Shooting Small Object Still Life

I am re-posting this response to a user for those wanting to try small object still life photography.

Buy a piece of white plexiglass. A 1x1 yard panel will suffice. Set it up on a couple of work table leg stands, one at least 2 feet taller (higher) as the rear support. It will be a mini cyclo curved surface still life set up. Clamp the plexiglass to it. Place a flash below and slightly behind the ring at around 45 degrees. It should be at least 1.5 - 2' below the plexiglss surface. The flash is actually shooting up at you. Now place two small 6" square white hard cardboard reflectors on either side facing down and perpendicular to the angle of the light below to kick the light back in to it. Make a couple of wire supports so they can lean in to the object. Do not meter the light on the plexiglass, but the reflected light hitting the ring. You can also use hot lights for this as well. You can move the reflectors around till you get the highlight's that you like.

Here are some samples and a set up illustration.

http://www.pbase.com/benjikan/image/114644228

http://www.pbase.com/benjikan/image/78923696

http://www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/?p=535

Ben,

You are so wonderfully generous! What a standup guy to actually share your hard earned techniques! You are a real mensch!

I was trying to follow the model shots that accompany the small object guide and you have a full length setup. do you have a picture from such a setup? Also, if you take pictures at a 1/10 sec or 1/20 second how finely can you get strands of hair. Is it that your flash is such a short duration that the low speed of of no consequence and just allows the tungsten to paint the model as you wish?

BTW, what flash do you use?

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Ben,

You are so wonderfully generous! What a standup guy to actually share your hard earned techniques! You are a real mensch!

I was trying to follow the model shots that accompany the small object guide and you have a full length setup. do you have a picture from such a setup? Also, if you take pictures at a 1/10 sec or 1/20 second how finely can you get strands of hair. Is it that your flash is such a short duration that the low speed of of no consequence and just allows the tungsten to paint the model as you wish?

BTW, what flash do you use?

Asher

Click to expand...

That is my Gefilte Fish Technique. The flash duration is over 1/4000th of a second. Just look at it this way. When ever I employ this technique, it is as if I am taking two images in one with two different frequencies. I more often than not, work at 1/4 to 1/15th of a second.

Ben

Ben, would you care to share some of the other setup tricks, like how the thrown shoe was done in "Diva" #2?

Most of my "product" stuff is larger and doesn't require the reflected look, but I'm always interested in learning tips about staging a product shot.