i take pictures of certain items (black, yellow, white, bright colors) the picture quality seriously degrades. muddy, dark, fuzzy, sometimes yellow.. sometimes pinkish.. (very weird?)

the camera seems to adjust itself and the pics come out dark, untrue in color, etc.

i thought it might be too dark so i added more light.. however, the camera adjusts and the pics still come out dark..


i am positioning the lights at a 45 degree angle and give them ample time to warm up.

here are some examples:
decent pic:
http://www.snowflake02.com/images/012306/137.JPG

bad pic:
http://www.snowflake02.com/images/012306/132.JPG

bad pic2:
http://www.snowflake02.com/images/012306/009.JPG

please help.. any insight would be great!

tom

 

[ort]

matrix metering? allowing the camera to white balance? not shooting the first shot with a color checker?

 

[craig]

Try the camera on center weighted meter. The white balance should be set to tungsten.

 

[Rob]

First and foremost, those images have come out grainy and flat due to a lack of light. You need to up the output of your lighting rig if you wish to continue using a camera like that, as it's light gathering ability isn't that high.

Secondly, ISO... if your camera allows you to set it manually, then do so, set it at the lowest number (e.g. 100).

Thirdly, tripod (if you're not already).

Fourthy, white balance.

Fifthly, manual mode. Get your camera into the most manual mode you can. Manual focus, manual exposure and aperture (wide) if possible.

Sixthly, contrast backdrop. White is going to give you metering issues, consider using black perhaps with light fabrics like that.

Seventhly, sorry for starting so many sentences with numbers and also sorry for not looking up your camera's features.

Hope this helps.

Rob