Looks like rain...

[ShaneS]

So, while it is icky outside this weekend I want attempt to take some still life images indoors. Now before you say anything, yes, I know I shouldn't complain, I live in Hawaii and icky is certainly a relative term this time of year depending on where you live

But back to photography, I have been wanting to set up a little tabletop studio for a while now and I went out today and spent a whopping $8US for the supplies to create this little set up based around a cardboard box:

Set up a Table Top Studio for Less than a Fiver

Any suggestions or tips on how to get started beyond what is in the article?

As far as subjects go, I am thinking of picking up some flowers and/or just still life images created from stuff around the house. I have even thought about creating my own "Bostitch City" out of staples which is very creative IMHO.

Thanks!

[xpatUSA]

I liked that reflector. Kitchen foil paper is also good for edging diffusers, aka tracing paper:



The result:



For black cameras or lenses, I'll often expose for the item, use Kodak white card reflectors each side and intentionally blow out the background.



not sure that you really need help, Shane

[ShaneS]

Ted;

First let me say thank you for sharing your set up and making me feel like the whole cardboard box thing wasn't a little bit on the crazy side.

Have you also covered the ceiling above the item with tin foil (to create some reflected back lighting?)? If, so I will definitely need more than I have in the kitchen drawer right now! Or, will the parchment line paper backing on the box set-up with bounced light offer similar back lighting?

[xpatUSA]

Ted;

First let me say thank you for sharing your set up and making me feel like the whole cardboard box thing wasn't a little bit on the crazy side.

You're most welcome.

Have you also covered the ceiling above the item with tin foil (to create some reflected back lighting?)? If, so I will definitely need more than I have in the kitchen drawer right now! Or, will the parchment line paper backing on the box set-up with bounced light offer similar back lighting?

Actually, above the item, there is a wall cupboard with a single Philips TL950 fluorescent tube on the underside, which I usually leave on. The tin foil that hangs down is just to keep its light out of my eyes. White paper with bounced lighting would give the same effect, perhaps more diffuse which is usually a good thing with most items.

The edging on the tracing paper was cut out from a disposable aluminum baking tray actually, not thin foil. The lamps are 5000K LED floods and the Philips lamp is also 5000K so the lighting isn't too bad for eBay product shots. Currently I'm trying out 3500K LED floods which seem better in the blue spike department.

The "studio" is an old gutted camper (caravan, trailer, mancave) with a small home-made workbench.

[DanK]

My setup is more like Ted's, except that I either put diffusers right on the lights or use an umbrella. Here is how I had it set up for one shot:



I would not bounce off a yellow wall, as that is only going to make it harder to get a good white balance.

I started with single incandescent or halogen bulbs, but I realized fairly soon that the key for me was being able to adjust the light differently for different shots. For some time, I hijacked our family room reading lights, which can be aimed, but eventually I bought the cheap "hair lights" (boom lights) in the picture. I put regular halogen floods in them and use long exposures to compensate.

One advantage of this is that you can direct lighting from any angle. For example, sometimes I want backlighting as well as lighting from the front. I'll post one below that I did recently with the umbrella providing front lighting from the top right and the direct light (diffused) providing backlighting at an angle from the left.

The whole setup cost me much more than yours, but not a great deal. The two hair lights were about $90 apiece, I think. I have two different umbrellas, neither of which cost more than $15 or so. For diffusion, I used to use a Manfrotto diffuser pack, but I now use baking parchment paper. The background is an old fleece jacket.

[ShaneS]

Thank you for your detailed set-up explanation with sample images. It is very helpful. I will definitely be starting with the household lighting and see if I enjoy this work before investing too much. I went on a search around the house last night for props and subjects. Hopefully some pictures will be forthcoming later today or tomorrow.

I found some very interesting videos last night on the subject of Table Top Still Life Set Up. This will take you to a search of the CreativeLive YouTube channel and I found this video on lighting an apple very illuminating .

[ShaneS]

The results of my first day shooting still life compositions. Overall I am pretty pleased but know that there is always room for improvement.

Grapes - first let me say that I realize that this bunch of grapes was not the best specimen but it made for some good practice with lighting and composition.

I think that the left front of this image is a bit soft and I am not too sure about the highlights. I know that they have to do with the placement of the lighting but wanted to get the thoughts of others on how to improve the shot.

#1


Small bunch of grapes (white plate). I like this shot better but am also seeking opinions on composition, lighting and processing.

#2


My favorite vase from Japan. Not sure about the shadow in this one but I am pretty pleased overall with this shot. Feel free to burst my bubble

#3


Thanks for taking the time to look!

[GrahamS]

Shane, Bravo! You will get better every time. Well done. The Japanese vase is particularly nicely done.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Graham! Still life/studio lighting is quite the challenge and I spent more time that I would care to admit trying to figure it out and create these shots. But, I enjoyed myself and built up a little confidence for the next time "it looks like rain"

[xpatUSA]

Very good improvement, and certainly an eye for composition. Vase especially striking with the stones.

