Light tent setup.

[manoeuver]

Ikea hamper ($15) 2 Ikea desk lamps ($15ish each, without bulbs)
A bungee holds the hamper open.

Camera is mounted on a boom cymbal stand.

I use a wide open aperture and boost the exposure to get closer to a white background.

photos look like this unretouched:



I'm a rank amateur photoman, actually not much of a photoman at all. Pretty good results considering- just wanted to show it's not tough or expensive to get half-decent snaps of your pens.

Wide open to feedback or ways to improve my game.

[tandaina]

Very good setup. I've done similar with a white sheet and an old tripod (drape sheet around the tripod to make the tent.)

[brunico]

Clever! I've made cutouts in an old cardboard box and taped copy paper over them.

It's always astonishing how much photogear can cost. I'd given up on the idea of replacing my lightbox until I found one on Ebay marketed to embroiderers and at less than half the cost of anything else.

[Robert]

That's a pretty slick set-up. I've been mulling over acquiring a light box, and this may be just the ticket.

[ainterne]

Ikea hamper ($15) 2 Ikea desk lamps ($15ish each, without bulbs)
A bungee holds the hamper open.

Camera is mounted on a boom cymbal stand.

I use a wide open aperture and boost the exposure to get closer to a white background.

photos look like this unretouched:



I'm a rank amateur photoman, actually not much of a photoman at all. Pretty good results considering- just wanted to show it's not tough or expensive to get half-decent snaps of your pens.

Wide open to feedback or ways to improve my game.

Hi manoeuver, looks like a nice set up indeed..... I wanted to know if those bulbs get hot enough to heat the tent material? Do you need to keep an eye on them, or is the heat lost quickly and is not an issue? Do you use a remote control to take the shots or is the stand stable enough?

Phil..

[manoeuver]

Ikea hamper ($15) 2 Ikea desk lamps ($15ish each, without bulbs)
A bungee holds the hamper open.

Camera is mounted on a boom cymbal stand.

I use a wide open aperture and boost the exposure to get closer to a white background.

photos look like this unretouched:



I'm a rank amateur photoman, actually not much of a photoman at all. Pretty good results considering- just wanted to show it's not tough or expensive to get half-decent snaps of your pens.

Wide open to feedback or ways to improve my game.

Hi manoeuver, looks like a nice set up indeed..... I wanted to know if those bulbs get hot enough to heat the tent material? Do you need to keep an eye on them, or is the heat lost quickly and is not an issue? Do you use a remote control to take the shots or is the stand stable enough?

Phil..

Phil, great questions.
They are incandescent bulbs, so I'm mindful of things catching fire or melting. I don't think I've ever had them on for longer than an hour or so.
There's a tiny bit of wobble to the stand so I use a 4 or 5 second timer to give it time to quit shaking before it takes the photo. This is key because the exposures are usually 3 or 4 seconds.