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Posts Tagged ‘Tent’

Konseen launches Photo Studio, a portable light box tent for portraits

15 Sep

Konseen has launched Photo Studio, a new light box tent large enough to photograph people, in addition to smaller objects like clothing and jewelry. Photo Studio is offered in two sizes, one measuring 47 x 39 x 78in / 119 x 99 x 198cm with enough room for adults, the other 47 x 32 x 63in / 120 x 80 x 160cm, which is large enough for children. Both models include LED lights, a silver reflector, and multiple backgrounds.

Features include three soft cloth backgrounds, as well as three PVC backgrounds

The Konseen Photo Studio features a pipe-based frame with a tent cloth that zips over the structure. Users assemble the tent, which includes the option of attaching light panels to any of the frame pipes. The smaller Photo Studio model includes six light boards, each with 96 LEDs; the larger model includes 8 light boards, each also featuring 96 LEDs.

Each light board includes its own dimmable AC adapter. Other features include three soft cloth backgrounds, as well as three PVC backgrounds in white, black, and blue colors. The light color temperature is 5500K and each board has a dimming range from 1- to 100-percent.

The Photo Studio is priced at $ 280 USD (small model) and $ 340 USD (large model).

Via: PetaPixel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Floating Tent: Pole-Free Inflatable Structure Pops Up in Minutes

17 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Camping season may be just about over for the casual fair-weather enthusiast, but in any case, here’s a fun piece of gear to add to your Christmas wishlist. Have you ever gone paddle boarding or kayaking, and wished you could just sleep out on the water? Or maybe you’ve fantasized about living in a houseboat, but owning one is a bit impractical. The ‘Shoal Tent’ by SmithFly is like a cheaper, more casual version of heavy-duty floating fishing tents, and it’s way easier to set up.

Noting that 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered in water, the Ohio-based outdoor goods retailer offers an inflatable floating raft with a tent topper that lets you sleep out on the water, and requires no poles to set up. You just use a pump to fill the three raft body air chambers and tent frame with air to make the world “your waterbed.”

Since the tent floor is inflated, your air mattress is built right in, and it features a 6” drop to keep you dry, along with heavy-duty waterproof fabric and sturdy #8 zippers. The top and sides attach with velcro, so you can get in and out easily if you need to (no struggling to position the door just right.)

The tent features an 8’x8’ footprint and can sleep people up to 6’3” tall, with the same standing room height in the center. It packs down to a burrito-roll-style bag and comes with a patch kit and manual foot pump. At 50 pounds, it’s not exactly lightweight, but depending on your plans, it’s probably worth it. It’s currently on pre-order sale at a discount for $ 1274.15, with an MSRP of $ 1499.

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[ By SA Rogers in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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How to Photograph a Tent and the Night Sky

10 Nov

In this Adorama video tutorial host Corey Rich shows you how to photograph the iconic (as he puts it) glowing tent and starry sky photo. It’s easier than you think! Watch the video and scroll down for some added bonus tips below:

He also mentions a second episode of shooting around a campfire at night, you can watch that video below as well or check out my own article here on dPS: 5 Tips for Creating fun Campfire Photos

I tend to disagree with two things he mentioned: shooting with a tripod lessens your creativity and shoot in burst mode to make sure you have it in focus. For me just the opposite is what I tell my students. I find that using a tripod makes you slow down for sure – but that’s more often than not a good thing.

Shooting to quickly is the cause of many issues such as not checking your composition or exposure closely, and getting carried away with the shot and not thinking it all the way through. In a scenario like this you have time to do test shots as the light goes down so do those hand held and once you find your perfect spot, set up and shoot on a tripod to get the sharpest images.

As for shooting in burst mode, that’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I come from the days of film where every button press cost money in terms of film and processing so you shot a lot more deliberately. Shooting a whole bunch of shots on burst mode might get you a good shot but I personal find that slow and methodical will get better results and way less culling and editing later.

Where do you stand on these two issues?  Tripod or not? Burst mode or decisive moment? Discuss  it in the comments and share any tent or campfire photos you’ve taken as well.

