This is a reflection of Torrey’s Peak (a popular 14′er to climb in Colorado) as seen in a puddle on the forest service road leading up to the mountain. I rotated it in post processing so that the mountain was upright. Many people have commented on it, so I thought you might like to order a print for your home or office.
On 01.30.09, In Photo of the Week, By Chester
Shooting photos of shiny objects is no picnic. I have been doing product photos for the Community Carbon Project (a very cool Colorado recycyling company you should check out), and several of their products are nearly spherical in shape. This presents all kinds of problems when taking photos. I don’t think I have all the kinks worked out yet, but I am at least getting workable images of the more complicated items.
When you have a spherical object to shoot, how do you do it?
On 01.27.09, In Software, By Chester
As I sit here editing some of the photos I have been shooting today, I can’t help but notice that there are some things I still need to use Photoshop for. Luckily the integration between LR2 and CS3 is pretty good. I did recently pick up a good book on LR, entitled Photoshop Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Only, that might help me learn how to do some of these PS things in LR. But honestly, things like Clone Stamp are just too handy.
On 01.26.09, In Do It Yourself, Gear, By Chester
Once I completed my very large PVC Light Tent, I was pretty certain I would need a portable one. The large one could be portable, but would likely be a pain to cart around. And I was right – just last week someone asked me to come to their location and do some product photos. That shoot should be sometime this week, so I took some time this past weekend and made a portable light tent out of PVC pipe.
I could have gone with the same plans I used for the larger one, but instead opted to try Bill Huber’s design. It is much simpler than the large one, with fewer pieces, increasing the portability. I didn’t really vary mine much from his, except that I used regular 90° elbows, and I didn’t glue any joints together. Not gluing allows me to break the pieces down for maximum portability.
When I went to the craft store to locate suitable heavy paper, I came across a higher quality posterboard that is double sided. Each piece measures 22″ in width, which is perfect for the width of this box. By using this posterboard, I have 8 different colors of backdrop – 2 shades of blue, purple, red, green, yellow, gold and silver. Following Bill’s trick of using a sheet metal or wood screw on the crossbar (drill pilot holes first before putting the screws in) and punching holes in the top of the posterboard, you get a VERY convenient method to hang the backdrops with. This also gives you added versatility. You can put the backdrop inside the frame and cover the tent with a sheet, or you can hang the backdrop so it is outside the frame. You might ask when you would need to do this, and an immediate example I can think of is a spherical object that reflects everything.
As the photos on Bill’s site attest, you can get some great results from this. I haven’t fully tested it yet, but will be experimenting a lot with light positioning, etc. when I do my product shoot in Highlands Ranch later this week. This is a very inexpensive piece of equipment though, and I anticipate using it quite a bit. I’ll be sure to post pics after the shoot.
Also, I’d love to see some other designs for light tents, as well as any other DIY projects you might think of. And you can click on any of the thumbnails in this article to see a larger version.
On 01.23.09, In Photo of the Week, By Chester
Fly fishing is one of the most serene experiences I have ever had. I was not fishing on this day, but I did come across this person along Bear Creek between Evergreen and Kittredge, near Lair ‘O The Bear Open Space Park in Jefferson County, Colorado.
Today I am doing more product photos in my Lakewood home studio for the Community Carbon Project. Doing some experimenting, and since I don’t have a laptop, trying to connect a bunch of USB cables together to do some tethered shooting. We’ll see how that works out. In the meantime, enjoy the above photo, which I think has come a long way from my first attempt.
On 01.21.09, In Commentary, By Chester
Haven’t done much in the way of any do it yourself projects or really photos of any kind the last several days. The reason? I have been building a website for the Community Carbon Project. Started by 3 glass blowers from Boulder and Longmont, they have a very cool business idea that is also environmentally redeeming. I think they have a hit on their hands. Who wouldn’t want a set of matching Red Stripe or Corona beer glasses for their home bar? The site isn’t ready to sell product yet, but based on feedback so far, it will sell fast once the site is done…
On 01.20.09, In Commentary, By Chester
David Tejada is a local photographer whose work I have been admiring for quite some time now. In fact, I think his work is what inspired me to do this for a job. He creates stunning visuals, and I have wondered for some time if he would be doing any local workshops. As it turns out, he has agreed to spend an evening with the Colorado Strobist group. As soon as I saw this, I had to jump in. This guy has likely forgotten more than I will ever know, and hearing from him first hand is the kind of chance I don’t want to miss out on. His blog is great, but I can’t wait to see his presentation and hear the dynamic conversation that will follow.
On 01.19.09, In Do It Yourself, By Chester
For my PVC Light Tent, I was originally using posterboard for a backdrop and some old white sheets for the “curtains”. Last week I went to a local fabric shop (Denver Fabrics, not the same as the Denver Fabrics online – long story) looking for some white ripstop nylon or sport nylon, along with black and white muslin. All they had was the white muslin. So I looked around the store a bit, and found some black poly poplin suitable for a backdrop. And then I found some cotton with a polyurethane laminate that is intended for people making their own baby diapers. It seemed suitable to me, so I got enough of it to make side and top curtains for the tent. I also got some velcro to use as attachment points.
Once home, I placed velcro squares along the top left and right PVC pipes to hold the side curtains up. I allowed for a little bit of crossover to the lateral pipes, in order to make sure the vertical PVC was not visible in any reflections. I had already had the cotton laminate cut to the rough dimensions I needed, so I hung one corner up, attached velcro in the remaining appropriate places, and trimmed the excess off the bottom. Did the same on the other side, then the top and was all done with the curtains. Had enough excess that I should be able to use the material in a larger softbox I am planning to build.
After this I mounted additional velcro to hold the backdrops up, and applied velcro to the backdrop material (the black poplin and white muslin). After a few test shots, I decided to add the front curtain, and cut a large + in the front curtain to put my lens through. All in all, things have worked pretty well in there. Here is a sample photo.
I still need to work out lighting and white balance, but with a little bit of time, those should work out pretty easily. More difficult is going to be perfecting the underlighting of objects to really give them some pop. I will be experimenting with that this week.
Oh, some people have been asking about these beer bottle glasses I am taking photos of. They will be on sale soon, and I’ll be sure to post a link when they are. Cheers.
Playing with light
I enjoy playing with light. I have been very inspired by Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration
This is one of the rocks glasses made from a recycled Grey Goose vodka bottle that the Community Carbon Project is making and selling. I used my blue LED ice cube as the light source. I had originally set it inside the glass, but it created an intense flare in the middle. I took it out of the glass and moved it back about 8 or 10 inches. It created a nice even light on the frosted surface of the glass.
If you are looking for something different to try, start playing with light and see what creative images you can come up with. For inspiration I highly recommend checking out Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration
.