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 .