Light Box For your forum photos

Show what you use to take your SOTD or Razors pics you post up on the site.
Some guys manage to make beautiful photos in the SOTD and others are happy to just grab up the phone and snap a quick pic on the workbench and post it. Nothing wrong with either way. So as was suggested, here is a thread to show how you go about taking your pics.

I only have a cell phone with a camera and have a toy fuel tanker truck I put in the background of my pics. My tell, as they say. Been doing it this way for over a year now. Propping up my razors against the truck but I wanted to do a bit better. Getting rid of the light shining off of the blade but still getting the shine of the scales and such. So I had asked a couple guys about how they take pics. Then after a little surfing of the web, I came up with this plastic tub that has frosted clear sides. After trying a few things and colors I found that the frosted plastic wasn't enough so I found some off-white linen and lined the insides of the box. Light shines thru the linen and I'm getting much better pics now. I still need to work on it a bit more but I'm getting higher quality photos now. Here is my setup...

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And how my pics turn out...

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So show off your ideas and share in this ability to help others to make a light box and get better pics.

This will be an excellent Thread to show folks how to build a decent light box, etc. to take really good pics of their work. Can't wait to see some more ideas as I could use help myself because I have a really hard time getting decent pics of the razors I list for sell. The method I've used for years has been a real pain; trying to get the light shining through the window or storm door just right, getting razor at right angle from light source to eliminate light reflecting off blade, downloading onto pc, check them out, delete bad ones, take some more, etc., etc., gets really frustrating some times.

This is the blog where I learned to make my first light box. I think it is a great resource.

https://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/0...to-studio.html

This is one of my favorite how to light box videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jvSA4NIVcU

what a voice! great idea!

Good video, Charlie! Entertaining as well! :D

Gonna have to try that.
Looks simple, effective and easy.
Thanks for sharing Charlie.

Pete <:-}

I like this, I've been trying to make those wire and fabric collapsible laundry bags work. This is much better.

A simple cardboard box with three sides cut out, and covered with a white, plastic garbage bag. Illuminated by three desk lamps.

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Works for me, and didn't cost me a dime.

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Pics are taken with my phone

Very nice. I would like to make one of these if I had somewhere to put it. It certainly makes sale listings look more professional if you sell stuff on sites like eBay/Etsy.

Careful Outback, that second pic might derail the thread.;)

Mine looks like this.. cube made with aluminum pipes (maybe 6-8 $total) joints d printed (~0$). Screens are pellon (paper fabric, less than 2$ worth)
lights mounted on a frame of pvc (10$), different fabric colors, white, grey, black, ivory, green... mmm maybe 10$?

You can disassemble everything to safe space.

Everything cheap except the lamps.. i would say 30$ each, but you can clamp them everywhere and i now use them for everything i work on!!! my eyes are happy with that part of the investment.




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it seems to work alright for now:

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Boy! You guys go big with these things!
A razor is small, so my redneck light box is small.
Originally for some sort of instrument, it is 13 X 9 X 8 inches.
Opens so the front and top are free. I blow my desk lamp in the top and another LED bulb rigged on an old telescope tripod. Inside painted white. Paper towel held up with magnets. :rofl2:

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There is a sheet of Styrofoam under the paper towel. Handy for a pin to keep the razor from flopping.

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It's all about focus, lighting/angle, exposure, etc. Wotta pain in the ass.
I forgot everything I knew! :banghead:

Took a jillion, got a few decent ones. I Mix close-up pics with normal.
At times, I can take saturation out, add some contrast, play with the shadows and highlights in the editor and my worst becomes my best...Like so.

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To this....
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A few more which are not too bad;
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It takes patience. changing things. A notepad and pencil. Lots of time.
Most importantly, scads of pics, moving lights, changing settings, etc.
Pain in the butt.

So the box closes up and the light folds-up and off to the shelf it goes!

