*sigh*
I really was hoping that I'd have to postpone this gun pr0n one more week. Last Saturday, at the GOAL Banquet, I bid on a succession of fine firearms, but did not manage to acquire any. Obviously, I blame George Bush and his eeevil gun show loophole...
However, there is an upside - I finally get to put up the picture of the corrected Model 17 that I promised, oh, three weeks ago... As I mentioned in that long-ago post, I had acquired a Model 19 with the 4" barrel last summer, and it came with the target grips from Smith & Wesson. The Model 17 was sporting a pair of Hogue Monogrips, which replaced a garish pair of faux wood (read: genuine plastique) Safariland grips.
In the run-up to my second new shooter outing earlier this month, I had grabbed the trusty Model 17 and the 19 at the same time. Looking at them, it struck me that the grips really ought to be swapped - the recoil-reducing Monogrips were much better served on the .357 Magnum Model 19, and the checkered target grips were made for the Model 17 in the minimally recoiling .22lr.
Here's what she looks like decked out in her Sunday finest:
Damn, but that's a beautiful wheelgun... Much better with the original S&W target grips to go with the target hammer and trigger... And the good folks at Smith & Wesson really know their stuff - those grips work awesome on the Model 17. I was nailing clay pigeons on the 25 yard berm at the pistol range with alarming frequency...
That is all.
7 comments:
Nice looking gun, yes, but I gotta say that's kind of a lousy shot of it. No detail in the shadows at all. Dark subject, white background, contrasty lighting, shooting the shadowed side ... no wonder it's a crummy picture.
Next time you have some sunlight, try this: Put the revolver on a neutral gray or tan surface, not white, and put it in an area of well-lit shadow -- that is, not direct sunlight, but not deep dark shadow either. I think you'll get a lot more detail into the gun.
Oh pooh. And here I was thinking I was being all artsy with the sunlight glinting off the barrel...
Thanks for the tips, though. Getting better pictures of the Friday Gun Pr0n has been one of my goals.
Well, you were. Problem is, artistic photography and realistic photography don't always play well together. You wanted to show it with the new grips, right? Well, the grips are in shadow, and nearly invisible.
My Sooper Sekrit Spy Sight tells me you took that shot with the camera in full auto mode. I'm betting that the lightmeter was fooled by the screwy lighting: white background, a dark subject in mild shadow, and the sunlight on the barrel. It exposed for the sunlight and the background, and lost shadow detail as a result. Full-auto exposure programs are pretty dang smart these days, but the combination of REALLY bright highlights and REALLY dark shadows still gives them fits.
You might want to spend an afternoon studying the mysteries of manual exposure -- f/stop and shutter speed, the Law of Reciprocity, and exposure bracketing. Even with all the electronics, there are still times when the best way to get a proper exposure is to set it manually .. then bracket in the camera, and adjust it in a processing program like Photoshop Elements.
It's funny that you mention the grips.
I think it's a monitor resolution issue - the picture looks great on the two computers I use at home; however, here @ work I can totally see your point - the grips are pretty much bathed in shadow.
I was using the manual focus on this shot; however, there's only so much a 7 year old, low-end Canon can do, yaknowwhattamean?
I do appreciate the tips, and someday when I have a halfway decent camera setup I really do want to play with different settings to see if I can't take better pictures.
But for now, enjoy the crappy free ice cream... :)
Jay, very nice 17! Even if the picture is a little short on detail. If your interested in improving your gun porn skills, build one of these:
http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent
I did, and have had some pretty good improvements on my photo skills. Lighting seems to be key.
See what I mean:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/anguslincoln/firearms/September2008090.jpg
That whole lightbox project won't break the bank or take much time either. I bet you could get your son interested too!
Jay,
Now you just need a model 29 to complete the trio. Having the Mod-29 comes in handy for keeping Toshiba laptops in line, too.
Not only was Jay nailing the clays at 25 yards, even *I* was. It's almost cheating. ;-)
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