The post How to Photograph a Tent and the Night Sky by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Pocket Tent: Tiny Prefab Home Inflates Itself with Body Heat

08 Aug

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

portable pocket house inflated

A brilliant application of material science toward simple living, this portable self-inflating structure folds up into a manageable miniature package but expands to create a small dwelling space.

portable fold up home

Created by Martin Azua, the Basic House is a genius “habitable volume; foldable, inflatable and reversible … made from metalized polyester” that uses body or solar heat to inflate itself. As its designer explains, “is not a product, rather a concept of extreme reduction.”

portable modular prefab design

In a clever twist, this tiny portable space is made to be inverted so that it can deflect solar heat (for cold situations) in one configuration but capture it (to warm its interior) when reversed. Versatile and durable, the design could be used for everything from homeless shelters and travel tents to emergency housing and much more.

portable pocket travel tent

portable tent home concept

portable house interior exterior

More from its maker on his motivation: “Our habitat has turned into a space of consumption in which an unlimited number of products satisfy a series of needs created by complex systems and relations that are difficult to control. Cultures that maintain a more direct interaction with their environment show us that the idea of habitat can be understood in more essential and reasonable terms.”

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Lightweight ‘Airbeams’ Frame Inflatable Geodesic Dome Tent

02 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

geodesic inflatable tent

Derived from crystal structure of diamonds and geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, these all-weather structures are astonishingly strong but incredibly light at the same time.

wedge cave maverick

inflatable tent poles design

Created by Heimplanet, the Maverick grew out of a previous iteration, The Cave, which was similarly structured, eschewing solid poles in favor of an impressive custom airbeam system.

inflatable tent design detail

Made to withstand winds of over 100 miles per hour, each section of the all-weather Maverick can be separated from the next chamber when deployed. As a result, the entire structure can be inflated at once but a failure in one segment does not cause the deflation of the whole.

inflatable tent interior

inflatable tent side tubes

inflatable tent door openin

More about the materials: “The airbeams are built with a resistant double-layer construction: an extra airtight TPU (thermoplastic urethane) bladder keeps the air inside for a long time. An outer jacket made of a high-tenacity polyester fabric ensures extra stability, protection and durability.”

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Light Tent Comparison – DIY Versus Kit Tents

27 Mar

A light tent is an invaluable photography tool for shooting smaller objects and items and for achieving even, near-shadowless lighting. In our earlier post, we looked at How to Use a Light Tent for Product-Style Photography, which covered the basics for using and shooting with a light tent. In this post, we will take a look at a head-to-head comparison between buying a light tent kit versus making your own DIY version.

The light tent contenders

In this corner, we have the Square Perfect SP500 Platinum Photo Studio In A Box. This kit contains: two pop-up light tents (one 30 inch cube and one 12 inch cube – 12 inch shown below); two lights with adjustable stands; two 30W, 5400K daylight fluorescent bulbs; a tripod; a carrying case; and two sets of four colored fabric backdrops (white, black, red, and blue) sized for each light tent.

light tent kit, Square Perfect, photography, setup

And in this corner, we have the DIY Light Tent, built using these specifications: Foldable DIY Photography Light Tent. This light tent will be lit by means of two adjustable desk lamps and 60W, 2900K halogen bulbs. The backdrops are made from standard poster board and cut to size. You can purchase daylight-rated light bulbs for your DIY kit as well, but you may need to order them online from a photography or home improvement site.

light tent, DIY, how to, photography

To make this an even test, we will be comparing the 12 inch kit cube against the 12 x 16 x 18 DIY tent. The first set of comparisons will feature each set as described above (the lights that come with each kit), while the second set will put the two up against each other using the same lighting set up for both kits.

Light tent comparison: using their own lights

light tent, product photography, knit bag, photography, how to, light tent

For this first photo-face-off, each light tent will be evaluated using its own lights (daylight fluorescents for the light tent kit and halogen bulbs for the DIY light tent). A major consideration when shooting with a light tent is controlling or choosing the correct white balance to match the lights being used. You want your white backdrop to look white and not have any color tint from the lights used. Read more about that issue in: How to Use a Light Tent for Product-Style Photography.

