'No Frills' $75.00 home studio tent/lightbox

[SharpByCoop]

Folks,

I have always shared my setup and methods with as many folks as have asked. Somehow, in doing so, my own business has never lost a beat. A consistently 'mysterious' question that is posed is "What is the best setup for cheap....?" I wanted to find out myself.

For many, the constraints of weather and daylight necessitate having a consistent indoor studio. Also one that can be set-up, taken down in a heartbeat, and stored away in a minimum of space. I think I came up with just such a project.

I kept the componentry costs to a bare minimum, while still maintaining the requirements of knife-specific photography. Let's look:



3-pack white posterboard $8.00
(3) clamp-on lights $21.00
(3) 75watt daylight fluorescent (5000k) bulbs $18.00
(1) Power strip $6.00
Assorted PVC elbows, and (1) 8" section of 1-1/2" pipe $15.00
(1) Box of white transluscent garbage bags for diffuser $2.00
(8) variety pak of artist's paper or a sample of wallpaper $5.00
Total: $75.00

In keeping with the no-frills scenario, I used the very lowest resolution on my camera and edited them in my ACDSee image editor (not Photoshop). Also, I set the white balance to 'auto' and hand-held the camera at a large aperature (f-3.5) and slow shutter speed. (1/60 sec. -- I would advise a tripod) Basically what I wanted to point out was that you can accomplish this with a bare minimum of equipment and readily-available image software. (There is even freeware to do so.)

Here are the samples of the images I took with this:

(Click to enlarge image)








I chose the high-polished dagger because it is probably the hardest blade to get consistent lighting with. Even with some crafty positioning I was able to accomplish it fairly well. There are hot spots, but overall it's pretty good. Toss in a little autumn leaves for some color and you have a good portfolio shot.

I'll draw up the dimensions of the posterboard frame sometime soon.

So here it is. It's hardly a mystery now!

Coop

[SKIVIE]

Coop..........THANK YOU !

Sure helps us Beginners out.

Ive mentioned earlier that I acquired a new camera and havent touched it yet...waiting for the previous owner to give me some help.

Its funny you post this, I went to Walmart, Purchased me some Nylon or something similar (first time in the fabric section.....really) bought some dowels for a frame and a few lights. The bulbs are GE Reveal 100W. Kinda Purplish color. The box is very temporary till the more permanant one is done. The box lit up Really nice even though it doesnt show it in the photo. The pictures came out like CRAP. (taken with my Minolta S414 Dimage) Now obviously I dont know how to run this camera and have never taken an inside picture.....all mine have been outdoors. I played with the white Balance. Goofed with about everything I could think of, Threw it agains the wall and still no luck. I wouldnt worry about it till I get up and running with the new camera but im concerned I might have the same results. I will post a pic of the box and one of the pictures of the knives. These are pretty Raw photos..no Photoshop.

Any suggestions on what the prob might be ?

Thanks again Coop for taking the time to create that.

Shane.



Heres the sample of the CRAPY....cant figure out photo....

[rhrocker]

Coop, great ideas! I have some of the odds and ends from EZcube.com at my shop, however I think I'll build yours also, I have just the place for it. It'll probably outdo the ezcube outfit anyway ).
Shane, that's a neat box! Sorry, I can't help with your settings, bulbs and white balance would be my first thought (I'd lower the lights also).

[SharpByCoop]

Shane,

Thanks for posting your setup. Each one we see helps give us ideas to improve.

You have what it takes. The first thing you need to do is place those dark knives on a much darker background. Ever notice that all those 'blactical' knives are always poised over more dark-ops stuff? That's intentional. You need a lot more light to expose them, and the whites are blowing out your settings.

Robert, I am certain the cube is as good, if not better. What I am doing is showing how for ONLY $75.00 you can complete this box. The most next valuable purchase would be a tripod. The ability of your cube to get light in from the sides is an asset. So show it!

