# Watches as Still Life



## Apollo83

So we have a wrist check thread.

How about one for watches off the wrist in staged still life shots / product shots...


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## Apollo83

I'll start the ball rolling with a piece I like to call 'Speedbird on a log' ;-)


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## Nokie

Nice.


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## Bradjhomes




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## zephyrnoid

Seriously? Have you not looked around this entire forum? ALL the threads has some amazing watches in still life. But hey! The more the merrier right?


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## Apollo83

zephyrnoid said:


> Seriously? Have you not looked around this entire forum? ALL the threads has some amazing watches in still life. But hey! The more the merrier right?


Oh , you're right - I just checked.

;-)

But seriously, maybe I should have clarified, the emphasis on this thread in the photography forum would be on the photography aspect - still life implying an arrangement of the watch with other items; pieces of wood, stones , pens, beer bottles, whatever.

Personally I like as many excuses to photograph watches as I can get.

Cheers.


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## Pallet Spoon

... or other watches  ...


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## StufflerMike

Damasko DC 56 in Petra/Jordan










Damasko DA 36 in South Tyrol/Italy


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## StufflerMike

Just another Damasko one










Stowa Seatime in London


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## Apollo83

stuffler said:


> Just another Damasko one


I love the angles and the background on this one Mike.
But I'm a little worried why two Damasko's are so far out of sync. ;-)


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## ufbot

My Steinhart OVM finally arrived, so I took these today. Hope they're up to par!


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## Anatoly

I'll contribute...


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## The Guvnah

Nokie said:


> Nice.


Even nicer if Apollo had taken it on the 6th of the month. ;-)


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## rhst1

Nice use of selective focus


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## nimbushopper

OK, I'll play! Here's some of mine.


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## teeritz

I used to sell watches, so I got pretty sick of seeing wrists day in, day out. Which is why I tend to stage my watch shots. Plus the fact that I have 6.5 inch wrists.
Here are a few from my reviews. Apologies for the quality. I'm no master photographer and I don't have Photoshop;




























And some random shots;





































Cheers, all.


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## unsub073

nimbushopper said:


> OK, I'll play! Here's some of mine.


Sinn and Yuengling in the same picture. It really doesn't get much better than that.


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## Ric Capucho

Celadon Imperial (taken yesterday 'cos I wanted to play with Frau Capucho's new Leica C. But F/2.0 isn't fast enough to get a really hot depth of field going) 









Ca. 1969 Stowa Landeron 248 (great setup, about all I can get out of my iPhone 4S, and I get a lot of admiring comments. But I over processed the depth of field... then deleted the flat original. Daft sod. Shall set it all up again sometime, and see how it can be improved)









Ca. 1961-2 Strela 3017 (used a piece of paper as a makeshift diffuser for the direct sunlight. Over-diffused, basically, so it looks a bit overcast)









Ca. 1969 Omega Seamaster 120 (snapped on my favourite sunlit rock at the corner of our garden. Really should consider diffusing the sunlight at that spot one of these days)









Vostok Amfibia 1967 (doused in fizzy water, doused in still water, love taking pickies of this watch)



























Stowa Flieger Auto COSC (iPhone 4S again on a Dubai hotel balcony. Lolita sunglasses are my wife's, I hasten to add)









Shuangling 40 Zuan (I've yet to take a decent pickie of this watch. Best effort so far)









Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope (A very photogenic watch)



























Beijing ZunJue (ok, not really a still-life, but I kept my hand very still)









Beijing BeiHai (playing with the shadows and rule of thirds on the wife's piano)


















Still learning the basics, but my pickies have come on over the last year or so since I started photographing watches for WRUW threads. Realised after a while that my orangutang-hairy wrist makes for a poor composition. Got a looooooong way to go before I stop spotting beginner's mistakes in every picture I take.

Ric


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## Apollo83

Ric Capucho said:


> Stowa Flieger Auto COSC (iPhone 4S again on a Dubai hotel balcony. Lolita sunglasses are my wife's, I hasten to add)


I like the diagonal lines in this one...
Plus you expect a Flieger to be paired with some aviator glasses... The ladies glasses hint at a much more interesting backstory to the picture...
Top ranking air force marshall seduced by a foreign spy?


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## StephenAndrew

I'll play, here are some of mine:


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## Apollo83

Nice pictures. Mind sharing some tips?

What did you use as a glossy white surface in this picture?


StephenAndrew said:


>


What lighting did you use in this one? It looks very natural (window light?), but carefully arranged to get the 'banding' across the hands and logo?