These shots show SOOC (Straight out of Camera) JPG files for the kit and DIY light tents using auto white balance.The kit’s light gives a cooler (more neutral) look to the background, and the colors of the knit bag are much truer to life, while the DIY lights impart a yellowish hue to the bag and the background. Setting your camera on “Tungsten” white balance for the DIY table lamps may give you a more neutral color, or you can also do a custom white balance using a gray card or even the white backdrop as a test shot. Consult your camera manual for how to perform a custom white balance with your camera.

compare-bag-autoWB-darker

This image is a little dark on purpose so you can see the color tint of the background more easily

If you want perfectly clean whites and neutral blacks, then I would recommend shooting in RAW, which will give you greater flexibility regarding the white balance in post-processing. These images (left) show a comparison of the same image of the bag with a Tungsten white balance setting as compared to the Auto. The Tungsten white balance was selected in post-processing from the RAW image file, or it can also be selected as a white balance preset on the camera when shooting, especially if using JPG format.

Light intensity

As you can see by the image below the DIY lights are considerable less intense (not as bright), which will mean you will either need to use a much longer exposure (shutter speed) to get a correct exposure, or increase your ISO. If working on a tripod (recommended for this type of set up) exposure time shouldn’t be an issue though so just stay at ISO 100 and adjust accordingly.

light tent, product photography, camera, Canon, point and shoot, Canon A4000IS

Light tent comparison: using the same lights

A final test was done to see whether this difference in light was due to the different light bulbs being used or to a difference in the light tents themselves.

light tent, product photography, nail polish

Left image shot at 1/25th – right image at 1/13th

These two shots were taken using the daylight lights from the light tent kit with both the kit tent and the DIY tent (again, in aperture priority, ISO 100, f/8). The kit light tent shot was taken at 1/25th of a second, and the DIY light tent shot was taken at 1/13th of a second, which is a full full stop difference. This means that even with the same lights, the DIY light tent blocked more light than the kit light tent and required longer shutter speeds to shoot the same exposure. The background also came out a little more gray than the kit light tent.

Light tent comparisons: practicalities

There are many other considerations to keep in mind when deciding which kind of light tent would be best for you. Think about how much room you have to devote to gear use and storage, as well as how much the benefits of a pricier kit outweigh the cost investment.

Use of ease

light tent, product photography, knit bag, how to

Notice edges of tent showing in places

The lighting stands that come with the light tent kit have greater range and reach than a typical desk lamp, but they cannot get down as low. This makes it difficult to use the kit lights for shooting with the 12-inch cube sitting on a table top, as the lights are too tall to sit beside it on the table and too short to reach up from the floor. A coffee table seems to be the ideal height. For the desk lamps, they work well when sitting on a table next to the light tent, but they will need to be placed on a stack of boxes or books if shooting from something like a coffee table (as shown earlier).

The 12-inch cube also has a lip around the edge, making the functional shooting space a bit smaller, as you want to avoid the edge appearing in your frame. This is far less of a problem with the 30-inch cube. One workaround is putting a book underneath the backdrop to raise the bottom up. The benefit here of the DIY box is that you can make it the size you want for the subject you have, and there is no lip to shoot around, so you can shoot straight-on at your subject.

Backdrops

Backdrops require careful handling and attention, and the poster board DIY versions are much easier to replace than the fabric ones from the kit. If you are going to be shooting something potentially messy or greasy, consider using a poster board backdrop regardless of which light tent you use.

light tent, how to, photography, fabric, backdrops

Care for your fabric backdrops by ironing out the wrinkles before hanging. If you roll them up on a cardboard tube when you are finished shooting, you should be able to reuse them again without having to iron every time. Keep a lint roller or clear tape on hand to deal with any dust or lint, and save yourself the time of editing it all out in post-processing.

Portability

The light tent kit has the edge in portability, as it comes with its own carrying case. The case is not particularly sturdy or padded, however, so you would not want to travel with it other than carefully placing it in your car (without stacking anything on top of it).

Storage

The DIY light tent folds down flat for easy storage, and you can simply put your two desks lamps back where you borrowed them from, until the next time you are shooting. The light tent kit takes up significantly more space, and the process of folding the light tents back down into themselves is a little complicated and requires some practice, though there are plenty of “how to” videos online. There is also the risk of deformation if you leave the tents stored too long in their folded down state.

Cost

The DIY light tent is the clear winner in the cost department, particularly if you already own a desk lamp or two, which are the priciest elements. The cardboard box and tissue paper should not set you back more than about five dollars. The light tent kit is currently listed at $ 143, a very discounted price on Amazon, which makes it reasonable to consider as an investment.

