Mossyrock Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I need to purchase a set-up to photograph my pottery, but am undecided as whether to buy the E-Z Cube set-up or go with a less expensive version. I know nothing about the lighting required or the type of background to order. The E-Z Cube set-up is around $200 while the competitor's versions are less than $100 in some cases. Has anyone used the less expensive set-ups? Do I need two lights or three (one on each side and one on top)? Should the background be black to white? Paper or vinyl? What kind of lights? Any suggestions/advice will help. Thanks! Link for the competitor: http://www.obnphoto.com/index.html Link for E-Z Cube: http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/specials.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Howard Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I need to purchase a set-up to photograph my pottery, but am undecided as whether to buy the E-Z Cube set-up or go with a less expensive version. I have never used the ready-made lighting setups such as the E-Z Cube. Instead I have made my own light boxes and light panels with rolls of Translum, which is a thin translucent plastic. Angle the light boxes around the pottery to adjust the reflections and shadows. Sincerely, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I cannot comment on the competitors but I have used an EZ Cube for many years and really recommend it. The people were very helpful and gladly matched the lighting to the type of work I would be photographing. We have three lights ... One on top and two on the sides. It is quick and easy to set up and the results are totally predictable. The beauty of using the cube with matched lights is that it makes all of your photos consistent, so you can send images from different shoots and they all look good together. I use the background of graded white to black. I'm sitting here trying to think of what the others could be doing differently to lower the selling price that would affect your final results. I guess what comes to mind is their phrase ..."starts at ...." ... I wonder if a lot of things would be extras? The EZ Cube is sturdy so I can easily lift and store it out of the way, but it is basically a frame with transparent panels to defuse the light and not allow any ambient light in. This is crucial if you have color affecting lights in the room ... like fluorescents and incandescents ... So you don't want any gaps that let other light in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Chris, from what I could tell, the less expensive set-ups have no hidden 'extra cost'. I'm wondering if the difference in price could be the quality of the lights. And I noticed the less expensive sets have colored fabric for backgrounds. I think the background is extra with E-Z Cube, but it's made so the background clips in easily. What size E-Z Cube do you have? That's another consideration.....I don't want to get something too small. I like the idea of being able to contact E-Z Cube with questions and having their help to match lighting to the work. Arnold, I have considered building one myself, but when I checked into purchasing lights, background, etc., the cost began to mount. Also, the ease of just popping up one of the tent-type set-ups is appealing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've got the 30 inch square one which works well for most of my pieces. I can't say enough good things about the ease of photography now compared to before. It used to take forever to do light readings, then had to adjust the images in Photoshop because the color was off. Now we just set up the cube, camera & lights and shoot as fast as I can move things in and out. Takes less than half an hour instead of all morning. The background does clip in easily and as I remember it was costly, so you definitely want to handle it with care as it can get scratches. I take it out and aim the light through the back of the cube to get shots that show the translucence of my porcelain. All of the images of my new work on my site were taken in about 30 minutes last Sunday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAY Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Lights don't have to be expensive. (less than $20 for a three light setup) I use clip on aluminum reflectors and compact florescent bulbs (23 watt=100 watt incadescent). Buy "daylight" 6500 degree Kelvin, and do a White Balance on your camera. A tripod is essential! Exposures in my home made 3x3 foot "studio" are in the F11@1/20 sec range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Howard Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Lights don't have to be expensive. (less than $20 for a three light setup) I use clip on aluminum reflectors and compact florescent bulbs (23 watt=100 watt incandescent). Buy "daylight" 6500 degree Kelvin, and do a White Balance on your camera. A tripod is essential! Exposures in my home made 3x3 foot "studio" are in the F11@1/20 sec range. I shoot kilns with studio flash, which plugs into the camera with a special flash adapter. The inexpensive lights described above are fine, too. Use a tripod and you will have razor-sharp pictures. Sincerely, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have found the 6500 degree Kelvin bulbs, white balance on the camera and a tripod to be absolute essentials. I made my own box out of pvc pipe for the skeleton with a sheet draped over it to filter the light. I bought inexpensive reflector lights from a home supply store. I use a black velvet piece of fabric for the background and it "disappears" in the photo. Spent about $30. on the whole set-up and am happy with the results. If you google "DIY light box" you'll get lots of good ideas for little money! