Byron Morgan Library of Photos

[scratchswinger]

@Mikeytown- Incredible putter!!! One of the best Byrons ever!!! Congrats

[Mikey Town]

[quote name='BuckeyeGolfer ' timestamp='1372777457' post='7370812']
Wow, Mikey! Tell us about your photo setup. I have a Nikon D3100. Teach us.
[/quote]

OK... Pure745 PM'd me with a few questions a couple days ago, so this is what I wrote up for him. I'm not exactly a "pro" when it comes to product photography, and I don't have the biggest and baddest equipment in the world, but I'm pretty good at making it work for me. I'm happy with the way the photos came out, and apparently you guys enjoy them, so that's all that really matters to me. Feel free to experiment with different setups and your own gear to get the look you are going for with your putter (or anything else that you might want to photograph).


[b]I'll try to make this short and sweet. I'm better at hands on teaching... not so much at writing tutorials.

Gear:
Canon 7D
Canon 50mm f/1.8 (You don't need a lens that fast... I just like it for things like this because it's small, light and tack sharp)
Canon 430exII (2)
Light Stands (2)
60" Parabolic Umbrella

Setup:
I had a small table set up with grey cloth draped over it. I also had the same grey cloth draped for the background. Where the putter and cover were placed on the table, they were about 3-4 feet in front of the backdrop.
My main light was a 430exII on 1/8 power shot into the 60" umbrella. The flash fires into the umbrella, and the light reflects out of it. This effectively gives you a circular light source, which is 60" in diameter, and gives you much better coverage. I started with the light directly above the putter, then ended up with the best lighting by pulling the light a couple feet to the front/right, then angled it back towards the putter.
My second light was another 430exII on 1/32 power, aimed at the backdrop behind the putter.
My third light was the on camera flash on 1/32 power, shot through a small diffuser. This flash is far less powerful than the other two, so even though the power setting was the same as flash 2, it was actually putting out less light. This gave me just a hint of fill light to help reduce the shadows that can show up in the face milling, flange, etc...

Camera Settings:
ISO 100
Shutter Speed 1/250
f/5.6

Quick Tips:
Depending on your equipment, your flash settings will be a bit different, but (as long as you use enough flash power) you can completely overpower the ambient light. That way, the light in the room you are shooting in, and the time of day, won't affect the photos at all.
Also, the editing of the photo is almost important as shooting it in the first place. I use Photoshop for really in-depth editing (usually skin smoothing/retouching, among other things, in portraits), but Adobe Lightroom is what I use for 90% of my editing. It works great![/b]


For those of you who don't have access to off-camera lighting, please don't think that you can't take a nice putter photo! Anybody with a decent camera (entry level DLSR, micro 4/3 camera like a Sony NEX, a reliable point and shoot, or even many of the newer phone cameras) can make a great photo. Heck... there are even people out there who specialize in "iPhoneography" so there's probably an acceptable camera in your pocket.

The Key: Do not underestimate the beauty of natural light!

Take your putter (or any other subject matter) outside, during the day, in the shade... an overcast day is ideal because everywhere is in the shade. Not being in direct sunlight is key, as this will allow you to avoid photos with glare and "hot spots." As long as you make sure to get your subject in focus, and shoot with a shallow depth of field (low f-stop/large aperture) Then you will get photos with sharp subjects and blurred backgrounds. This is called "Subject Isolation" and is usually the look that most people relate to "professional" photographs. However, the vast majority of people don't know that you can get that look with almost any camera you can get your hands on.

For more details about how to get this look with your specific camera, there is probably a decent tutorial on youtube (or the like)... that is where I did most of my learning. Also, if you use your camera primarily in "Auto" mode, that probably isn't going to cut it. Learning how to control the settings manually will give you much more control over how your photos look. If you have an iPhone, do yourself a favor and get the "Camera+" app... It will let you control all of these functions. There is also a book that comes with most cameras... we all just throw them away... I think it's called a... that's right... "User Manual." If you can track that down, it will help a lot.


