Table Top Studio Tip

I just stumbled onto this tip surfin the net. I havent tried it yet but it sounds pretty good.

The way I usually photograph stuff, is to place an object on a large white board (curved upwards) and then arrange 2 lights for the best illumination. Sometimes I use a diffuser or bounce light from other objects to soften the shadows.

Now with this method I found, you lose some creativity (in the lighting) and the ability to tweak your shot, but it seems it would provide the greatest all around illumination.

Basically, as a background for your shot.... use a large box. On the bottom/back of the box (inside) use a white material (curved upwards of course), and then apply tin foil (or any reflective material) to the sides and top.

It sounds kinda like a cheap technique, but when you need a well exposed photo pretty quick it sounds great.

this is somewhat like the lightboxes professionals use. It's a great tip - used it myself now and then. The next step would be to make a cube skeleton from some strong wire and wrap a bedsheet over it - you can use it as a difuser and selectively cover sides with a thicker cardboard or put a lamp or two to the sides to alternate light ambient. If you have small objects you want to take shots of it doesn't need be that big and the results are very good. Who needs those expensive lighting fixtures and umbrellas hihi

Curving the paper up eliminates any hard edges (where the bottom and back meet) and results in a very smooth gradient background (like you see in most product shots/magazines etc.) Its a lot cleaner/more professional looking. It also helps if you need to remove an object from its background in photoshop.

It all depends on what look you want though. Sometimes having an edge/flat background works well.