# My pen picture set up



## mmayo

I have been using the top of my table saw until I finally made a  portable frame today.  Most of the materials I bought a Lowes  inexpensively.

Here is the frame it is 36" x 25" and has a riser in the back to hold a  black velvet cloth as a background.  Other colors or white velvet would  work great too.







To the frame I add a piece of diffuser used in fluorescent ceiling  fixtures.  I think it cost around $10.  It fits into kerfs cut in the  side rails.






I lay a 16" x 24" piece of "black glass" inside for nice mirrored  effects.  The velvet is long enough to span from the front of the glass  to the rider in the back.






I have a piece of velvet from JoAnn's my wife bought me with a coupon  for $15.    You can also see my inexpensive high intensity light I use  when turning pens.  This one light plus the overhead light that filters  through the white diffuser from my 6 - 4' shop lights is all the light I  use. If it helps I turn off the overhead lights sometimes.  I do employ a white card or piece of aluminum foil when highlights are needed. 






The final setup shot shows my camera and tripod.  Yes, that is not  cheap, but I did not buy it to photograph pens. It has a macro lens so  images are usually sharp.






Here is a photo from my setup of two "his/hers" pens in bocote






The above image was taken with a Nikon D80 and a 105mm macro on manual exposure at f22 for 1.6 seconds.

If I can help in any way with your efforts or if something about the setup is unclear, please send me an email or PM.


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## 76winger

Nice! I like the idea of the curved panel for your light diffuser.


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## brownsfn2

Is the "Black Glass" that way because of the Black velvet underneath?  Or did you buy some glass that is really black?

Very nice picture!!


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## rholiday

Very nice setup!
Well done.


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## mmayo

brownsfn2 said:


> Is the "Black Glass" that way because of the Black velvet underneath?  Or did you buy some glass that is really black?
> 
> Very nice picture!!



I was hoping to buy some obsidian-like. opaque black glass at the local glass shop and this is what they sold.  It looks like a darkly tinted car window, but with dark material under it and when you shoot it at an angle is looks like what I wanted.  Good news - it was not very expensive and is scratch free.


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## mmayo

76winger said:


> Nice! I like the idea of the curved panel for your light diffuser.



I like it because the stuff stores flat and the velvet gets a hangar.  The entire wood setup disassembles to 3" x 36" x 3/4".  Space is at a premium in my shop/two car garage filled with two cars daily.


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## ALA

Nice set up and picture...thanks for posting!


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## Fishinbo

Very nice photos of the beautiful pens, great setup. Very helpful, detailed step by step photos of assembling it. Thanks for sharing your techniques.


__________________________
-www.sawblade.com


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## Janster

Excellent job,thanks for posting the "How To"..........Be well..............Jan


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## mmayo

Here are the dimensions as requested.


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## Edward Cypher

WOW great information.  Thank you.


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## mmayo

A new pen.  I will try a lighter or white background soon after turning more pens.


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## pfbarney

I was really intrigued by this set up....particularly after I couldn't find my store bought photo box and lights after we moved.  I used left over PVC for the frame, but picked up a $10 light diffuser panel at Home Depot.  At first I tried using black velvet and a piece of glass, but it just wasn't working for me.  Too much dust and lent to deal with so I decided to try a piece of poster board.  After some experimentation with different colors of poster board, I decided I really like the silver.  It's gold on the back side if I ever decided to use that.  Anyway, after trying all kinds of different ways to photograph my pens, this has been the solution that worked for me.  So, THANK YOU MMAYO!!!:biggrin:

Examples below.


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## StuartCovey

Very nice!  I think I may try that.


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## mvande21

Can you buy black glass at a hobby store??  I really don't know of where a glass shop is around my area here.  
Very nice way of using inexpensive resources and making very prestigious looking pictures.


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## Magicbob

mmayo said:


> 76winger said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice! I like the idea of the curved panel for your light diffuser.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like it because the stuff stores flat and the velvet gets a hangar.  The entire wood setup disassembles to 3" x 36" x 3/4".  Space is at a premium in my shop/two car garage filled with two cars daily.
Click to expand...



Cars in a garage, don't make me laugh!


My garage is 855 sq ft and my Harley barely fits.
My wife is not happy about this either, she thinks her car should be in there.


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## farmer

*glass*



mmayo said:


> brownsfn2 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is the "Black Glass" that way because of the Black velvet underneath?  Or did you buy some glass that is really black?
> 
> Very nice picture!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was hoping to buy some obsidian-like. opaque black glass at the local glass shop and this is what they sold.  It looks like a darkly tinted car window, but with dark material under it and when you shoot it at an angle is looks like what I wanted.  Good news - it was not very expensive and is scratch free.
Click to expand...

 

I bought a box of smoked glass pieces at a yard sale.  there was 3 pieces in the box and each piece was about the size of a pick up rear window.
The yard sale was a ex wife of a guy that owned a cabinet shop and she caught him cheating so she kicked him out and sold everything .
Price 20.00 

I like your pen studio and the results.

Farmer


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## mmayo

my non-Harley bike has been told to live outdoors under a quality cover.  I got in a nice ride from Long Beach CA to Orcutt and the Far Western Tavern for lunch yesterday.  The ride back through Ojai and Wheeler's gorge was fun too.   Slightly better than turning though pink ivory was very fun Friday.  Love the natural luster just from sanding through MM with walnut oil.


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## mmayo

I just cut out a frame for IAP member ladycop322 and finish goes on today. If anyone has a desire for a frame let me know. You still need the plastic sheet from Lowes and tinted glass and black velvet, but that should be easy.


