Tool Of Sorts

Bill Arnold

1974
Staff member
Messages
8,622
Location
Thomasville, GA
Today, I received a photo accessory I've needed for a while. It's a 16" cube with different color backdrops and comes with two lights. I bought an additional light so I could play around with different configurations. It came with white, black, red and blue backdrops. Looks like it'll do a nice job when I learn the ins and outs of using it.

PhotoCube.jpg
 
Nice, there was one for sale on AMZ a while back but I restrained myself because I don't really need it. This will definitely be a benefit for putting stuff up for sale though!
 
Very cool. :thumb: Very useful tool indeed.

A word of advice: Toss the red and blue backdrops. Colored backdrops (especially blue, for some reason) fool the sensors on your camera and end up throwing off the color balance. You'll likely get your best shots with the white background, although the black will also be handy for shooting very light objects. (Gray is also ideal.) A lot of us use a gradient gray backdrop. A good one from someplace like Adorama or B&H Photo will run over $50, but you can print your own at a place like Kinko's (FedEx Office) on their large-format printer for a lot less. Here's a fairly large high-res JPG file you can download and print:

Gradient Background

Also, check your camera owner's manual and see if it will let you set the white balance manually. If so, follow the instructions and do it. It can potentially improve the photo quite a bit.
 
Very cool. :thumb: Very useful tool indeed.

A word of advice: Toss the red and blue backdrops. Colored backdrops (especially blue, for some reason) fool the sensors on your camera and end up throwing off the color balance. You'll likely get your best shots with the white background, although the black will also be handy for shooting very light objects. (Gray is also ideal.) A lot of us use a gradient gray backdrop. A good one from someplace like Adorama or B&H Photo will run over $50, but you can print your own at a place like Kinko's (FedEx Office) on their large-format printer for a lot less. Here's a fairly large high-res JPG file you can download and print:

Gradient Background

Also, check your camera owner's manual and see if it will let you set the white balance manually. If so, follow the instructions and do it. It can potentially improve the photo quite a bit.

Thanks for the advice, Vaughn. I took a few shots with the black backdrop, then repeated with the white. Looking back at the differences, I think the bolt action pen will look better with black if I get rid of some unwanted reflections. Stupid me didn't think about having the open end of the tent aimed at my shop window! I need to set up the tent in a different location next time. I downloaded your gradient file and will check with Office Depot (the only thing we have here) about printing. The tent kit comes in a satchel that can lay on top of the tent; with it in place, the white background becomes a bit of a gradient itself.

The first shots I posted yesterday were taken with a Kodak C180 pocket camera. It doesn't have a manual white balance but can be set for different lighting conditions. My Nikon D40X has all the bells and whistles, so I'll test with it as well.
 
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