How to set up a tabletop studio.
1. Place folder in the background. Notice how you can see the centerline of the folder and the shadow of the toy truck. I did not like this so I went in search of a piece of black fabric and found a black satin shirt that would work.
2. Place the shirt over the folder and tuck under the edges.
3. Play around with a flashlight until you get the desired effect. I placed a flashlight on a book and angled the beam of light downward under the body of the truck to increase the reflective quality.
4. Dim the overhead lights to help add to the drama.
5. Zoom in close so that the object‘ appears’ life size. stamp to get rid of the bright highlight on the back fender. This is all very easy for those of us who are learning their way around Photoshop.
AFTER I didn’ t do much in Photoshop except use the Band-‐ Aid tool( really easy for us non-‐ techies) to get rid of all the dust spots and fingerprints on the glass. Next I cropped just a bit off the bottom of the photo. Played around with the contrast / brightness just a bit. And I magnified the photo on my screen and used the clone
Susan Gietka
Focal Point at the Hammonton Arts Center
219 Bellevue Avenue Hammonton, NJ 08037
FINAL PRINT I hope this helps! A good book for inspiration on setting up your own tabletop studio is Photo Idea Index by Jim Krause. This is a great book for the amateur or pro that would like to expand their photographic vision.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with photography. Be flexible, you can really substitute anything for what I listed. Experiment with different fabrics for backdrops; use more than one flashlight or other external lighting sources.
It’ s not the end result, but what one learns along the way that matters. I respect all of you and enjoy learning from you each month. Our monthly meetings are inspiring and encourage me to pick up my camera. Looking forward to the March challenge-‐ ACTION.