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:rofl2:

That is amazing Sharptonn. To see the before and after pictures are night and day! Outstanding!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johntoad57

That is amazing Sharptonn. To see the before and after pictures are night and day! Outstanding!

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Thanks, John. The yellow pic is what I get using the close-up setting after setting white balance on normal mode. Sucking the saturation out gets the yellow out.
I just experiment. Have NO idea what I am doing, really.
Say! Charlie did a video on Photographing razors.
Perhaps he will post it here.
Also, some of our fine SOTD participants might give some tips?

All I know is you cannot go wrong with sunlight.
That is why most of my SOTD pics are on the windowsill. ;)

As JP5 pointed out on Ebay pics, look at my pictures. The soft fabric hides a lot of things.
Only in the last picture do you see the grinding striations.
In that picture, you can also see the reflection of my 2 lamps in the scales.
On Ebay, the striations could be pitting!

And as Gabriel and outback pointed out with their lighting sources, my tripod light gets a LOT of use.
I have even taken it camping! :rofl2:

The desk lamp lights my restorations and my honing.
That desk pull-out the lightbox is sitting on is my razor spot.

Lastly, I would say Mike hit a Home-Run with the Connecticut Silver photo! :D

My video is ancient, with my old point and shoot camera. I really like crafs man video better. The SOTD of the pictures are great.

Here is the video for those who are a glutton for bad videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDLeSVNqoF0

I like the thoughts and ideas in this thread. Many of the SOTD pictures I have seen are wonderful!

If you have nothing to gain all power to you with manipulating your picture if it is by light, background, or a program.

Where should the line be drawn that you are misrepresenting the object?

I admit that if I take 10 pictures of a project or anything I am going to post the best one!:shrug:

Thanks, Charlie! :bow


Tim. TBH I have bought more razors with mundane pics off the bay which were perfect in-hand than the other way around. You can make a silk purse look like a sow's ear from a pic....
OR the other way round!
I hide from too much flash there. Anything 'Restored' for the most part.
The glamour shots for SOTD are another thing for those who do them.
(NOT Mine!)
They do some wonderful shots. That is art, IMO.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Thanks, Charlie! :bow


Tim. TBH I have bought more razors with mundane pics off the bay which were perfect in-hand than the other way around. You can make a silk purse look like a sow's ear from a pic....
OR the other way round!
I hide from too much flash there. Anything 'Restored' for the most part.
The glamour shots for SOTD are another thing for those who do them.
(NOT Mine!)
They do some wonderful shots. That is art, IMO.

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Mundane pictures for a lack of a better term to me are more honest.

Your post with the grinding marks in the last one made me think about this. I like the grinding marks because that is what it is.The other pictures are arguably better looking.

I suppose unless it is in your hand with your eye on it, it's all interpretation anyway!
What to look for?
Most look better in hand, FME. All it took was to get a few which did not stack-up. Figured that out.
Like a Big Mac opposed to the picture of a Big Mac!


Anyhoo. Great thread. Charlie was flying with that camera!
Betcha all of ours have those features. Mine does.

Smartphones have good cameras now.
Soon, SIM cards and rechargeable batteries will be gone.
Mad Max

As I continue this new found journey and take pics of the items I'm working on, I quickly realized that everyone's great photo's didn't happen by chance. Thanks for starting this thread, I think I'll have something usable soon...

BITD, when I was shaving daily and faithfully posting my SOTD entries (elsewhere, then here), I used a homemade light box. Here's a photo:

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I was into backgrounds, and used to buy 2' x 3' pieces from lots of different sources. I cut a width-wise slit in the back of the box (an ordinary UPS carton), and would insert the backgrounds, draping them over an old cigar box upon which I'd "stage" my shots. Sides and top were cut out and covered with single sheets of tracing paper; lights were ordinary goose-neck table lamps, fitted with low-wattage CFL bulbs.

Enjoy the photography, and smooth shaving!