StephenAndrew said:


>


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## StephenAndrew

Apollo83 said:


> Nice pictures. Mind sharing some tips?
> 
> What did you use as a glossy white surface in this picture?
> 
> What lighting did you use in this one? It looks very natural (window light?), but carefully arranged to get the 'banding' across the hands and logo?


Thanks! I don't mind at all - the glossy surface in the first photo is just a piece of sheet metal I picked up at Home Depot or Lowes.

I don't remember exactly what the lighting was for the second photo, but it may have been a little LED video light that I use for photos of watches and other small objects. Something like this: Bescor Morning Star Series LED-125 Dimmable 125W LED-125 B&H

It's certainly more maneuverable than a window, and if you hold it close enough, it provides soft, even light just like a window would.


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## A4VC

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## kazrich

Here's a few of mine. All natural daylight and hand held taken raw and converted to jpegs.
I never try to avoid all reflections, because in real life I see reflections in glass and watches and think they can
add another dimension to a pic as long as they don't bleach out the subject.

Richard


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## vinylgreek

Some of my amateurish attempts:

P3090046 by vinylgreek, on Flickr

PA130150 by vinylgreek, on Flickr

PA010152 by vinylgreek, on Flickr







PA030101 by vinylgreek, on Flickr


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## Frogman4me

incredible photos guys, good job


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## WolfHunter3877




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## whitter45

DSC_8269 by Paul Whitt82, on Flickr

DSC_8270 by Paul Whitt82, on Flickr

DSC_4316 by Paul Whitt82, on Flickr

DSC_5517 by Paul Whitt82, on Flickr

DSC_5873 by Paul Whitt82, on Flickr


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## Tetsu Tekubi

im just gonna go ahead and ruin this thread with a crummy digital 
new addition and the first one ive done some close ups of...










whole bunch of others more along the line of "putting watches with other things" already in the g shock images forum (https://www.watchuseek.com/f94/30-days-gs-972292.html ) so i wont flood this thread


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## Worm007




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## O2AFAC67

Interesting thread...
Best,
Ron











Many more in my photo galleries...


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## Milko

cross posted elsewhere in the forum but I enjoy photography gear as much as watches..








[/URL]Bell&Ross Demineur Nikon 35Ti by transalper, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## Apollo83

Irish coffee time.
(50mm, 1/250, f/11, ISO100)


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## Apollo83

Seeing as Soulbridgemedia broke the digital ice...

Trek time with the Casio PRW3000-1A (not as abused as the boots) 







(1/25s at 105mm f/11 ISO100)


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## Tetsu Tekubi

lol happy to be of service 

curious tho, why did you run such a low shutter when you had alot of apeture and iso to play with?


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## Apollo83

soulbridgemedia said:


> lol happy to be of service
> 
> curious tho, why did you run such a low shutter when you had alot of apeture and iso to play with?


Oooo, photography question on the photography forum - I love this site! 

Chose f/11 for a little more depth of field because I wanted some clarity on the laces running diagonal up to top right, and similarly on the strap running to bottom right (hopefully leading the eye to the watch?)
Chose ISO100 because I always do if I can - for me ISO is safety valve; I start on 100 and go up only if I need to keep exposure quick or aperture small...
But the main reason is that I had my travel tripod handy and so shutter speed was my free variable 

I would emphasise that I am very amateur and so my thinking may be out and I welcome any feedback for improvement - maybe we should start a thread where you can post pictures (not just watches) that you want feedback on? Post a picture there and its fair game for a critique!


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## aljones27

Nice shots. let me add this one:

Old fashioned? by aljones27, on Flickr


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## Rudi K

Vintage Orient King Diver on an awesome YoiChi whiskey selection. BB Z30 phone camera. Love the internal bezel colours.


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## Slash-5

OK, my try.


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## Slash-5

Here is one from yesterday...










...and one from a little bit ago.


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## Apollo83

Nice lighting on all 3.
But especially the 'tactical' red for the G-Shock really works well.


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## Slash-5

Apollo83 said:


> Nice lighting on all 3.
> But especially the 'tactical' red for the G-Shock really works well.


Thank you!


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## Apollo83

Stowa Antea KS with my old slide rule
(1/40s @ f/11, ISO400, 105mm)


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## Aquavit




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## ElFuego

My first post in F109. I am trying to learn photography so there's plenty of room for improvement. Here's a couple shots I am happy with. I have not committed to software editing beyond a little picasa cropping and lightening. 
My Heuer Autavia








My Heuer next to my Porsche and a couple watches spinning away.