Final verdict: which light tent to choose?

There are a lot of different variables to consider when making the final choice about whether a DIY light tent will serve your needs or whether you should invest in a light tent kit. If you are looking at exploring what a light tent can do and whether it would be useful, then definitely build your own to experiment with. Keep the white balance in mind and shoot in RAW. But if you are shooting JPG, remember to adjust the white balance setting when shooting by using a preset or doing a custom white balance.

If you know that you will be consistently shooting a lot of this style of shots, perhaps for selling jewelry or crafts online or for displaying directions for your own DIY projects on a blog, then you should consider investing in a light tent kit. The time savings of having bulbs that match your white balance is considerable if you are doing a lot of light tent photography. You will also have significant flexibility with a kit that offers different sizes of light tents and a better range of motion and height for the lights and light stands.

Do you shoot with a light tent? Do you prefer a light tent kit or a DIY version? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Light Tent Comparison – DIY Versus Kit Tents by Katie McEnaney appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Light Tent Comparison – DIY Versus Kit Tents

23 Mar

A light tent is an invaluable photography tool for shooting smaller objects and items and for achieving even, near-shadowless lighting. In our earlier post, we looked at How to Use a Light Tent for Product-Style Photography, which covered the basics for using and shooting with a light tent. In this post, we will take a look at a head-to-head comparison between buying a light tent kit versus making your own DIY version.

The light tent contenders

In this corner, we have the Square Perfect SP500 Platinum Photo Studio In A Box. This kit contains: two pop-up light tents (one 30 inch cube and one 12 inch cube – 12 inch shown below); two lights with adjustable stands; two 30W, 5400K daylight fluorescent bulbs; a tripod; a carrying case; and two sets of four colored fabric backdrops (white, black, red, and blue) sized for each light tent.

light tent kit, Square Perfect, photography, setup

And in this corner, we have the DIY Light Tent, built using these specifications: Foldable DIY Photography Light Tent. This light tent will be lit by means of two adjustable desk lamps and 60W, 2900K halogen bulbs. The backdrops are made from standard poster board and cut to size. You can purchase daylight-rated light bulbs for your DIY kit as well, but you may need to order them online from a photography or home improvement site.

light tent, DIY, how to, photography

To make this an even test, we will be comparing the 12 inch kit cube against the 12 x 16 x 18 DIY tent. The first set of comparisons will feature each set as described above (the lights that come with each kit), while the second set will put the two up against each other using the same lighting set up for both kits.

Light tent comparison: using their own lights

light tent, product photography, knit bag, photography, how to, light tent

For this first photo-face-off, each light tent will be evaluated using its own lights (daylight fluorescents for the light tent kit and halogen bulbs for the DIY light tent). A major consideration when shooting with a light tent is controlling or choosing the correct white balance to match the lights being used. You want your white backdrop to look white and not have any color tint from the lights used. Read more about that issue in: How to Use a Light Tent for Product-Style Photography.

These shots show SOOC (Straight out of Camera) JPG files for the kit and DIY light tents using auto white balance.The kit’s light gives a cooler (more neutral) look to the background, and the colors of the knit bag are much truer to life, while the DIY lights impart a yellowish hue to the bag and the background. Setting your camera on “Tungsten” white balance for the DIY table lamps may give you a more neutral color, or you can also do a custom white balance using a gray card or even the white backdrop as a test shot. Consult your camera manual for how to perform a custom white balance with your camera.

compare-bag-autoWB-darker

This image is a little dark on purpose so you can see the color tint of the background more easily

If you want perfectly clean whites and neutral blacks, then I would recommend shooting in RAW, which will give you greater flexibility regarding the white balance in post-processing. These images (left) show a comparison of the same image of the bag with a Tungsten white balance setting as compared to the Auto. The Tungsten white balance was selected in post-processing from the RAW image file, or it can also be selected as a white balance preset on the camera when shooting, especially if using JPG format.

