'No Frills' $75.00 home studio tent/lightbox

Hey Ken,

Amazing what a little 180 degree turnarround can do.... ;) Fantastic. I still see some reflection artifacts. Those curved bolsters really look in all directions. My rear tent ceiling extends down to the floor because of this aspect. All you need now is more and more practice. You are already having fun.... :thumbup: :D

Murray: Since you and I started doing knife photos, there have been a plethora of light boxes, store-bought studio kits, and lighting items pop up. Like all things digital, the cost has been reduced substantially.

That said, I have YET to see one good example of a larger knife shot with a purchased tent that is close to what is produced off the home built tent. Nothing. Yes, you can get decent folder shots, but even then I can do better with my (OUR?) setup.

My question back to you is: Do you use a store-bought setup? Eric Eggly doesn't (His is a larger suspended tent, but same as I use). Neither do I. Neither did you, last I saw. As Joss opines, cost is NOT a consideration.

I want proof. Someone convince me, and make it priced at or under$75.00 :p :thumbup:

Coop
 
I started out around 75 bucks but I needed the extra light. But even with the extra lights, bailing wire, duct tape and so on, I am under what you would pay for a large store bought tent. I am using a Canon G9 point and shoot and the whole aparatus, camera and lighting, is under 750 bucks. The curved reflector is some 10" metal flashing that I cut to fit. It's cave man stuff but it seems to work. The top lights are suspended on rails on the ceiling that I made out of pvc so I can move the lights back and forth seperately and in or out of center as well. Can raise or lower them too. Also I can shut them off seperately. Lots to fiddle with.
Greg

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Example

http://www.fototime.com/7CAB3A8275A13BD/orig.jpg
 
Hi mckgreg,

Heh heh heh! SEVEN lights! We live in excess, don't we?! I'm loving the paint can stand. :p :thumbup:

What I see is ingenuity and clever workarounds on the fly. Sure there is overkill going on, but I am certain you can get a really good clear shot.

I would suggest with that much overhead light, you will have a flatter image than you could produce with less lighting, or with a few of them backed up behind the tent to show shape contrasts. I spend lots of time adjusting my two strobes and reflectors around, to maximize this effect. Some shadowing is necessary, as all should know.

Can you give us an example?

What I am smacking my forehead with in viewing your setup is the smart addition of the suspended frame in the front, eliminating the legs. DUH! :eek: My ceiling is only 6' tall and about 18" above the top of my tent. This would work great. Many thanks! :thumbup:

Coop
 
Thanks Coop ! I added a link at the bottom of my post to a photo I posted in the Traditional forum. It's under "Example". I lowered the lights so that they would all be in one shot. I do shut some of them off or leave them on and raise them. Or spread them apart. I usually photograph slipjoints with the round bolsters and a million angles reflecting light off the blades so I like to be able to move the lighting by shutting one or more off rather than moving the lights themselves. I tried light stands from behind but found that being able to move the light above has helped some. I have redone this setup at least 10 times and don't think I will ever be completely happy with just one setup. With the slipjoints, you can get a good shot with the knife laying one way but but just turn in 180 degrees and you got a whole new problem.
Thanks for the input Coop. Your photos and help, along with some of the other members here, are what keeps me interested in this madness.
Greg
 
Coop, if my memory serves me correctly you had a similar Rube Goldberg collection of lights suspended above one of you earlier lighting setups. So much for my one light theory. :rolleyes:
 
PhilL said:
Coop, if my memory serves me correctly you had a similar Rube Goldberg collection of lights suspended above one of you earlier lighting setups.
Click to expand...
Yes, I had every combination of incorrect lighting all going on at once. Yikes! BTDT....
PhilL said:
So much for my one light theory. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I hear ya.... ;)

Coop
 
Here's the link for ya. Best viewed with the monitor resolution set to 1280 x 1024
http://www.fototime.com/7CAB3A8275A13BD/orig.jpg

Not my best but not bad.
There are a load of 'em in here if you want to take a peek. They were all shot about the same time with the same light setup. It's the even light that I am trying to get. The kind you can stop down rather than having a longer shutter speed or larger aperture.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=523346
The florescent lighting seems a little soft to me and I have a hard time getting crisp edges and such so I end up blasting it with light trying to get them to show up!

Greg
 
Here's a top shot using the same setup. Not a whole lot of Photoshop work put into it. Could probably stand a little more brightening, a tad more contrast and a hint of sharpening.
Greg

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I was using 5000k lights with mine and picked up some 6500k over the weekend.....made a BIG difference. Got a new camera, too. ;)

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Coop -- I agree the cost will be a bit more but due to some of the problems some have had in the construction of the "tent" and the fact that knifemakers in particular might better spend time doing knives than building "tents" I still find the type of "tent" I have suggested and have now used for a few years to offer a good if not better alternative.