My Crepas Cayman - I wish I had used a polarizing filter to get rid of some of the crystal's reflections, live and learn.








My PAM164


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## JonnyD3487

That Heuer is sweet!


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## igorycha

Great thread. It is always much more interesting to look at photos with watches rather than hairy wrists with watches. Couple of mine


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## brandon\




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## rfortson

I'll play. Watches and photography are a couple of my hobbies, but I never hang out in this sub-forum. I don't know why.


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## Berkut




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## Apollo83

Berkut said:


>


Nice light, but I would like to see the watch angled to the bottle so the orange light plays on the white and silver dial...
Can you move it a bit and take another shot to see how it comes out? 
In fact I may steal your idea and have a go myself


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## Ric Capucho

Ca. 1969 vintage Stowa Landeron 248
8 seconds shutter priority, F/8, ISO 400
A few things wrong with this pickie because I didn't box it off so it's picked up reflections from a wall painting with lots of orange in it, and a large red cushion. But chuffed that my attempt at a moody long exposure shot paid off, in the main.









Mid to late 1970s vintage Shuangling 40 Zuan
F/2.8 aperture priority, 1/60s, ISO 100
It counts as a still life if I keep my hand very still, right? Obvious thing that's wrong here is that yer can see a bit too much reflection from the great outdoors, but that's the price to pay for capturing the "tiger's eyes" vertical holographic effect wot don't show unless you have plenty of reflective light on it. Oh, and the bent coat hanger watch holder is peeping out of the bottom right hand corner of the strap. Otherwise, quite happy with this.

Ric


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## felipefuda

Enviado de meu XT925 usando Tapatalk


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## Headrush

Apollo83 said:


> I'll start the ball rolling with a piece I like to call 'Speedbird on a log' ;-)
> 
> View attachment 1522932


This Photo is really worth the title of your thread!

Sent from my GT-I8160L using Tapatalk 2


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## Rob Roberts




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## Headrush

vinylgreek said:


> Some of my amateurish attempts:
> 
> P3090046 by vinylgreek, on Flickr
> 
> PA130150 by vinylgreek, on Flickr
> 
> PA010152 by vinylgreek, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PA030101 by vinylgreek, on Flickr


Nice.. What's that seiko with the white dial?

Sent from my GT-I8160L using Tapatalk 2


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## Ken b

Some of the New Breitling


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## ratmmadboy

Put this one over in the wrist check and pil/mil thread. Probably sits best here. ^^^Beautiful breitling BTW. Love the font on the date window.


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## George Salt

My first post although I've been lurking for a while. I found WUS looking for information on regulating a pocket watch, and that visit ended up being directly responsible for this purchase..


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## Drudge




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## rsimpsss

Old pic but felt it's similar to the OP's pic.


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## Fazmaster

Here's my effort..


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## Rudi K

"Cold War."


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## Slash-5

StephenAndrew said:


> Thanks! I don't mind at all - the glossy surface in the first photo is just a piece of sheet metal I picked up at Home Depot or Lowes.
> 
> I don't remember exactly what the lighting was for the second photo, but it may have been a little LED video light that I use for photos of watches and other small objects. Something like this: Bescor Morning Star Series LED-125 Dimmable 125W LED-125 B&H
> 
> It's certainly more maneuverable than a window, and if you hold it close enough, it provides soft, even light just like a window would.


great pointers!


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## citjet

A favorite topic of mine for sure:

Bali Hai getting wet
~[/URL
[URL=http://s167.photobucket.com/user/dank_019/media/20140303_0023-1_edited-1_zpscb848c5f.jpg.html]

~[/URL


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## citjet




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## citjet




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## SeikoAutomatic_01

For this "moonlight" shot of my Vostok Europe N1 Rocket I used a piece of petrified wood rock and plastic plant. For lighting I used an off camera flash with blue cling wrap over it and fired the flash at a lower power to underexpose the image. A blacklight was used before the shot to get the lume bright.


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## Jaxwired




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## IronButterfly

I didn't know a whole lot about this watch when I owned it - just that the movement dated it to some time in the 1940's.


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## bigdog

On the back patio of our house in Molschbach, Germany.


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## Rainhard




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## Myman




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## Rainhard




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## MODUOMO




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## chochocho

WOW THIS THREAD IS AMAZING


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## O2AFAC67




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## daddyKC




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## daddyKC

Freshly shot today


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## trf2271

Seiko SARG009 on my favorite pair of denim


















Just a few shots I took that I'm a fan of. I really enjoy this watch!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## daddyKC

Golden filter shots


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## jideta




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## rtl




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## daddyKC




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## jerj

With only my phone to hand, I tried for a few while breaking on a hike.