Light intensity

As you can see by the image below the DIY lights are considerable less intense (not as bright), which will mean you will either need to use a much longer exposure (shutter speed) to get a correct exposure, or increase your ISO. If working on a tripod (recommended for this type of set up) exposure time shouldn’t be an issue though so just stay at ISO 100 and adjust accordingly.

light tent, product photography, camera, Canon, point and shoot, Canon A4000IS

Light tent comparison: using the same lights

A final test was done to see whether this difference in light was due to the different light bulbs being used or to a difference in the light tents themselves.

light tent, product photography, nail polish

Left image shot at 1/25th – right image at 1/13th

These two shots were taken using the daylight lights from the light tent kit with both the kit tent and the DIY tent (again, in aperture priority, ISO 100, f/8). The kit light tent shot was taken at 1/25th of a second, and the DIY light tent shot was taken at 1/13th of a second, which is a full full stop difference. This means that even with the same lights, the DIY light tent blocked more light than the kit light tent and required longer shutter speeds to shoot the same exposure. The background also came out a little more gray than the kit light tent.

Light tent comparisons: practicalities

There are many other considerations to keep in mind when deciding which kind of light tent would be best for you. Think about how much room you have to devote to gear use and storage, as well as how much the benefits of a pricier kit outweigh the cost investment.

Use of ease

light tent, product photography, knit bag, how to

Notice edges of tent showing in places

The lighting stands that come with the light tent kit have greater range and reach than a typical desk lamp, but they cannot get down as low. This makes it difficult to use the kit lights for shooting with the 12-inch cube sitting on a table top, as the lights are too tall to sit beside it on the table and too short to reach up from the floor. A coffee table seems to be the ideal height. For the desk lamps, they work well when sitting on a table next to the light tent, but they will need to be placed on a stack of boxes or books if shooting from something like a coffee table (as shown earlier).

The 12-inch cube also has a lip around the edge, making the functional shooting space a bit smaller, as you want to avoid the edge appearing in your frame. This is far less of a problem with the 30-inch cube. One workaround is putting a book underneath the backdrop to raise the bottom up. The benefit here of the DIY box is that you can make it the size you want for the subject you have, and there is no lip to shoot around, so you can shoot straight-on at your subject.

Backdrops

Backdrops require careful handling and attention, and the poster board DIY versions are much easier to replace than the fabric ones from the kit. If you are going to be shooting something potentially messy or greasy, consider using a poster board backdrop regardless of which light tent you use.

light tent, how to, photography, fabric, backdrops

Care for your fabric backdrops by ironing out the wrinkles before hanging. If you roll them up on a cardboard tube when you are finished shooting, you should be able to reuse them again without having to iron every time. Keep a lint roller or clear tape on hand to deal with any dust or lint, and save yourself the time of editing it all out in post-processing.

Portability

The light tent kit has the edge in portability, as it comes with its own carrying case. The case is not particularly sturdy or padded, however, so you would not want to travel with it other than carefully placing it in your car (without stacking anything on top of it).

Storage

The DIY light tent folds down flat for easy storage, and you can simply put your two desks lamps back where you borrowed them from, until the next time you are shooting. The light tent kit takes up significantly more space, and the process of folding the light tents back down into themselves is a little complicated and requires some practice, though there are plenty of “how to” videos online. There is also the risk of deformation if you leave the tents stored too long in their folded down state.

Cost

The DIY light tent is the clear winner in the cost department, particularly if you already own a desk lamp or two, which are the priciest elements. The cardboard box and tissue paper should not set you back more than about five dollars. The light tent kit is currently listed at $ 143, a very discounted price on Amazon, which makes it reasonable to consider as an investment.

Final verdict: which light tent to choose?

There are a lot of different variables to consider when making the final choice about whether a DIY light tent will serve your needs or whether you should invest in a light tent kit. If you are looking at exploring what a light tent can do and whether it would be useful, then definitely build your own to experiment with. Keep the white balance in mind and shoot in RAW. But if you are shooting JPG, remember to adjust the white balance setting when shooting by using a preset or doing a custom white balance.

If you know that you will be consistently shooting a lot of this style of shots, perhaps for selling jewelry or crafts online or for displaying directions for your own DIY projects on a blog, then you should consider investing in a light tent kit. The time savings of having bulbs that match your white balance is considerable if you are doing a lot of light tent photography. You will also have significant flexibility with a kit that offers different sizes of light tents and a better range of motion and height for the lights and light stands.

