Photographic "Box"

[arbud]

There seems to be a great deal of interest in photographic boxes of late so I thought I'd "lay out" a box I made when I was doing the photographic work for the Smithsonian Institution River Basin Survey many moons ago.

1. a large, heavy, cardboard box (mine was a 3' cube)
2. seal the bottom w/paintable tape and spray paint the interior a flat gray color one could also fill the gap between the 2 flaps in the bottom w/epoxy and then paint drips and runs are not good
3. mount 1 under-counter, or whatever, 18", daylight type, floresent, fixture to the top of the box in the center and 2/3 from the open front
4. mount 1 of the same type of fixtures 1/3 the open front about 6" from the bottom on each side of the box
5. cut openings in the box the same length as the tube and about 1.5" wide so the light get into the box.
Mine also had a hole in the top to accommodate the camera lens

Look, Ma, no shaddows! :cool2:

I have no idea what the cost of said box would be today. Me? I use the kitchen counter.

 

[PapaDoc]

Thanks. I have received a good number of suggestions from folks who are trying to overcome my ignorance re photographs. Thanks for your simple formula. I will give it a shot.
David

 

[Steve Worcester]

How about sharing those with us?

 

[john lucas]

light box

Bud
Although your box is basically a good idea there are a couple of problems. Totally shadowless lightighting is very flat looking in a photo and won't show the subtle textures such as those in a John Jordan piece. Ideally there needs to be a darker side and lighter side to a piece to make it look 3 dimensional in a 2d format. I'm not saying you need big shadows underneath which are usually what people are trying to get rid of. I'm simply saying that one side needs to appear darker than the other to make it pop off the page. You could do this on your rig by partly covering the lights on one side with wire screen or removing one bulb.
The other problem is the flourescent bulbs. They appear green to film unless you buy color corrected lamps. So called daylight lamps are usually still green to film. On a digital camera you may be able to set the camera to the flourescent setting to correct for the green.
Your idea is basically sound and very useful. Thanks for posting it.

 

[arbud]

Senior moment

I was aware of the "green" problem w/some films,however I did not experience it. The reason being that my Nicon F2 has never been without a UV filter. I can't remember ever making an exposure w/out a UV filter. In fact, I'd put other filters over the UV filter. This may account for my "good luck" w/the box.

I also used agfa film almost exclusively. I would occassionally run into a deal on anscochrome film and paper. I liked it/them also. Am I dating myself well enough?

 

[john lucas]

Bud
The UV filter doesn't affect the green at all. If you were using color negative film the lab may have corrected most of the color. To get rid of the green from Flourescents you need a 30 magenta or a Flourescent to daylight filter. You could also use Fuji Reala which is the only film I'm familiar with that doesn't show the green cast.
Of course it is also possible that the lamps in your fixtures are actually balanced to 5000 degrees Kelvin which would make them perfect for daylight film.
I purchased 5000K lamps for my homemade light table. I've shot things on this table and they work perfectly.

 

[Bob Hadley]

I suggest taking an adult education class in photography. But be warned, it can take you into a vortex that makes the woodturning vortex look like a pauper’s parade.

John, I think it might be useful to discuss pro/con digital/film for 3D artwork. I use both, depending… but I would still be holding out for film, were it not for finding a reasonably-priced Olympus that syncs with my stone-age Norman strobe set.

While it's hard to beat a good strobe set for lighting, once you get an understanding of lighting techniques, you can get excellent results with some well-timed clouds and a reflective panel-- as John's article in American Woodturner showed!

BH

 

[Vince Welch]

Here is a suggestion that I have found works very well and it is quick and easy. At Walmart you can buy a $6.97 foldable laundry container. They come in different colors, we want to use white. Simply positions your lighting on the outside of the container. The white mesh defuses the lighting. You place you work on the inside of the container and shoot away! :cool2: Let me know what you think. Vince