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## Rainhard




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## jerj

Cool shot Rainhard. Very slice of life!


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## jideta

I've been thinking about this concept for some time and despite finding out it had already been done, I decided to go ahead and add my spin to it.
This is version 2.0, I've already done a mock up.
It didn't work out great; the watch fell over a couple of times while transporting. The epoxy had not yet set.
I cropped out the instrument of death but you get the idea.
Oh, and donor watches would be appreciated!









you can see full images by clicking the flickr link in my sig
working on v3


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## Squeezealexio

IMG_0022 by Chad Pearson, on Flickr


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## jideta

boy, the crystals are dirty on the inside!









doh! still had the plastic on the glass!


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## mharris660




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## mharris660

View attachment 7288970


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## i-WERKS




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## Squeezealexio

zepplin on my veranda


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## Adam91

This picture is traumatizing me. 


jideta said:


> I've been thinking about this concept for some time and despite finding out it had already been done, I decided to go ahead and add my spin to it.
> This is version 2.0, I've already done a mock up.
> It didn't work out great; the watch fell over a couple of times while transporting. The epoxy had not yet set.
> I cropped out the instrument of death but you get the idea.
> Oh, and donor watches would be appreciated!
> 
> View attachment 7246066
> 
> 
> you can see full images by clicking the flickr link in my sig
> working on v3


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## Adam91

Amazing. Gorgeous.


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## Mirabello1

Squeezealexio said:


> zepplin on my veranda


Absolutely Gorgeous

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Squeezealexio

Mirabello1 said:


> Absolutely Gorgeous
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


thanks sometimes it good when the subject is a beauty


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## NathanielGoodtimes

jideta said:


> I've been thinking about this concept for some time and despite finding out it had already been done, I decided to go ahead and add my spin to it.
> This is version 2.0, I've already done a mock up.
> It didn't work out great; the watch fell over a couple of times while transporting. The epoxy had not yet set.
> I cropped out the instrument of death but you get the idea.
> Oh, and donor watches would be appreciated!
> 
> View attachment 7246066
> 
> 
> you can see full images by clicking the flickr link in my sig
> working on v3


Brilliant!

Sent from paradise!


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## jideta

NathanielGoodtimes said:


> Brilliant!
> 
> Sent from paradise!


thanks!



Adam91 said:


> This picture is traumatizing me.


sorry


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## daddyKC




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## Jeremy Pang

View attachment 7441330


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## chriscentro

Squeezealexio said:


> zepplin on my veranda


Love the colours and texture!


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## jideta

View attachment DSC_5368.jpg


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## jideta




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## Apollo83

Omega Seamaster 300 MC on a rainy night downtown...


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## O2AFAC67

Apollo83 said:


> Omega Seamaster 300 MC on a rainy night downtown...
> 
> 
> View attachment 9374378


Gorgeous piece, Apollo.  And because you have an interesting user name... ;-)





Best,
Ron


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## Apollo83

As nice as the watches are, for once I'm more impressed by the paper they're sitting on 

A few guinness waiting for you Ron to tell the story next time you're over in Ireland!

An Apollo appreciator.


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## bjtiger75

View attachment 20160221-_DSC2029-Edit.jpg


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## bjtiger75




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## zed073




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## Apollo83

Woah zed, you've been busy this weekend!

Nice pics.

I particularly like the half submerged deep blue.


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## daddyKC

zed073 said:


>


Fully agree with @Apollo83
This is the money shot!


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## planettokyo

zed073 said:


>




Its cool watch, more pic of this please


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## bjtiger75

Not what I originally planned but I thought this came out kind of unique looking.
View attachment 20160918-_DSC2476.jpg


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## mdwilson

*My Old Ollech & Wajs diver







*


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## steampowered

I went with a motoring theme and a Hirsch Rallye looks surprisingly well on the Type Demineur.

More words + pics
https://autorista.wordpress.com/
https://autorista.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/type-demineur/


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## watchobs




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## ConfusedOne




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## watchersam




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## watchersam




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## darklight111




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## daddyKC

Finger liking delicious blue GS


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## watchobs




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## rolexus

Apollo83 said:


> Oh , you're right - I just checked.
> 
> ;-)
> 
> But seriously, maybe I should have clarified, the emphasis on this thread in the photography forum would be on the photography aspect - still life implying an arrangement of the watch with other items; pieces of wood, stones , pens, beer bottles, whatever.
> 
> Personally I like as many excuses to photograph watches as I can get.
> 
> Cheers.