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted March 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hummmm, after just purchasing a new test kiln (thank you Arnold for your recommendation) I'm thinking that making a photography set-up myself may be the best option since several of you have said the cost is minimal. Then, if I'm not satisfied with the results, I can always order the E-Z Cube and not feel like I've lost a lot by making my own set-up. I like the idea of the PVC skeleton - thanks Lucy. I am curious though as to how using a black velvet background looks. Can you possibly post one of your photographs? I have a digital camera so can't set the 'F' stops......can I set the 'white balance'? Can Do I have to order the 6500 Kelvin bulbs online or can they be purchased at, say a local hardware store? Thanks for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc McMillan Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I am curious if any of you using these boxes still get lamp image on gloss glazes. I constructed a DIY box using instructions off the web and use three of the aluminum reflector lights positioned on the sides and top. I have used a variety of different incandescent lamps. The end result always has a bright spot on the glaze somewhere. Any advise is greatly appreciated! Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Howard Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have used a variety of different incandescent lamps.The end result always has a bright spot on the glaze somewhere. Marc, I am assuming that the lights are positioned behind diffusion panels. Try moving the lights farther away from the panels. The closer the lights are to the panels, the brighter the reflective spots in the glazes. You could also try changing the angles of the panels in relation to the pottery. This is why I like to make my own diffusion panels--I can position them at many different angles. Light bounces onto the pottery exactly like balls bounce off the edge of a pool table. You will know what I mean when you play with the angles of the reflections. Sincerely, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc McMillan Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Thanks Arnold. I have tried different distances but will try the different angles. Thank you! Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have found the 6500 degree Kelvin bulbs, white balance on the camera and a tripod to be absolute essentials. I made my own box out of pvc pipe for the skeleton with a sheet draped over it to filter the light. I bought inexpensive reflector lights from a home supply store. I use a black velvet piece of fabric for the background and it "disappears" in the photo. Spent about $30. on the whole set-up and am happy with the results. If you google "DIY light box" you'll get lots of good ideas for little money! Good luck! Do you have a website with pictures? I would like to see a photo with the black velvet piece of fabric in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLowes Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Do you have a website with pictures? I would like to see a photo with the black velvet piece of fabric in use. I have a website for my personal, non-commercial use where I post pictures of my pots. This link will take you to my 2011 page. http://wynhillpotter.../2011-work.html On this page are pictures taken in a low priced cube; a Sunpak eBox portable studio. It came with halogen lights that I don't use because they make hot spots like crazy. It also had a short tripod, and the whole folds up into a portfolio you can carry by its handle. It came with a reversible background that gives two colors. The lighter background in the pictures is the gray cloth background that came with the kit. The reverse side of it is a royal-ish blue I can't imagine ever using. The darker background in some pictures is a dollar store $1 black poster board I like better than the included backgrounds, because I don't like the wrinkles the cloth background shows. My lighting is the aluminum reflector clamp lights with the 6500 K CFLs as recommended by others, plus a white plastic bag over each reflector to diffuse the light. As Arnold said, I move the lights around to get the least reflection off the pots. My camera is an older Sony Cybershot that has preset white balance settings that work better than AUTO. I use the flourescent setting. I will try the black velvet to see what that reveals. With my shedding Yellow Labrador Retriever I am guessig it won't last long...lol. My cube is too small for many of my pots, so that will be a consideration. It is tall enough mostly, but the side walls have a nasty habit of showing up in the pictures. I also made a PVC pipe frame so I can photo the larger pots, and use a roll of white paper for a background. Good luck with your search. JohnLowes Sandy Springs, GA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I have to make a point here from a business and competitive point of view. If Gallery owners and pottery buyers cannot see your work in person you can have sell them ( and your skills ) through images of the work. There are several ways a photo screams out 'NO!'