Do you shoot with a light tent? Do you prefer a light tent kit or a DIY version? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Light Tent Comparison – DIY Versus Kit Tents by Katie McEnaney appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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How to Use a Light Tent for Small Product Photography

15 Mar

Many crafters, cooks, and artists want to take high quality photographs of their own creations, whether to feature them in a blog post, offer them for sale online, or just share them with friends. The trick to getting these kinds of product shots easily and reliably is to use a light tent. This article will cover the fundamentals of shooting with a light tent to help you capture bright, high quality product photographs every time.

McEnaney-light-tent-roses-new-vase

What is a Light Tent?

A light tent or light box is a contraption with translucent sides that diffuses light coming from multiple sources. This allows for even, nearly shadow-less lighting against a simple, solid background.

light tent, photography, DIY, product photography

You can purchase a light tent as part of a kit or you can build your own DIY light tent. If you choose to purchase a light tent kit, it will usually come with one or more light tents, two light bulbs, two light stands, a tripod, and fabric backdrops in various colors. If you build your own light tent, you will also need to purchase two posable light sources, light bulbs, and poster board or fabric for the backdrops. Unsure of which to choose? In a future article I will offer a head-to-head comparison of a popular light tent kit and a DIY tent.

Shooting with a Light Tent

The standard set-up for light tent photography is to place the tent on some kind of table or end table, with the light sources directly opposite each other on each side and the tripod centered in front. Placing the tent up on a table makes it easier to see and maneuver, as well as easier to use your tripod for shooting.

The backdrop is attached at the top inside the tent and should fall freely down into a gentle curve at the back and then across the bottom of the tent. You want to be sure that you backdrop is clean and free of debris and wrinkles. If using a fabric backdrop, be sure to iron it for a completely smooth look. (If you roll your backdrops up on a cardboard tube after shooting, you should be able to keep them wrinkle-free for next time.) Consider keeping a lint roller or small blower handy for dealing with the inevitable dust and debris.

light tent, photography, how to, product photography

Now you are ready to start photographing! Place your subject carefully inside the tent, and start with it in the exact center. Moving your subject forward or backwards relative to the light can change the lighting and shadows. Experiment to get the look you want. You can also experiment with pointing the lights slightly at an angle, rather than straight on at the tent. Be sure to leave space between your subject and the walls, so that you can zoom in or position your camera to see only the backdrop and not any edges.

Consider the ambient lighting and adjust as needed. I have found very little difference between shooting midday in diffused indoor light and shooting at night with only the lights themselves for light. You do want to avoid direct sunlight shining in or at your tent, as it will be difficult to balance such a powerful light source.

light tent photography, how to, bokeh heart

Camera Set-up

Set your camera securely on the tripod and use either the 2-second timer or a remote shutter release to ensure that you tripod remains steady. (If you are using a lens with image stabilization, vibration reduction, or vibration control, turn the switch to off.) The tripod will allow you to use longer shutter speeds with crisp results.

Begin by shooting in aperture priority mode with an ISO of 100 (or the lowest value for your camera). Choose your aperture based on the look that you want to achieve in the image (a wide aperture like f/1.8 for a narrow depth of field and a lot of blur or a narrow aperture like f/22 for a wide depth of field and crisp focus across the entire subject). Food photographs often utilize wide apertures and selective blur to make food look more appealing, while product shots of crafts and handmade goods look best with a narrow aperture to keep the entire item into focus. IF you want to avoid blur in the foreground (the bit directly in front of your object) – set your focus using the part of your subject that is closest to the camera.

Consider also using exposure compensation to shoot a series of three shots, bracketed at -1, 0, and +1 exposure, so you can see which gives you the best results. (For white backgrounds, you may get better results around +1; while for black backgrounds, you will get better results around -1. If a full stop is too dark or too light, try a half or a third of a stop.)

light tent photography, exposure compensation, camera lens, Tamron, Tamron 18-270mm, light tent, product photography

Post-Processing Considerations

It can be difficult to get the background of your shots perfectly white or perfectly black while also keeping your subject properly exposed. In those situations, you may want to do some additional post-processing to ensure that your whites stay white and your blacks stay black. The following description relies on tools available in Adobe Photoshop, but you should be able to do many of these same procedures using other software products.