I'm with you, Apollo83! I think I only buy watches so I can photograph them.


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## rockmastermike

856 b-uhr


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## zed073

Thank you.



Apollo83 said:


> Woah zed, you've been busy this weekend!
> 
> Nice pics.
> 
> I particularly like the half submerged deep blue.


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## zed073

Thanks.

I totally forgot about this thread.

I'll setup the light box soon and do a batch of new shots.



planettokyo said:


> Its cool watch, more pic of this please


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## rockmastermike




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## daddyKC

And the view on the painting:


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## nordwulf




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## nolte




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## EATT_VN

Second hand on my old watch sweeping in one second 
(1 sec exposure with macrophotography lens - Certina movt - cal. 25-661 beating at 19,800 bph)


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## rockmastermike




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## blueradish

rockmastermike said:


>


Killer strap! Details please?


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## odinslostcandy




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## watchobs




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## Carretera18

The original photos at my blog: Seiko SRP779 New Turtle


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## nordwulf




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## watchobs




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## vigil1

I am constantly amazed by how you trick out a watch. Nice colors. Nice strap and nice watch.


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## rockmastermike

Nomos Weltzeit on Diaboliq


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## watchobs




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## xxjorelxx

a few of mine off the wrist


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## rockmastermike




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## xcellr8tion

Gorgeous, is that fresh snow/ice crystals?


rockmastermike said:


>


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## DarrinNYC77

*ALL IN!*


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## DarrinNYC77




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## rockmastermike

Nomos DUW 5201 in house movement


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## rockmastermike

U1000b


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## rockmastermike

xcellr8tion said:


> Gorgeous, is that fresh snow/ice crystals?


apologies for the late reply - ice on the bed cover of my truck


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## Robimus




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## Aututto

Robimus said:


> View attachment 10632418
> 
> 
> This is phenomenal. I love how the steel looks in this photo.


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## GreenManalishi

This photo is nowhere near as artistic as some on this thread, but it shows a few things I love.

*It also shows a few things that can't be shown here. Please familiarize yourself with our rules prior to further posting. -The Admin*


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## spencer17




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## O2AFAC67




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## O2AFAC67




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## O2AFAC67




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## nubskillz

Dead on.


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## nubskillz

Currently bored at the post office waiting for them to find my package... so here's a few of my watches posing sans-human.


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## photomat




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## watchobs




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## 01coltcolt

My Montblanc Timewalker


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## Apollo83

A question to any of you with art backgrounds...

I was messing around with positioning objects for a picture when I found myself asking whether the objects look better overlapping or separated.

Here's some snaps to illustrate:

Overlapping (the glasses are partially behind the watch):









Separate (there is clear space between the objects):









To my eye the overlapping example gives a better sense of there being an integrated composition, but then I'm a scientist not an artist 
Any advice on compositional guidelines appreciated.


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## briburt

A few of my current favorites:

Laco Valencia:









Glycine Combat 6 (36mm):









Fossil FSW1004 automatic:









Tissot PRC200 (quartz):









Citizen Eco-Drive "Chandler":









Orient Bambino 2 (2nd generation):















*Save**Save*​


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## mrk




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## Shermara

Looking great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## drawman623




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## Csyoon25

mrk said:


>


That ahoi picture ??

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk


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## watchobs

Being that this crab was a passive participant (not sure, but I think it had passed onto the big Atlantic in the sky) in this particular photo, than I would consider this to be the consummate example of Still Life ;-) !


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## drawman623

watchobs said:


> Being that this crab was a passive participant (not sure, but I think it had passed onto the big Atlantic in the sky) in this particular photo, than I would consider this to be the consummate example of Still Life ;-) !


He's not dead, just deep in consideration of the bracelet vs isofrane


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## evoboost18

Great pics!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LKO

Took this for Alien Day back on the 26th of April. I chose that background to represent the surface of LV426.

Let me know what you think!


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## Tdizle

Here are a few of mine


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## GnarKing

watchobs said:


> Being that this crab was a passive participant (not sure, but I think it had passed onto the big Atlantic in the sky) in this particular photo, than I would consider this to be the consummate example of Still Life ;-) !


Killer shot- where was this taken?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## watchobs

GnarKing said:


> Killer shot- where was this taken?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Drudge




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## Frossty

haha, the shot with the crab is awesome.


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## Jharris888

Nice!!


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