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## BSea

mmayo said:


> Here is the frame it is 36" x 25" and has a riser in the back to hold a  black velvet cloth as a background.  Other colors or white velvet would  wal setup shot shows my camera and tripod.  Yes, that is not  cheap, but I did not buy it to photograph pens. It has a macro lens so  images are usually sharp.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I can help in any way with your efforts or if something about the setup is unclear, please send me an email or PM.


Does this picture show the distance you normally take pictures? I usually get closer. But my pictures aren't as good as yours. 

I also need to get some black velvet to go under my black plexiglass. I'm hoping that will let me get a true black surface. Mine is a little gray looking. 

Thanks for the great tips. :good:


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## Russknan

Very nice tutorial! Thanks for sharing. I think it belongs in the library. What do you say, Mods? Russ


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## Boz

I made one of these set ups back when it was first posted.  It works great.  I also had a project to photograph a couple of hundred old antique cameras for a museum and used this set up.  Used a very expensive set of lights that did not produce any UV light for preservation purposes.  They provided the lights.  I provided the set up, camera and time.


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## mmayo

Earlier someone asked about the actual camera distance.  Look at the photo of my setup taken with my iPhone and see the actual distance.  I LIKE close up photography more than most so I have a 100mm macro in use for the setup.  I also use a 60mm macro when needed and that would be much closer.


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## LeeR

I like the collapsible design.  I am quickly running out of space in my shop for storing any additional "jigs". Atypical light box takes up a lot of room.


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## mmayo

*Today's photo*

I bought e new Nikon D 7100 and took this photo today to celebrate.


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## MikeinSC

mmayo, 
That is a well done home made light dome. It seems to be working very well for you. 

You mentioned that sometimes you have to turn off certain lights to take the picture. I assume that at times you may have uneven lighting or different exposures when taking your pictures. If that's the case, you may want to take a look at a pair of Pocket Wizards and remote flash to go with the new camera. It's not exactly cheap but the headache removal factor of being able to control your light may be worth it. Check Craigslist because photographers frequently upgrade flashes though the pocket wizards might be harder to come by. My PW's are going to the grave with me. Finding a flash with TTL, or Through the Lens, capability would be ideal. 

Also, check out B&H Photography out of NYC for used and new equipment. An excellent company to deal with and has a rock solid reputation.


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## mmayo

Thanks for the tip. I will search out to find them used.

When I used to own soft boxes and large Norman flashes and a flash meter I would use that, now I am lazy or sorts and use small lights that allow me to mostly see what I will get before taking the photo.  Soon I will add several daylight CFL lights to allow lighting the background and top.

The photo above is pretty good for two unmatched lights, one I use to light my work on the lathe.


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## MikeinSC

that pic above is pretty good as just a good picture. 

When I started a few years ago getting into photography, I thought I needed a lot of stuff. Now I am down to a 60" Impact umbrella, the pocket wizards which one is on the camera and the other to control the Canon hot shoe flash and an older Nikon flash with an optical slave. Most of the time I can get by with bouncing the canon off the umbrella and not even need the second flash.

I would think that if you added some back ground lighting that you might start getting wrap on the edges of the pen. I'm not sure about black backgrounds though. They may absorb enough light to still have a good contrasting edge. But then does the background detract from the subject? 

I usually blow the background white on my stock photos. And from my experience, when the background has too much light, it starts to wrap around the subject and blurs the edges. From what I can tell, your lines are crisp the way they are. 

I like what you've done. I don't think I would have ever thought of that setup.


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## mmayo

*A bump sort of*

I use at least two methods for photography both employing a light tent with diffuse light.  I see lots of superb photos on this site and gain inspiration each time I visit.  The arched dome was might first attempt and gave this kind of image






The newer commercial light cube give this kind of result.






Each has been color corrected differently after comments on this site in Photoshop.  The light cube cost me about $30, the shop made one provided more building enjoyment.

Here is a Zen made of Kingwood, I will photograph it again now that time has made it much more beautiful.


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## cajun clicker

*Thanks*

Thanks for posting,I've been into photography a long time but just started making pens and I was interested in taking better pics of them than with my phone!Thanks again,I'll get some materials together and hopefully post a pic soon.


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## wyone

Garage.. CAR???  really???  who uses a garage for a car???


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## wyone

I also have to say.. the pens in your pictures are really really great.  I guess I have not worried about getting my pen pictures to look that great, because my pens are still not of that quality.  Your pens and photography are pretty awesome


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## Brian Frank

Thanks for sharing.  Have been taking pictures of my pens with some glare from the lights.  This setup should reduce the glare.


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## mmayo

*It can do white background too !*

I know, I know - this is supposed to be about pen photography, but to illustrate how my light tent can be used with a white background...

Here are some simple photos to sell these "cedar plug" salt water fishing lures using my light tent and a white background.  They are cropped tightly for webpages.  I had 16 or so different wood species and I was in a bit of a hurry so elegant composition did not enter the pictures this time.  Sorry about the background in the bocote plug too.

I purchased a Cowboy Studio 1600 watt lighting system and I like it.  It takes patience to assemble, but it is bright, sturdy and quite functional.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/160931585538 





















Yes, I make some from Eastern red cedar, BLO/CA makes them pop.

This cedar plug product has been good to me, I have sold over 400 in 1.5 years since I started making them


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## eharri446

Wish I had seen this before I spent $72 for my kit. My kit came with the light tent, two lights, four different color back drops and one white and one black mirrored panels.

Now all I have to do is get it set up and set up my camera and take good pictures of all of the pens that I have made.


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## howsitwork

Having also got a D7100 I am now going to have a play at making your light dome.
I really like the dark background effect and an excuse to use the 105mm macro is always good!

Thanks for the idea and inspiration.

Ian


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