Keep in mind that so far I have not seen a "tent" commercially done that will handle swords but then again most folk doing a "doityourselfer" can do that either.

here is a link to a thread I have posted before showing the lights and tent I have been using for some time.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=369096

there are others available also but this one works well. In fact, however, I believe the tent manufacturer will be doing one that has a removeable background set which I have done photos of both knives and other subjects for the company, Booth Photographic who is the distributor.

A tent that has both top and back transluscency allows adjustment of the lighting for different subjects depending upon bevelling of the blade.

For what I do, the Daylight flourescent lights work well and I suspect that for most knifemakers and collectors wishing to do knife images, they will work just fine.

The type of "tent" I use comes in two sizes and it is just a waste of time to buy the smaller version as it will not do for any knife that is over about 8" OAL. I tried one of 12" and just could not get the results that I'd be happy with.

Two lights will do for most situations.

this would be a typical image of a damascus blade

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and here is an image of about as large an item as I can put into the tent

orig.jpg
 
Hi Murray. How does the tent do with multi-blades with a lot of reflections. Do the corners of the tent show up on the blades? You can pour the light on damascus blades and dark steel without many hot spots or reflections but with anything that reflects you have a different situation. A lot of the tents have your reflective blades looking white instead of close to their true color. Got any examples?
Greg
 
HI Greg, unfortunately, I don't have any multibladed knives but maybe this one with multiple bevels will show the effect available from the tent. No PS has been re reflections etc.

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here is a fixed blade with multiple bevels and other facets such as the pearl on a Lloyd Hale Chute knife

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hope this gives an idea
 
Thanks Murray! Here's a good example why the notch Coop has in the front of his diffuser would help a lot. In this shot the knife is propped up just a tad to get the right light on the blade. Doing so the round bolsters are facing outward, outside of the diffuser into the darkness resulting in a very ugly reflection. With the notch in the front you would be able to set the piece further back under the diffuser and cut down on the chances of getting the reflections. That's the main reason I use an adjustable diffuser. I can lower or raise it accordingly in the front or the back. You can Photoshop the reflections out of the image but sometimes it just ends up being a bigger mess than if you just leave them alone. It's better just not to have them at all.
Greg

orig.jpg
 
Hey Murray,

I stand corrected. THose are VERY good examples produced from your storebought light cube/box. I had forgotten you had changed over, but remembered your original setup. Mea culpa... :)

Size and cost are always considerations, but so is time and convenience. It's always a balance.

Greg: Super-clear. Perfect.

Dudley: Your shots got EVEN better. :thumbup:

Coop
 
I'm a big fan of those fluorescent lights that look like corkscrews
Make sure you get the "WHITE" ones
I bought a couple that had the dreaded "yellow" light/look to them :thumbdn:

I just use some felt that I got for 89 cents at Michaels Art Store
And I got a couple of "gooseneck" lamps to direct the light
If I need a "diffuser" I just put white paper on the back somewhere and readjust the gooseneck lamps
 
Hi Greg

the box show that I'm now using does have a centre part that gives the user some options. One it can be partially attached/detached to varying heights by velcro or alternatively, it can be fully attached and then unzipped up or down with 2 way zipper to allow only the lens to show thru so there is almost a totally enclosed tent environment.

Coop -- I have no problem with the original method that I used and many of us used. I just found that when alternatives became available it was worthwhile pursuing their usage. I still have my original take-down tent but have not used it for a few years. I hope to obtain one of the new versions when it is made for production. It will just provide a few more options.

I also used the small 5500 K bulbs and still have then and used 4 at a time in a movie light bar but find I like the lights I now have.

I read with great interest what you have been doing equipment and software wise in the other forum last night and while I am not inclined to go that way, for you and a few others you have an amazing system both for photography and digital image manipulation.

Very impressive!!!
 
I'm just catching up with a posting on Don Fogg's forum, where he says: "...to show the hamon you have to reflect black. I shoot the knives in an area that has black felt above. It is difficult to photograph without getting hot spots or reflections that take away from the hamon."

Anyone uses a black top in their box to show the hamon?
 
I have a few images and hopefully these will look like what you are wanting to see. However, all are done with my basic setup and of course because my light comes from the rear and above, a top black would not work at all

Tai Goo

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Craig Camerer

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Steve Fillicietti

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just as some examples. nothing special done to these knives to get the image.
 
I've been playing with a black surface over pearl to bring out the color that usually gets washed away by light. The trick is getting it over just the pearl and not the rest of the knife. I'm still working on that.
Greg
 
Joss said:
Anyone use a black top in their box to show the hamon?
Click to expand...
Yup. These examples are three years old....

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It is most effective on a VERY polished/finished blade. Dull finishes do not respond quite as well.

Using a gobo (light mask) on pearl is a smart idea. I use a method in Photoshop to draw out the highlights that the eye sees, but the camera blows out.

Coop
 
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