Ok after enough research I've found out it's fairly simple... create a curved background as the Infiniti Board does and this eliminates any kind of horizon line..

So my only questions now are is there a specific material background / brand that is best for this application and what kind of lighting? Flip lights? Wattage?..

Chris_d50 wrote:.

Ok after enough research I've found out it's fairly simple... createa curved background as the Infiniti Board does and this eliminatesany kind of horizon line..

So my only questions now are is there a specific material background/ brand that is best for this application.

I just use light card, it's perfectly adequate. You need a firm base and a vertical back wall to your shooting area, then just tape the card onto it with a smooth curve between the base and the back. It really is that simple..

And what kind of lighting?Flip lights? Wattage?.

Digital imaging has completely transformed this, because you no longer need to use lights to match your film. But you do need a lot of light..

A couple of years ago I invested in an Elinchrom Minilite set - unfortunately the Elinchrom web site is one of these STUPID Flash things that doesn't allow links to specific pages, but if you go tohttp://www.elinchrom.com and click Products then Continuous Light then Minilite you'll find it. Or Google for Elinchrom Minilite Set of course. Two lights with 250 W bulbs is all I have - it's not a lot but once the camera is on a tripod (essential, by the way) it doesn't matter how long the exposure is..

You'll probably think it looks expensive but believe me it is *very* cheap for photographic lighting..

Depending on the quality you need to achieve you will almost certainly need to have/acquire some Photoshop skills..

Good lighting and good Photoshop work are what makes the difference between a crummy snapshot and a professional-looking product shot..

Oh, actually there is one other thing. The samples you photograph must be perfect examples and perfectly clean. Sounds obvious but I wish some of my customers would remember this!..

I assume you're not in need of anything professional, but rather something that is inexpensive and will get the job done well..

For background material, try something like white or black velvet. Make sure that you shoot in a dust-free environment and remove any lint/hair from your background before you shootit saves a lot of post-processing time in your image editing program..

As for lighting source, I recommend you make your own light tent. It's fun and satisfying to build, and it provides even, relatively shadow-free lighting. Check out this link: http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent. For lights, I highly recommend that you use 100 watt or greater equivalent compact florescent bulbs. Make sure that the bulbs you purchase are balanced to daylightabout 5600K or so (the bulb will be labeled near the base). Daylight bulbs will give you very neutral color reproduction, which could be very important.

Consider using the camera's self-timer to reduce the possibility of motion blur, as well...

I don't claim any photographic expertise but I have taken quite a few pictures for use on web sites. All I've done is to use natural light on a bright day but out of direct sunlight with the object sitting on a large sheet of white paper that is taped to the wall behind. I use a tripod..

I use a levels adjustment in photoshop to remove all evidence of the background except for a hint of shadow and usually add back a bit of artificial shadow. With sharp edged products it's pretty quick even if you have to mask around it. This has worked even for pictures of laboratory glassware...

Thanks for the ideas .

I was digging around the workshop today and noticed we have a powerful dual worklight... two 500 watt lights. So I might try that as a main light, then use something less powerful, maybe a 250watt worklight for fill..

Dust free environment basically doesn't exist in our shop building. The showroom is separated from the shop area where all the saw dust is but people come and go throughout the day so some dust makes it's way there. Velvet doesn't sound like too good an idea. But there's a pretty decent photography supply shop down the road from work so I'll see if they have a suitable background material that I can sweep..

They have cheap rental rates so if the worklights don't work... I could probably rent a different pair for the weekend and they only charge one day's rent for those 3 days...

Rather than use the worklights, rent the lights from the supply shop. Your worklights will be too red. There's a lot you can do to adjust your white balance in post-processing, but it all introduces noise. You're best off using a daylight-balanced light source..

Keep in mind that your shots don't have to be perfect. Even if you produced top-notch quality photos, the brochures likely won't look as good as the shots do on screen. It's just the nature of the game..

Chris_d50 wrote:.

Thanks for the ideas .

I was digging around the workshop today and noticed we have apowerful dual worklight... two 500 watt lights. So I might try thatas a main light, then use something less powerful, maybe a 250wattworklight for fill..

Dust free environment basically doesn't exist in our shop building.The showroom is separated from the shop area where all the saw dustis but people come and go throughout the day so some dust makes it'sway there. Velvet doesn't sound like too good an idea. But there'sa pretty decent photography supply shop down the road from work soI'll see if they have a suitable background material that I can sweep..

They have cheap rental rates so if the worklights don't work... Icould probably rent a different pair for the weekend and they onlycharge one day's rent for those 3 days...

Simple light tent off ebay, about $25. Get a couple of big lamps on it, shoot a custom wbn and you're set.Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/..