. Sorry, but one of the biggest is wrinkled cloth background ... almost as bad as shooting them on the back porch. Next is a different color background in every picture. Next is hot spots. If all you are doing is keeping records of your work for yourself, it does not matter. BUT ... if you want to get into better shows, better galleries and higher sales $$$ ... then quality and consistency are vital. You should be able to pull any five images of your work from any of five different shoots, and they should look good together. They should all have the same background, the same lighting from the same camera angles. The focus should be sharp and there should not be any hot spots or weird shadows. You might think you want to stand out in the crowd by doing something else, but it won't work. You should remember that most people will give a micro second glance at an image ... that's all the time you'll get for them to either stop or look at the next one. A few years ago, a whole web page used to get 8 seconds but that has dropped significantly. There are small subtle ways to grab attention, but these are done within the framework of excellent images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Chris.....I went to your website and your work is phenomenal! And the photography enhances your beautiful work. I'm assuming that the 2010 Connection Series are the photographs that you mentioned taking in only 30 minutes using the EZ-Cube. They are really nice and I like the fact that the background, lighting, etc. are all consistent so that the images go well together in any 'set' of photographs that you may choose to use. When I eventually build a website, I want the photographs to look like that. To my novice eye, it seems the background is even more important than the lighting, although that has to be correct to avoid hot spots and to have the correct shadowing. I'm learning there's a lot more to it than just taking a picture By the way, I liked the pictures of your studio. My studio is in my home also and I love having it so accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meisie Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 I need to purchase a set-up to photograph my pottery, but am undecided as whether to buy the E-Z Cube set-up or go with a less expensive version. I know nothing about the lighting required or the type of background to order. The E-Z Cube set-up is around $200 while the competitor's versions are less than $100 in some cases. Has anyone used the less expensive set-ups? Do I need two lights or three (one on each side and one on top)? Should the background be black to white? Paper or vinyl? What kind of lights? Any suggestions/advice will help. Thanks! Link for the competitor: http://www.obnphoto.com/index.html Link for E-Z Cube: http://store.tableto...m/specials.html I took a small workshop for photographing art work last year and the suggestion was two lights about 150 watts on tripods and a table with a white table cloth or white paper that covered the back and down over the table. You want to run your cloth or paper so there is no seam. One light to the right and one light to the left facing the artwork. So the lights and the table make sort of a triangle. Hopefully this makes sense. Setting up your lights this way will eliminate a good amount of shadows on the background. You should be able to lower and raise the lights to compensate for glare. I have two of those silver spot lights that clamp onto everything and I got them at home depot for about 6 dollars without a bulb. This keeps it really low cost for me. Renee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 I have an EZcube and I use a black to white gradated piece of Varitone inside. I have 3 150 W blue bulbs in clip on lamps ; one on each side and one bounced off the ceiling above. For larger pieces I have a 48" x 72" piece of Varitone and place the lights in a similar position. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isculpt Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've researched this issue a number of times, but I've found more useful information here than in a number of detailed web articles. (thanks!) I've discovered that an inexpensive alternative to a cloth backdrop is matte finish laminate -- impervious to tearing, wrinkling, or staining, and readily available at Home Depot, Lowes, and other home improvement stores. I simply clamp a piece of flexible white matte Formica to a table pushed against a wall. Clamping the formica to the front edge of a table forces it to form a gentle curve where it makes contact with the wall behind it. If it gets dirty, I just clean it with window cleaner. The laminate must have a matte finish because glossy laminate will create glare. Formica comes in many sizes and colors and can be cut to desired size with a utility knife. Storage is simple: just unclamp it from the table and slip the flat sheet behind a table or bookshelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Howard Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've