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Thread: Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

  1. #1
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

    I retired to a tiny home. I can make photos outside when it is not raining, but there is no natural background that is acceptable to remove the background which is a chaotic garden.

    The largest items I have to sell are within the dimensions of 8x10 cameras (Century 1, Deardorff, Calumet). I guess I need a tent-like affair with translucent sides. I watch the big auction site and I'll bet our members do, to. Any hints and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you in advance,
    Jac Stafford

  2. #2

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    Re: Set-up to photigraph for sale / auction

    If you have a bed sheet you can hang it over a clothes line or drape it over a table or fence. That's basically what my mini-studio is!!

  3. #3

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    Re: Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

    Quote Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net View Post
    I retired to a tiny home. I can make photos outside when it is not raining, but there is no natural background that is acceptable to remove the background which is a chaotic garden.

    The largest items I have to sell are within the dimensions of 8x10 cameras (Century 1, Deardorff, Calumet). I guess I need a tent-like affair with translucent sides. I watch the big auction site and I'll bet our members do, to. Any hints and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you in advance,
    Jac Stafford
    Jac,

    Do you have any Kroger grocery stores in your area? (Kroger has related grocery stores under their corporate ownership.)

    The reason I ask is because my local Kroger has some 10x10 foot canopies on end of season sale for US $18. It has a white top (not a colored one) which should be great for a light source that won't contaminate the colors of the subject. The four sides are open.

    Camping and outdoor stores such as REI might also have end of season sales.

    For a long time, I have been a fan of Irving Penn's large format photographs of people. He and his crew transported a black flat-sided tent around in which to photograph his subjects:
    Click image for larger version. 

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    As you can see from the above photo, Irving's tent top could be opened to the sky.

    I plan to start to create some similar work starting with writers at a book fair this autumn.

    Since the 10x10 foot canopy I bought has four open sides, I plan to affix a dark background to one side and possibly diffusers on one or both sides when I am photographing my subjects. That way I can control the source of light. My total budget should be about US $50.

    A website about an exhibit of Irving Penn's Ethnographic Studies:
    http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections...s/ethnographic
    Last edited by AtlantaTerry; 29-Jul-2017 at 18:04. Reason: Cleaning up my prose.

  4. #4
    (Shrek)
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    Re: Set-up to photigraph for sale / auction

    What's wrong with the commercially available (and cheap) pop-up photo studios? Mine is 30x30x30 and came with 3 colors of background. Bare bulb or flash through the sides and/or top, folds down to the size of one of those lighting discs.

  5. #5

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    Wink Lol!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jody_S View Post
    What's wrong with the commercially available (and cheap) pop-up photo studios? Mine is 30x30x30 and came with 3 colors of background. Bare bulb or flash through the sides and/or top, folds down to the size of one of those lighting discs.
    LOL! I totally missed what Jac was asking about! PRODUCT shots, not people shots. DUH on my part!

  6. #6

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    Re: Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

    I'm a lover of Irving Penn's work myself. Now I know how he did it!! Thanks.

    For my mini-studio, a have an old, white, rough, bed spread that I got for $2 at Goodwill. Any sheet would work just as well. It is nailed to a wall, and the bottom is draped over an adjustable drafting table -- but any table would work.

    For lighting, since it is indoors, I have flashes for the front, top and sides that I can move, remove, or diffuse -- as needed (through white rip-stop nylon, but a white sheet would work) and white & silver umbrellas. It can be pretty elaborate, but it could be completely simple, especially with available light.

    My biggest problem is all the black cat hair that mysteriously shows up. So before shooting, I need to run over the bed spread with a lint roller! THAT'S the BIGGEST expense!

  7. #7
    Goldman
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    Re: Set-up to photigraph for sale / auction

    Hi,
    Where did you buy the pop-up studio? 30x30x30 inches?

    Thanks
    Bill

  8. #8

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    Re: Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

    When I shoot small things for Ebay, I put a sheet of paper on my table, bending up in back, taped to the wall, and bounce flash off the ceiling. For most things, a piece of large drawing paper is large enough. For instance: https://1drv.ms/i/s!Aq4avJ8BfiuY-xD18WYteE776Mvh It doesn't meet the best commercial standards, but as my wife reminds me, it's for selling on Ebay, not for a spread in House and Garden.
    Thanks, but I'd rather just watch:
    Large format: http://flickr.com/michaeldarnton
    Mostly 35mm: http://flickr.com/mdarnton
    You want digital, color, etc?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradofear

  9. #9
    Foamer
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    South Dakota
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    Re: Set-up to photograph for sale / auction

    I use a 4x4 or 2x2 sheet of white foam core laid on my dining room table, with one of the 3-sided white foam core "project boards" as background. The foam core comes from Walmart office supply for less than $5. I use two flash mounted on small lightstands with small softboxes for light.
    https://www.staples.com/Elmer-s-Whit...product_302919

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/COWEEN-Photo...MAAOSwzgBY1k66

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-Photo-Stu...MAAOSwmgJY4-1r

    I also have a sheet of black foam core--some objects show up better on black.
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

  10. #10
    (Shrek)
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    Re: Set-up to photigraph for sale / auction

    Quote Originally Posted by Goldman View Post
    Hi,
    Where did you buy the pop-up studio? 30x30x30 inches?

    Thanks
    Bill
    This looks like a newer version of what I bought. Mine is a square.

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