Remember... it's not the camera that takes the photo, it's the person behind the camera that makes the photo

[pr1mo990]

[quote name='Thaddy' timestamp='1372522312' post='7349448']
I have zero technical data to back this up, but I've found the step-less TT shafts to feel a bit smoother than the stepped shafts. If you don't buy that, then how about "I like the look of the step-less shafts better"?
[/quote]

I totally agree. I just got my first Byron recently, a stainless DH89, and while it's perfect, one of the first things I noticed was the stepped shaft, and if I'd have known they came with them, I'd have ordered it with a stepless one. I've putted with both and can barely (if at all) tell any difference, but stepless looks so much better to me. oh well, just one of the many reasons I'll be getting a second Byron in the near future.

[oneaugusta]

Here's my latest Byron: DH11 with lots of custom work by Byron. This one has a thicker face than the other cavity putters I have which gives it almost Bombora feel.

[attachment=1770470:P1010039.JPG][attachment=1770484:P1010007.JPG][attachment=1770482:P1010029.JPG][attachment=1770478:P1010020.JPG]

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Glad to see the Surfer Girl make another appearance. DH11 looks sharp

[kygolfer1980]

Here is a pic of my Byron. This is a DH89 I got from a fellow wrx peep in a trade. It had a rincon neck with the "tai" treatment. I am not a fan of that style neck so I sent it back to Byron and had the long round pipe hosel put on and got it face balanced. Added the coyote headcover, wildcat blue paintfill, and refinished with the brushed blue oil. I absolutely love it!! Can't wait to get it on the course!!

[attachment=1805958:1.JPG]
[attachment=1805960:2.JPG]
[attachment=1805962:3.JPG]
[attachment=1805964:4.JPG]
[attachment=1805966:5.JPG]
[attachment=1805968:6.JPG]

[SwingLikeElk]

Kygolfer...this looks fantastic. I bet it looks great on the putting green. Great finish, too.

[finalist]

Anyone get one of these on the outside of their Byron putter shipping box?

[attachment=1843606:sticker.jpg]

[Frozenghost007]

Cool sticker, one was on the box when my putter arrived.

[LionGolfer]

I had Byron make this one for me last year. It's an 006 in stainless steel that's been bead blasted, and then plated with Black Star (copper and nickel plating). It started out with a plumbers neck, but Byron cut that off, and welded on the new centershafted neck. The specs are 355g, 33.5", 71* lie and 4* loft. The grip is a black Gripmaster stitchback.

 

Very new to Byron... what is the name for this face mill pattern please? Thanks.

[finalist]

Twilight Zone face milling. It looks almost holographic in person.

[LionGolfer]

[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1378607103' post='7813935'] Twilight Zone face milling. It looks almost holographic in person. [/quote]

Thanks. I thought that was the fly cut face mill.

[ebk]

Here's mine...

[ebk]

Other side...

[ebk]

Oh, and it's still in plastic...

[finalist]

That's a collectable! Byron owns the patent on that neck style, Hi Beam.

[ebk]

Nice to know.

Thanks!

[Sidetracked]

Here is my first Byron. I can't describe how happy I am with this purchase. Byron does unbelievable work and can make any dreams come true. Already thinking about designing a twin, just with a DH89.

 

I suck at taking pictures, so these are courtesy of Byron.

 

[Bucken77]

[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1360798677' post='6423709']
[quote name='acy32281' timestamp='1360790354' post='6422811']
A question to people that know more about Byron's than me. Does a Circle HB stamp symbolize a made for tour Byron? It is stamped on the sole of my 006. I saw another post that seemed to say that sole stamps on a Byron are rare.
[/quote]

Any putter can be played on tour.

There's no such thing as made for tour use only with Byrons. All his work is done by him for each user.

The HB in a circle just stands for Huntington Beach. The circle just helps separate the HB from other text that may be located near it for readability.


Regarding Byron Design putters...
[color=#B22222][b]"... this is how every putter should be selected, built and sold." - Golf Digest 2013 Hot List[/b][/color]


Here are some stamp ideas I was messing around with a long time ago. There are more on Puttertalk.com somewhere in the Byron section. You can print out your own template for all the heads on Byronputters.com and see what you can do.

[attachment=1536743:stamps.jpg]
[/quote]

Finalist I kind of like the idea of the circles with the dancing Byron in them. Would it be terrible if I "borrowed" that idea?