discovered that an inexpensive alternative to a cloth backdrop is matte finish laminate -- impervious to tearing, wrinkling, or staining, and readily available at Home Depot, Lowes, and other home improvement stores. I simply clamp a piece of flexible white matte Formica to a table pushed against a wall. Many years ago my wife and I took a fashion photography course that was held in the studio of a Dallas photographer. One of the backdrops in the studio was a large sheet of linoleum flooring that curved upward just as you described. The linoleum was turned so the back was toward the camera. The photographer painted the linoleum with a roller. Any time he wanted a different color, he painted the linoleum again. Sincerely, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted March 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've researched this issue a number of times, but I've found more useful information here than in a number of detailed web articles. (thanks!) I've discovered that an inexpensive alternative to a cloth backdrop is matte finish laminate -- impervious to tearing, wrinkling, or staining, and readily available at Home Depot, Lowes, and other home improvement stores. I simply clamp a piece of flexible white matte Formica to a table pushed against a wall. Clamping the formica to the front edge of a table forces it to form a gentle curve where it makes contact with the wall behind it. If it gets dirty, I just clean it with window cleaner. The laminate must have a matte finish because glossy laminate will create glare. Formica comes in many sizes and colors and can be cut to desired size with a utility knife. Storage is simple: just unclamp it from the table and slip the flat sheet behind a table or bookshelf. Can you post an image, or direct us to a website that has images taken using the Formica background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawneckhardt Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Chris.....I went to your website and your work is phenomenal! And the photography enhances your beautiful work. I'm assuming that the 2010 Connection Series are the photographs that you mentioned taking in only 30 minutes using the EZ-Cube. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Photo-Studio-Tent-Kit-Cube-Light-Box-Tripod-Softbox-/250791162906?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6451741a#ht_2018wt_907 are really nice and I like the fact that the background, lighting, etc. are all consistent so that the images go well together in any 'set' of photographs that you may choose to use. When I eventually build a website, I want the photographs to look like that. To my novice eye, it seems the background is even more important than the lighting, although that has to be correct to avoid hot spots and to have the correct shadowing. I'm learning there's a lot more to it than just taking a picture By the way, I liked the pictures of your studio. My studio is in my home also and I love having it so accessible. mossyrock, i have found many styles of 'lightcubes" on EBAY either separately or with lights for a fairly inexpensive price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I have found the 6500 degree Kelvin bulbs, white balance on the camera and a tripod to be absolute essentials. I made my own box out of pvc pipe for the skeleton with a sheet draped over it to filter the light. I bought inexpensive reflector lights from a home supply store. I use a black velvet piece of fabric for the background and it "disappears" in the photo. Spent about $30. on the whole set-up and am happy with the results. If you google "DIY light box" you'll get lots of good ideas for little money! Good luck! Do you have a website with pictures? I would like to see a photo with the black velvet piece of fabric in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 This is my website: http://www.lucybaileyclay.com/main.php Cocoon babies are wall mounted and I use the black fabric on the wall and actually hang the pieces for the photos so those look best as far as the fabric disappearing. For other pieces you can see they are sitting on a flat surface. Lucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I need to purchase a set-up to photograph my pottery, but am undecided as whether to buy the E-Z Cube set-up or go with a less expensive version. I know nothing about the lighting required or the type of background to order. The E-Z Cube set-up is around $200 while the competitor's versions are less than $100 in some cases. Has anyone used the less expensive set-ups? Do I need two lights or three (one on each side and one on top)? Should the background be black to white? Paper or vinyl? What kind of lights? Any suggestions/advice will help. Thanks! Link for the competitor: http://www.obnphoto.com/index.html Link for E-Z Cube: http://store.tableto...m/specials.html Terrible to admit this, but for years I have used nothing more than a gradated background either 24"X48" or one that is 24"X50". I found them on time in an art supply store years ago. They are neutral in color. For lighting I set up outside, In the early morning, and take my shots with indirect morning sunlight. Have not had problems, and most shots look pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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