While primarily of interest to turners, I though I'd post this here in General Woodworking as this photo setup is great for things like boxes, carvings and other smaller objects that many woodworkers make regularly. The same principles apply for photgraphing larger furniture, although the lighting would need to be handled differently since you can only get so much "bounce" from a single fixture.
This design is based on Jamie Donaldson's "Phrugal Photo Booth" presentation at the AAW Symposium in Orlando a few months ago. Both he and John Lucas (the turner/photographer from Tenn, not the fellow in RI) made presentations on photographing small work inexpensively during the conference.
The key to this system is a flowing background that is white or neutral grey in color and a bright, yet defusive tent that the light can bounce off. In this manner, you can control things like "bloom" and other nasty lighting effects that more direct light causes. Unlike some setups, this one uses a single light source which is a cheap 300-500 watt halogen work light. (The larger your booth, the more light you need...more is better!) You can see from the pictures that you simply set it on the base of the construction so that the light hits both the top and the right side of the booth. A simple "bounce card" is used to even out the shadows on the left; one side is white and one side is foil when more light bounce is needed.
The frame I made is constructed simply of 2" strips of scrap plywood with pocket screws...it took all of about fifteen minutes to build, including cutting the strips. Some folks prefer to use PVC water pipe which in some respects is better since it breaks down easier. (You avoid gluing some joints) For mine, I used some old door hinges that at least allow me to partially fold it up for storage. I may change to a simple method of pinning it together with dowels through screw eyes. Mine is covered with material taken from an old (and large) window shade. It's bright white, but has a slightly textured surface that will difuse light a bit. Some folks use foam board from the art store for this. NEVER use something like bed sheets...they just don't do as good a job.
The background is also an old, but clean window shade; in this case about 36 wide. Obviously, I made the booth width to accomodate the background width. A better background would be neutral grey photo paper, but I wanted to go as cheap as possible for this first effort. NEVER use a colored background such as blue, green or red as your camera will pick up that color reflectively on your work...and it will ruin the quality of your work.
Jamie uses an inexpensive TV with a cord to the camera to be able to visually adjust the lighting using the bounce card while setting up for the shot. One should always use a remote shutter release, remote control or the timer to take the picture as your hand can cause motion if you manually press the button. Try to use manual focus, too...and no flash. Both of these things will improve the quality of the pictures. Auto focus is great for casual photography, but can be a pain when you are working close up with curved things...you want to retain control of the actual focus point for best results. The flash will cause "bloom" (bright spots) on shiny surfaces and should be avoided. If your camera has fully manual mode, you can also get better results for depth of field combining those controls with a longer lense.
BTW, you'll get best results if you have no other lights on in the shop/photo area. They can provide un-wanted reflections and bad color adjustments in the camera.
So...have at it...
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Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton
I may also try the "pyramid" approach for the tent to get the light closer to the object when they are small enough.
