Graduated photo backdrop vs Art paper backdrop

[bellyup]

G'day All,
Here are some comparison photos I've taken using a white to blue graduated dackdrop and a piece of grey artboard. The photos are taken with a Canon EOS 350 on a tripod.
I mucked around for ages under the shade cloth in the morning light to get a decent photo but i couldn't get one to bring out the colour of the timbers so I resorted to moving the set-up into the sun hence the shadows.
The subjects are my take on Deco salt and pepper shakers - they are a gift to the station owners that let me fossick for bits and pieces. The top section is Purple-wood wattle (Acacia Carneii) and the bottom is Nelia aka Broken Hill Gidgee (Acacia loderi Maiden) these bits came from their property. I know the wife loves Art Deco so I thought the Nelia looks like the old Bakerlite and the chrome top and the Puple- wood should look ok. The dodgey camera work is all mine :D
Bruce.


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[Scott]

They turned out quite well Bruce, the background is not at bad as I thought. Great work as well, very impressed.

-Scott.

[bellyup]

Thanks Scotty,
Probably wouldn't go for the blue again, a tad loud - the thing is seriously large - about the size of a dining table!!
Bruce.

[jefferson]

Nice work, Bruce. :2tsup:

I'll have to ask Ken W. what sort of backdrop paper he uses, but I'm sure it's not in full sunlight. And no flash.

Stay tuned.

[bellyup]

G'day Jeff,
Yeah I know, the lighting defeated me - I really needed the light to come from behind but the latter the day, the less that was going to happen.
Choosing stuff on the internet is a bit of a lottery - the postage stamp size photo of the backdrop wasn't quite as "blue" as the real thing - that's life in the bush.
Bruce.:-

[hughie]

Great stuff, But I have been thinking I need a light tent. Ican buy one but heres an idea of how to do it yourself.

http://www.kurthertzog.com/articles/wtd19phototent.pdf

Seems simple enough and very efective

[Sawdust Maker]

another home made light tent here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/photographing-your-masterpiece-64791/index5.html#post957899)

[dr4g0nfly]

I like, a very Art-Deco feel about the shapes and the colours of the timber is wonderful.

They'd grace any dining table.

[bellyup]

Hughie I think we should change your logon from Hughie to Hughi-pedia - where do you find all of your links??? Amazing.
Glad you like 'em Dragonfly - bit of a sucker for Art Deco myself.

[John Lucas]

This is what I do for a living so I'll try to throw in my 2 cents worth. If you shoot in direct sun like that simply make yourself a frame and cover it with white fabric. Let the sun shine through this so the shadow of the panel completely covers the background and what your shooting. Vuala- no harsh shadows. You can use a white card on the shadow side to reflect some light back into that side. this is a very easy way to shoot work however your stuck with the moving sun which can be challenging.
I make a photo tent that is PVC pipe frames with white nylon covering them. I use 3 of them. I put them together with bolts to form a 3 sided tent. Make them big enough so your back ground will fit inside. then you can use lights outside the tent to light the piece. I like one light up above so it lights one side and the top. Most of the time this one light will be enough. you can use a fill card on the shadow side like I mentioned above.
I prefer the shoot through kind of light tent to Kurt's opaque panels. You simply have much more control over the lights and direction of light. I teach with quartz halogen work lights that are 300 watt. They are tungsten balanced so you have to set your camera white balance to the tungsten setting or you get orange photos.
I have been experimenting with the new CFL lights. You need CFL lights that are balanced for 5500 degrees Kelving and have a CRI index of 90 or higher. don't believe them when they tell you they are daylight, they aren't. The need to say 5500K on them. If they don't list a CRI index they still may not give you true daylight color. You will need a tripod because they also lie about the wattage. I just bought some 45 watt bulbs they claim will match 275 watts. That's interesting because they aren't even as bright as a 100 watt incandescent bulb. Still they are daylight balanced and work well with digital cameras. I have some sources for the lights but they are all US souces. You may have to do a search on your side of the pacific to find them. The brand I am currently playing with are sold by a company named ALZO.
I do have some handouts. If your interested send an e-mail to [email protected] and I'll forward them to you.

[hughie]

I do have some handouts. If your interested send an e-mail to [email protected] and I'll forward them to you


Hmm link for email did not work???????

[bellyup]

I reckon there might be an A missing in lucas for the address?

[John Lucas]

Damn You'd think I could spell my own name. How about this
[email protected]

[bellyup]

Thanks John for the good advice - I think I'm just envious of the shots Cornucopia gets with such a simple outfit.

[hughie]

Damn You'd think I could spell my own name. How about this



A senior moment... they are catching :U

[email protected][/QUOTE]

[Paulphot]

If you don't want to build/buy a light tent, you can use a large esky. Not a kick-it-to-bits foam type, a proper plastic esky with a white interior. Instant light tent, even when out on a BBQ (be sure to empty the beers out first). AS long as you are shooting small items, if it fits in the esky, you have an excellent light tent.

[John Lucas]

Being from the other side of the big pond I'm not sure what an esky is, however if it looks anything like a Styrafoam Beer cooler, you are correct. I did an article on photographing pens for American Woodturner about 6 years ago. I cut one side out of a beer cooler and layed it on a background. I let the sun shine through the top, side and rear. It could not be any simpler to photograph something.
I have since used the same technique to photograph jewelry. I cut out the bottom and one side so I can drape the background and make a seamless curve. That way I an shoot into the box. I will often use a graduated background in that case.