On the small grapes/white dish:

The highlights are handled very well indeed. Against a dark background I might have tried to get more in focus, including the plate. If the plate were in focus at the front going very slightly out of focus towards the back, there could be a greater impression of depth. (not many folk on this forum agree with me on that).

You can get more DOF by closing the aperture from f/3.5 to say f/8 or even f/11. Or, move the camera further away and either crop your 50mm shot or select a longer lens if you have one. However, the perspective of the plate would change if you do move back.

I think the sharpening is perhaps a little too enthusiastic:



When the stalks look sharp even in the downsized post view it's worth having another go, IMHO.

hope this helps, don't be discouraged by these comments!

[ShaneS]

Ted, I am not discouraged by your comments. In fact quite the opposite! I did struggle with the sharpening on the second grape shot and I like your suggestions about focus and depth of field.

The vase is essentially displayed like that on an old tea table at the end of out entrance hall, rocks and all. Of course the lighting and background are not as displayed here. I processed all the shots with CS6 and NIK.

It is raining again today so I went to the supermarket and picked up some flowers to play with today

Here is another shot from yesterday of some candles on a plate:



This one is now my Facebook header image as it seemed very much in the holiday spirit.

[Mike Buckley]

I know I shouldn't complain, I live in Hawaii

You beat me to it!

How in the world am I so late in coming to this party? Well done, Shane!

The vase is really, really nice. Unlike you, I'm very sure of the shadow: it works very well for me.

In #1, the softness in the left side of the grapes makes the image appear more three-dimensional, so it works quite well for me. The same is true of the grape on the far right side. I like the soft shadows, detail all the way back in the bottom of the grape cluster, and lighting that shows the shape of the grapes. The highlights that you mentioned work for me because they help define the shape without being a distraction. The cutting board has a nice effect also.

In #2, the grape in front of the plate distracts me from the curly, brown stem, which I take to be the subject. If I'm right about that, the plate has just the right amount of depth of field. (Ted is right that I disagree with him about that. )

Anyone who doesn't view your photo of the candles in the Lytebox is missing out on the deliciously subtle yet perfectly clear definition between the edge of the plate and the background. The image is so nice that it's understandable why you added it to your Facebook page. The tabletop looks fine in the small size shown here but is less enjoyable when viewed in the Lytebox; notice the splotchiness when displayed there. Consider raising the black point in your table top and/or applying Gaussian Blur or noise reduction to make smoother transition of colors there.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Mike. This was a fun project and I will certainly keep at it as time and weather permits

I do wish that the positioning of the cutting board had been a little different as the cut out handle in the mid-right background is driving me nuts. Of course I did not see/notice that until the shot was dismantled...isn't that always the way?

The purchase of some seamless paper to be used as background is not on my list and that will hopefully produce better results than the cheap poster stock that I was using for these shots.

I would suggest that everyone who hasn't tried this do so as it is a lot of fun and you learn a lot that can be applied to other photography subjects.

[Stagecoach]

Very enjoyable series Shane, the studio is performing well.

Apart from the sharpening of the grapes as Ted has mentioned my only other comment would be a preference to have seen the candles off centre slightly more.

Grahame

[ShaneS]

Thanks Grahame...I shot wide on the candles and wanted them more off center but ran out of background (which was a piece of poster paper propped against a wine crate on top of a small card table).

[Stagecoach]

Shane,

My black background is slightly more upmarket. A black polo-shirt that the other half bought me and was too small draped over a piece of ply. It's designed for both portrait and landscape orientation

With the black backgrounds I have always found it easy to add more 'canvas' in pp when necessary and colour it.

Grahame

[drjuice]

Hi, Shane -

As xpatUSA said, on the "fuzzy grapes" you need to increase your depth of field.

On the general subject of cheap tricks, one thing I hit on when I need an emergency diffuser is a Kleenex tissue (cost about 0.005USD) and some blue painter's tape (which I always have in the back of my RAV). I wrap the Kleenex around the flash and wrap a piece of painter's tape around the back, being careful not have the tape covering any part of the business part of the flash. It's only for the few images and this seems not to expose me or my camera to dangerously high temps that might crispy my Kleenex.

Aluminum foil, parchment paper, Scotch tape, and cardboard, especially the backs of tablets, are my four favorite tools after the Kleenex and blue painter's tape.

Hope this helps.

virginia

[ShaneS]

Thanks for the tips Virgina. I used the box from the desk lamp to create my soft box by cutting out one side of the box and covering it with parchment paper and then cutting a hole in the other the same size as the fixture. I made a small reflector out of the back of the box with tin foil. I did learn that I need some painters tape as regular packing tape does not stick to parchment paper very well.

It's nice to know that there are other dollar conscious, dare I say, cheap, photographers out there

[xpatUSA]

Hello Shane,

You might find this guys blog interesting and full of how to's.

An example post:

http://studiography.blogspot.com/201...lower-bud.html

I found it while googling for "the family of angles" which you might also want to try . . .

Cheers,

[ShaneS]

Thanks for the link Ted - I am so knew to this type of shooting that I had never heard the term "family of angles" and the website is now bookmarked for some in depth reading.