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Photo Light Set-Up

Here is my current light set-up...about 10 years of upgrades and accumulation!! I'm using 3 Alien Bee strobe lights with 2 Soft boxes, also a defuser for the main strobe. My current camera is a Canon 40D DSLR tethered to either my IMac or Windows Laptop. Up running Adobe Photoshop CS3 for my editing software.

I'm constantly changing the setup to try to get that perfect picture but am not there by any means. I've been taking my own knife picture for at least 10 years, starting out with film, then going digital with the first model of the Sony Digital Mavica. Since then I've gone through Fujifilm, Nikon, and have settled on Canon. I'm happy with my 40D but am looking to upgrade to a full frame 5d Mark II at some point.

One thing that I learned early on is that the camera is secondary to taking good knife pictures...lighting is the key whether you a shooting in natural light, flood lamps, or strobes. As a good friend, who is a professional catalog photographer, said to to me, "photography is painting with light".

My studio was formally our dining room...with my wife's full support (smile if you believe that!!) we now eat on TV trays in the Den. I'm now able to not only take my own, but also work in a few knife pictures for other makers.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jim Child on November 3, 2010 at 8:57

Hey Trent: Thought I'd jump in as every one else seems to be somewhere else. I guess there's a good chance you're already found the answer somewhere else.

You should be able to find a "ball head" for your tripod at just about any photo supply -- Adoroma, etc.

Warning: they can be surprisingly expensive. For still photography you don't need anything too fancy, heavy duty or expensive. Tho, if you do have a big, digital SLR or are using a 4x5 view camera or somesuch you will need a head big enough to take the weight.

In my experience the "standard" screw thread for tripods and camera bases is 1/4_20 -- (1/4" diameter machine screw with 20 threads per inch).

A ball head is a good investment -- can make even a lightweight "cheap" tripod a pleasure to use. Most tripods seem to be designed for video -- panning, etc -- and have to loosen/tighten separate knobs for horizontal and vertical is too fussy.

Permalink Reply by Le Coutographe on November 21, 2012 at 15:12

Hi Johnny,

I am impressed !!! what a great studio...

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on December 24, 2012 at 21:28

I just read this and it breaks it down pretty good

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/knifeworld/photoarticle.pdf

Permalink Reply by Steve Scheuerman (Manx) on July 30, 2013 at 4:02

I'm using my Nikon D80 with two diffused CFL lights, a SB60 speedlight in the background slaved off my on camera flash and using an IR remote to blast the whole thing off. Seems to work well enough, although I'm still not happy with the "perfection" of it. Someone (I won't mention Jan's name LOL) told me I'm being overly critical of my shots...but hey, what photographer isn't? Eventually I'll get the sweet shot that I will be happy with, but until then, fun as hell to keep trying! Nice setup!