If you are shooting in RAW, adjust the white balance of your image first so that your whites look white and not yellow. Most light bulbs will list the color temperature of the light they produce, which you can use as a guide for setting the white balance. You can also set the white balance manually by shooting a white card and calibrating from that image (or if you know your background is pure white or black use the color picker in the RAW processor to neutalize any tint).

Use your histogram as a guide when processing. While standard photography advice recommends against having your histogram touch the edges of the scale (clipping), this is what you want to achieve in product shots. Clipping your background (whether on the left for black, or on the right for white) will create an entirely homogenous look to your background and focus all attention on your subject.

scarf, photography, Photoshop, post-processing, highlight clipping,

In Photoshop you can use the Levels tool to adjust either end of the histogram. Holding down the Alt (Option for Mac) key while adjusting the sliders allows you to see which areas of the photograph are being clipped, as shown in the image above. Move the slider in towards the center until the background is uniformly clipped but the subject is not. If your subject is too affected by this action, then you may need to scale back your adjustment.

If you are having trouble achieving a uniformly white background on your product shots, consider adding a thin border to your final image. While a not-quite-white background, on a shot displayed against a pure white background on a web page runs the risk of looking dingy. However, a slightly grey background with a black border can make the background shade appear intentional.

photography, bourbon, product photography, light tent, how to

Cheers! Do you use a light tent in your photography? Have a helpful tip for shooting with one? Share your thoughts and photographs in the comments below.

McEnaney-roses-closeup

Here’s a final image from the vase of flowers in the first image at the top of the article.

For more on product photography check these out:

  • DIY Seamless White Background for Product Shots
  • Tabletop Photography Walkthrough or How to Create an Eye-Catching Product Shot
  • How To Photograph Your Product to Enhance Your Online Sales in 4 Easy Steps
  • How to Create Simple Seamless Background Product Shots

The post How to Use a Light Tent for Small Product Photography by Katie McEnaney appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Mountaintop Tent: Airlifted Alpine Retreat Built at 8,000 Feet

02 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Global & Travel & Places. ]

mountaintop distance view structure

Created as a tribute to a mountain guide killed in an tragic avalanche, this tent-shaped shelter of wood and steel was helicoptered in pieces and assembled at an elevation of 2531 meters in Italy.

mountain cabin by cliff

mountaintop architecture design build

Commissioned by the family of the fallen and designed by Giovanni Pesamosca Architetto (images by Flavio Pesamosca), the building was made to honor Luca Vuerich, who perished in an avalanche while climbing a frozen waterfall.

mountaineer retreat construction helicopter

Thanks to the efforts of family, friends, colleagues and mountain rescue volunteers (twelve people in total), the shell was constructed on site in a single day from pre-marked parts deposited by helicopter.

mountain cabin entry side

mountain cabin in context

The triangular structure is shaped to shed snow but built capable of being covered entirely as well, with access on its south side where the sun melts accumulation the fastest.

mountain retreat edge

The wooden truss-reinforced frame is made to withstand high wind loads as well due to its exposed location, and set up on a series of concrete footings.

mountain tent retreat alps

mountain interior construction process

The interior sports nine beds for hikers and mountain climbers, which might look spartan to the outside observer but are strikingly luxurious when you consider their remote location.

mountaineering retreat hiking rest

mountain cabin money shot

Open to anyone who can get there, the building is located in the Julian Alps, on the crest of the Foronon Buinz Mountain along the Ceria-Merlone trail.

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Bike Tire Tent: Compact Travel Shelter Wraps Inside Wheels

29 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

tire bike travel tent

For the cycling nomad, this design uses space you never knew you had, and helps free up room in front-of-handlebar baskets or on above-back-tire racks for other uses in the process.

tire deployed camping closeup

Designed by Chung-Jung Wu, Pei-Chun Chen & Li-Fu Chen, a specially-reinforced tire creates a void into which a biker can clip their travel tent for extended rides.

tire shelter wheel design

The easy-to-access clasps make it simpler and speedier to deploy the tent when you reach your temporary destination, rather than unwrapping it from a pack or unstrapping it from a fender platform.

tire tent fully open

Of even greater value to long-distance travelers: precious cargo space on your back and elsewhere on your bicycle is freed up for clothes and other essential gear.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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