Coop

[ragnik]

I dont have a pic of my set up but it is simalar to yours coop.....and I have a ton to learn yet about taking pics. What i did was take a white sheet and lay it flat on the work bench and then pinned it up to the ceiling above...on an angle. Then I used two lights on the back side to light it up. Seems to work ok. My question is do you guys use a flash with a set up like that or not. I have found sometimes the flash helps sometimes it hinders.


Your lousy pic taker,

Ross

[rhrocker]

I hate to mess with the thunder of your really great $75 light studio with pictures of my commercial run of the mill cube. But I will if you want. I can take some pictures of it tomorrow and post. I though it'd be off topic. Mine's not near as cool looking, and cost WAY to much!

[RLewis]

Gentlemen,

I am relatively new to this site and mainly hang out in the Sheath Making Forum and, as a hobbyist leathercrafter, was naturally drawn to the talent that exist in that forum. I also enjoy photography and had been trying to figure out how to get the same photo quality when photographing my knife sheaths and gun rigs. I have to tell everyone here that it would have taken me years to learn what I have learned in this single thread.

What a great bunch you are and I appreciate the volume of sharing that I see. It is the same admirable trait I find from the likes of Chuck Burrows and Sandy Morrissey in the Sheath Forum.

Also, I don't know whether to thank you guys for this but I was so motivated by this topic that I ordered a Canon 20D with the 24-70 lens and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival today.

Thanks again.

Bobby Lewis
Missouri City, TX

[SharpByCoop]

Hey Bobby! Well, this is inspiring. Exactly what I wish to hear. Your wife, however, is going to KILL us!

Keep us posted. Even when it all looks apparent, it STILL ain't easy. I can help you with that 20D when the time comes.

Coop

[SteveS]

Coop,

Home depo has that Flourex lights in the outdoor lighting section. I found a whole pallet full of 65 watt with fixtures and bulbs for $39.

Steve

[SharpByCoop]

Thanks, Steve. And eBay has tons of the worklights for CHEAP! Here's the search.

Just another way to go.

Coop.

[SteveS]

Coop, I keep looking over that photo you did with the Fluorex bulb.

Looks kinda soft. Is that because of the diffuser, the bulbs, the low light=low f-stop, ??? So before I invest in 200 of those bulbs (thats an exaggeration) to make my light bank, I wanted to know.

Thanks

Steve

[Bill Vining]

Coop...I just bought some 6500K CFLs and will be building your light support fixture you started this thread with. I am alo going to make a few mods to my light box. I will hopefully post afew photos this weekend.

Bill

[SharpByCoop]

Steve, you asked about the shot with the Fluorex lamp. Yes, it IS soft. But that is due to a couple of things: I did very little post processing so I wouldn't corrupt the color test. It has such a large aperature the background is not in focus--and maybe parts of the knife. That wasn't my task. And at handheld 1/60th sec it was borderline crisp.

That said, I did take a shot of the knife with my strobes: F/14 1/180sec ISO 100. And on this one I gave it my deluxe wash... You can see the differences.



But.... I don't blame the lights. I think with more lighting and processing I could achieve the same results. I would want three of the 500w bulbs!

Remember as we get more and more involved and educated, that the original purpose of this thread was to K.I.S.S. Long live white garbage bags!

Coop

[rhrocker]

Nope, it's still real blurry.



(kidding) )

[Bill Vining]

I'm still on a quest for consistent quality photos. Every time I start taking pictures, it seems it takes me quite a while to get something decent. One consistant factor I see in my photos is that they are not crisp and always seem to be somewhat cloudy.

I have posted a link to a page where I have some before and after photos. Before I made a decent light box and after building something similar to Coop's. I did not want to post a bunch of large photos to the forum.

My knowledge of photography could be written on a small post-it so any advice or assistance is completely welcomed.

http://www.medawebs.com/knives/photo.htm

Thanks
Bill