Rainy day project

[markyscott]

So I’m not a professional photographer by any means. But I do like to photograph my trees to watch their progression. Because of that, I’ve always wanted a better setup for taking pictures of them. It feels like I’m always competing with something in the background, or the lighting is not good, or conditions outdoors are poor.

Consider this picture:


Way, way too much going on that detracts from the tree.

I’ve always been really jealous of those great pictures people take with a clean backdrop and good lighting.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

So I took over a wall in the garage for photography. I wanted it to make something that was not in the way when it was not in use, but was also not a big hassle to set up when I wanted it. I also didn’t want to spend tons of money.

First thing I worked on was the lighting. Real studio lighting can get really expensive. But my brother-in-law is a film maker and he pointed me to these work lamps:



They’re Husky LED work lamps and put out 3200 lumens. They’re 5000 kelvin, so in the daylight spectrum and way better than all the tungsten stuff you get with fluorescents. The lights are pretty inexpensive - you can buy them at Home Depot for about $80 each. The stands are pretty flimsy, but I knew I wasn’t going to be using those anyway. I just folded them up and stored them in case I need them in the future.

Scott

 

[Clicio]

So I’m not a professional photographer by any means...
I’ve always been really jealous of those great pictures people take with a clean backdrop and good lighting.
Scott

I've been a pro photographer (fashion and beauty) for 40 years.
Simple: a large piece of TNT, some reflectors, a tripod - and you're done!

 

[markyscott]

So I’m in $160 so far. Next purchase was something on which to mount the lights. I purchased two TV mounts for $20 each that can fold away.



Scott

 

[Clicio]

I love those new LEDs with adjustable white balance (from 3.800K to 6400K) with dimmers.
Light, inexpensive and great lighting!

 

[markyscott]

I mouted the TV mounts to the ceiling and used a 1x6 to extend the arm and attach the lights. They fold right up to the ceiling when not in use so they’re not in the way and can deploy really easily when I need them. I really liked the mounts.



Scott

 

[markyscott]

For the backdrop, I just used 3/4” galvanized pipe. I purchased a 10’ pipe and had it cut and threaded down to 8’. I mounted two 1” floor flanges to the ceiling, attached a 1” nipple and 1” T connection. Like this:



S

 

[markyscott]

Then I passed a 8’ length of 3/4” galvanized pipe through the two T connections to make the hangar. I put some end-caps on the galvanized pipe so it can’t slide out of the hangars. Like this:



Scott

 

[markyscott]

Next I went to the fabric store - I took pictures of a bunch of different fabrics while I was there to pick something that was not too reflective. I went with a bolt of black fleece, but I think I’ll need to go with something else eventually. I just rolled it onto a fabric tube and ran the tube on the galvanized pipe. Total cost for the piping and the cloth was about $30. Like this:



I kind of like this - at least I can roll it up when it’s not in use so that it stays clean. But it’s a bit of pain in the you-know-what to roll it up. Come down fast though!

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Here’s the setup with the backdrop deployed:


Scott

 

[markyscott]

And a picture of the same tree taken with the same camera in my “studio”


Scott

 

[markyscott]

So, in the end:

1) Much better
2) lighting seems OK
3) I’m still not happy with the backdrop.

Fleece is not too reflective like a lot of the fabrics I photographed at the store. But the bolt was only 1.5m wide. I’d really like something that is 8’ wide - as wide as the hangar I mounted. I also thought that the fleece would be heavy and it wouldn’t fold. But, as you can see, there are folds in the fabric behind the tree.

Any thoughts from folks more experienced with photography than I? Given what I’m trying to do, what should I do with the backdrop situation to make it better?

Scott

 

[Chuah]

So, in the end:

1) Much better
2) lighting seems OK
3) I’m still not happy with the backdrop.

Fleece is not too reflective like a lot of the fabrics I photographed at the store. But the bolt was only 1.5m wide. I’d really like something that is 8’ wide - as wide as the hangar I mounted. I also thought that the fleece would be heavy and it wouldn’t fold. But, as you can see, there are folds in the fabric behind the tree.

Any thoughts from folks more experienced with photography than I? Given what I’m trying to do, what should I do with the backdrop situation to make it better?

Scott

Photographic backdrop paper?

 

[Victorim]

Awesome Scott.

Disappointed theirs no part in the middle when the misses pops in and asks, what do you think your doing

 

[JudyB]

I use a roll up shades from blindster.com You can get custom sizes, and they have nice colors. I have a black one, and and white, I just put one above the other one, then I can go either way.

 

[markyscott]

Photographic backdrop paper?

Hi Hoe - I did think about that, but I’ve never used it before. Is it durable enough to be kicking around the garage?
S

 

[markyscott]

Awesome Scott.

Disappointed theirs no part in the middle when the misses pops in and asks, what do you think your doing

Well. I’m afraid she just assumes I’m crazy. So she’s just takes it in stride when I’m doing something weird in the garage again. I think it just “fits expectations”

S

 

[Mr.E]

What a big difference. I like it!

 

[markyscott]

I use a roll up shades from blindster.com You can get custom sizes, and they have nice colors. I have a black one, and and white, I just put one above the other one, then I can go either way.
View attachment 176450View attachment 176451

I like the idea of using blinds, but I’m concerned about how reflective the material might be. I’d like to use something that will just fade into a flat black with no light patches when I take the picture.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

I love those new LEDs with adjustable white balance (from 3.800K to 6400K) with dimmers.
Light, inexpensive and great lighting!

I really appreciate your insight - I knew that there were a couple of photographers that posted here. Do you have a link to an example? When I’m ready to upgrade, I’d be interested in looking. And do you have any thoughts on the backdrop issue? What would you suggest I use?

Scott