Thread: Setting up Macro tent Photography

Having just read through many articles and the wiki here on Razor Photography I'm still wondering what people are using to take their shots with.

In the next few months I'll be setting up my lighting booth, about a 3'x3'x3' cube with speedlites for lighting and flash. Currently I'm using Canon gear and most like will always use them. I have a 60D with 180mm f3.5 Tamron macro lens as my main macro system, Canon 135mm f2, Canon 40mm pancake (needed something for everyday shots that I don't do much) canon 430exii flash. Saving up for the 600 speedlite but that will be a while

I'm really curious what others are using so I can match up some of what I'm seeing in SotD some great shots there and I'd love to backwards engineer how these shots are taken

My technique is a tripod mounted D-80. I put my hones or razors in natural light, which is usually fairly diffused around here, cloud cover and shoot at very low speeds. It keep the glare away and has very good detail.

Nothing fancy at all:
Tripod stabilized Canon 14MP "point and shoot." Subject placed upon a shelf in the shave cave. Overhead and sometimes diffused daylight from the left. Sometimes I cover the light sensor to make it think ; night has fallen, usufull in very low light conditions..

I look forward to more ways of doing a good photo.
One of the old timers "dirtychrome" did fantastic work with only a desk lamp on an end table:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...e-butcher.html
His home page here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/dirtychrome.html
~Richard

He doesn't post much, but has an impressive record w/ SOTD shots, not counting the Nat'l awards in his nature photog work.

Here is what a simple $65 set up can do: And, a few more minutes would have made a difference in the post processed photo.


The advantage to better equipment is the possibility of changing the depth of field and the ability to finely focus at a given depth from the lens, and having many more pixels to work with during post processing.
Just my opinion from a few years of posts. But, were I able to afford the equipment, you better believe I would go for the best!
~Richard
PS post processing software is the best free buy you can obtain.. no matter what camera you use. No need to spend hundreds of dollars till you really go professional. These are basic and well known useful tools to get to know the post processing game.
PhotoScape Review - Free Image Editing Software
and
Tutorials - Publishing ONLY! - Paint.NET Forum

With these two you can also do green screen quite well!

I use Lightroom5 for PP as it does just enough for me, not a big cut and paster that the full Photoshop will give you... Unfortunately next semester is a class that is all about photoshop... cry... Oh well

Just saw a table in the school studio that is close to what I want to build may have to see what one costs

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

...snip...
Just saw a table in the school studio that is close to what I want to build may have to see what one costs

Take some photos and share it with us! Please!
~Richard
The U here has a glass table with what are basically, neutral colored, roll-up window shades which may lay on top or be threaded below to give the "suspended in space effect."
~Richard

Cambo ST-M Mini Shooting Table 99181501 B&H Photo Video

Here is the table set up at SBCC, about the right size but not so thrilled with the cost I'll be looking around for bits I have to make one

Mmmm just took apart our old dryer, may have some bits to work with there

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Cambo ST-M Mini Shooting Table 99181501 B&H Photo Video
Here is the table set up at SBCC, about the right size but not so thrilled with the cost I'll be looking around for bits I have to make one
Mmmm just took apart our old dryer, may have some bits to work with there

That's the one. You can buy roller shades in many mild colors for a pittance. The real advantage is to have the backdrop also go below the very good quality glass of the table top. That would be one item to pay bucks for. Now days a triple strength high quality glass is relatively cheap.
~Richard