Photographing Your Carvings

I've been asked on a number of occasions what type of set-up I use when photographing my carvings so here are my secrets and what you'll need to do something similar.

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As you can see by the photo I use three lights which I can move around for the best effects. These lights are just the common clip-on reflectors you can pick up at WalMart for a few bucks. I mounted them on 1-1/2" PVC pipe stuck in some flat plywood squares. You'll note if you enlarge the photo the two front lights are labeled "Warm" and "Cool" This helps me balance the lighting. That third light in the back is also a "Warm" light and is used to give the piece being photographed some backlighting. The backgrounds I use are usually just a piece of colored Posterboard, in this case Forest Green. There is a roll of Studio Paper behind the posterboard in case I have to photograph something too large for the smaller board. Another thing that is critical is the tripod. You just have to have one of these to get good clear photos.

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In this photo is the 10" cloth diffuser I put over each reflector. These are available at a photo shop for around $10. They break up the light so most of the shadows are eliminated. To keep them away from the bulb I made a 3" extension ring out of some aluminum flashing. The large light is also available at a photo shop. It costs about $25 and is really worth the cost as it's your main light. It's the one labeled "Cool" as it gives a nice cold light. The smaller one is just a 60 watt bulb I picked up from WalMart. This is also the bulb used in the third light.

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Here's a photo of the extension ring. I just cut a strip of flashing about 4" wide, folded over the edges, bent it around the light and then use some screws to hold it together.

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Finally, I made some stands to set the piece on when it's being photographed. The large one is just a piece of paneling with a 1-1/2" wooden dowel painted flat black and a small circle of paneling with a piece of inner-tube glued on to keep the piece from slipping. The coffee can just raised this platform up to where the table is hidden. The little ring is a piece of PVC pipe painted flat black that I use for my Bottle Stoppers. I set it on top of the larger platform.

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When taking a photo make sure you position your carving at least a couple of feet from the background. This makes the background out of focus when you take your picture. I turn off my flash as it's not needed with the lights. Move your front lights far enough back from your carving so you don't get too much light. After you take a few you'll figure out just where to put the lights for the best effects. Once the photo is taken you can photoshop the stand out of the picture and you carving will look like it's floating in space.

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My camera is a Nikon D70 with a 18-70mm lens. I've used my wife's Canon Powershot A80 with good results so you should get some nice photos no matter what camera you use.

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I hope this answers your questions. If not just drop me a note.