[finalist]

[quote name='Bucken77' timestamp='1380310553' post='7920745']
[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1360798677' post='6423709']
[quote name='acy32281' timestamp='1360790354' post='6422811']
A question to people that know more about Byron's than me. Does a Circle HB stamp symbolize a made for tour Byron? It is stamped on the sole of my 006. I saw another post that seemed to say that sole stamps on a Byron are rare.
[/quote]

Any putter can be played on tour.

There's no such thing as made for tour use only with Byrons. All his work is done by him for each user.

The HB in a circle just stands for Huntington Beach. The circle just helps separate the HB from other text that may be located near it for readability.


Regarding Byron Design putters...
[color=#B22222][b]"... this is how every putter should be selected, built and sold." - Golf Digest 2013 Hot List[/b][/color]


Here are some stamp ideas I was messing around with a long time ago. There are more on Puttertalk.com somewhere in the Byron section. You can print out your own template for all the heads on Byronputters.com and see what you can do.

[attachment=1536743:stamps.jpg]
[/quote]

Finalist I kind of like the idea of the circles with the dancing Byron in them. Would it be terrible if I "borrowed" that idea?
[/quote]

Go for it! That's the whole point of a Byron. YOU decide what you want. Nobody can say no if the design is possible.

[finalist]

Here is my first Byron. I can't describe how happy I am with this purchase. Byron does unbelievable work and can make any dreams come true. Already thinking about designing a twin, just with a DH89.

 

I suck at taking pictures, so these are courtesy of Byron.

 

 

 

Such an awesome looking putter.

 

I don't know much about the Deep Water finish. Is it a heat treatment or a plating on stainless or carbon?

[Sidetracked]

To be honest, I have no idea. I just asked for matte black. It is a stainless steel putter. Byron just told me it was a machine that does the matte black finish.

[BuckeyeGolfer]

Does anyone know about the deep water. I am close to ordering a new dh89 but want to learn more about the finish

[Sidetracked]

[quote name='BuckeyeGolfer ' timestamp='1380388370' post='7924105']
Does anyone know about the deep water. I am close to ordering a new dh89 but want to learn more about the finish
[/quote]

I'll email Byron asking him about my finish and will let you know what he says.

[Bucken77]

Byron seems to love it. On PT he has called it the best finish for SS

[Sidetracked]

All he said was, "Trade secret on finish."

I'm trying to figure out if this is matte black or not? The finished I paid for was Matte Black. One way or the other I like it but am still confused on what it is.

[finalist]

[quote name='Sidetracked' timestamp='1380401070' post='7924729']
All he said was, "Trade secret on finish."

I'm trying to figure out if this is matte black or not? The finished I paid for was Matte Black. One way or the other I like it but am still confused on what it is.
[/quote]

Byron did call it matte black. Deep Water is just the fun-Byron-surfer name for matte black.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Random question for you guys that do not live in dry climates what do you use on carbon putters to protect the finish when it gets damp out. Just got back from Nor Cal and my DH carbon took a beating with the damp saltwater air up there.

[Sidetracked]

[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1380425765' post='7926163']
[quote name='Sidetracked' timestamp='1380401070' post='7924729']
All he said was, "Trade secret on finish."

I'm trying to figure out if this is matte black or not? The finished I paid for was Matte Black. One way or the other I like it but am still confused on what it is.
[/quote]

Byron did call it matte black. Deep Water is just the fun-Byron-surfer name for matte black.
[/quote]

Gotcha! Thanks Finalist for clearing it up.

[finalist]

[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1380426122' post='7926193']
Random question for you guys that do not live in dry climates what do you use on carbon putters to protect the finish when it gets damp out. Just got back from Nor Cal and my DH carbon took a beating with the damp saltwater air up there.
[/quote]

Do you have some rust? There are some recent threads saying some very light steel wool will wipe off the rust without hurting the black ox. I think on PT? Definitely get some experienced advice on that fix before trying.
For pretreatment I use YamaLube silicone spray. It drys better than most brands- yamalube is not all greasy if you touch it and get some on your grip.