Decided to go back to some table top work, and man am I rusty! Took me almost an hour to set this up and fine tune till I had it just how I wanted it. Might do it again today with a blue gel... Still contemplating it. There are lots of time I wish photographers would put up pics of their set up for others to learn from, but many don't. Worried about competition maybe? But I like to show what I do when I can. I don't have all the tools I would have liked to do table top photography but that shouldn't stop anyone from at least trying. Used two white foam core as background and platform surface. I covered the surface with some clear plastic/vinyl. (You can get it from most arts and craft stores and hardware stores.) I used pins and even my remote to keep it as flat as possible, because I've had mine for so long it constantly tries to roll back up. I used one bare bulb light on the floor angled up to create the glow. And one light in a soft box(to control the light spill) and aimed it more toward the camera to reduce the light on the background. If you have the space it's better to distance yourself from the background so when u take a test shot with your main light alone the bg is black. 5' of distance usually does the trick. Alas I didn't have that luxury so aiming the light as I did was important. Note: the thinner the light source the thinner and crisper your reflections in the glass become. So if you want them crisp but u don't have a strip soft box you can always use some black tape on your current soft box, or make a box (although I don't recommend making one, lights can get hot and maybe burn your diy box) I'll be putting up my favorite image of the set. Hope you like! If you have any questions, hints, or advise for me let me know and drop me a link.
