White background product photography problems

[Mystery]

Update: I decided to try building a clear lexan sweep to raise the product up off the background with. I bought a 4' x 8" piece of lexan, I think it was 1/16". I thought it would be really easy to bend a sweep into it. I did some testing on some other lexan I had laying around and it turned out horribly. After calling around town to try and find a shop that could properly heat and bend it, I decided it might be more trouble than it was worth. I was a little worried that after the $55 for the lexan and the $25-$50 I was going to have to pay someone to bend it, I might not like the results. I knew I would need more lights too, and trying to mach lights to the ones I already have might prove to be difficult. So, I took the lexan back and swapped it out for a piece of 1/8" white lexan. I built a table similar to the one here. Build a Back-Lit Slope Backdrop For Better Product Photography | DIYPhotography.net I was a little worried about contrast problems with the product right on the light source, but so far it is working great! I think I could have gotten better results with a separately lit background as discussed here, but the need for more lights scared me off. Here is the shooting table. It ended up costing me around $200 for all the materials. The lexan alone was around $110.



Here is a RAW image with no adjustments.



With a little post work, the images are looking really nice.

 

[bianni]

Overall looks good except it lacks detail on the inside furry 'lining' on top of the image, a bit washed out but that can be easily done in post.

 

[sactown024]

Cool setup, nice craftsmanship! What are you using to light the background?

 

[Mystery]

Overall looks good except it lacks detail on the inside furry 'lining' on top of the image, a bit washed out but that can be easily done in post.
View attachment 29285

That looks ok, but the color is not true. I could see about upping contrast or sharpening a little more to try and get more detail, but the color needs to stay about where it is because that is what the product looks like in real life.

Cool setup, nice craftsmanship! What are you using to light the background?

Thanks. The background is lit with (3) 4 lamp T8 fixtures. There was a gray area, so I added one more single bulb fixture to that area. The lamps I am using are the 32 watt daylight deluxe, they seem to work well. I wouldn't have been able to build it if i didn't get a really good deal on the fixtures. Each one normally costs around $70. This is the exact fixture I am using (American Fluorescent PET244AE8 Fluorescent Fixture 4-32-Watt Lay-In - Suspended Ceiling: Decor : Walmart.com)
I found a guy on craigslist who was selling 3 brand new PET244AE8 fixtures he decided not to use. He wanted $25 each, I got all 3 fixtures for $50. That was the deal that allowed me to make this whole thing for under $200!

 

[nycphotography]

I don't shoot flourescent for stills... because historically flourescent is all over the map on white balance.

Are these REALLY intended for stills? Or are they intended for VIDEO?

Anyone who uses them can tell me (and the OP) that flourescent is NOT the problem here?

If so, I'd suggest backing the lights up a little to shoot f/8 if possible. Actually, i'd suggest dimming the lights but cfl can't be dimmed? Maybe try smaller (20w) bulbs? Or maybe try 80w incandescent bulbs (and custom white balance).

And last... try buying a piece of white ripstop fabric for $15 at joann and make your own tent box between the lights and the subject.

 

[Mully]

If you put ripstop on a frame ....say 4x6 ft you can shoot your lights through it and change where the highlight is placed ...you do have to card up the sides. The highlight also changes how near/far the strobe head is from the fabric

 

[nycphotography]

yep. just have to be careful about where the frame throws its shadows.

 

[Mystery]

I don't shoot flourescent for stills... because historically flourescent is all over the map on white balance.

Are these REALLY intended for stills? Or are they intended for VIDEO?

Anyone who uses them can tell me (and the OP) that flourescent is NOT the problem here?

If so, I'd suggest backing the lights up a little to shoot f/8 if possible. Actually, i'd suggest dimming the lights but cfl can't be dimmed? Maybe try smaller (20w) bulbs? Or maybe try 80w incandescent bulbs (and custom white balance).

And last... try buying a piece of white ripstop fabric for $15 at joann and make your own tent box between the lights and the subject.

The lights are "studio lights". I assume they are more for video than photo. I didn't know what I was doing when I bought them and I followed bad advice from a professional who was quick to tell me these were fine without really paying attention. If I had to do this all over again, I'd likely buy something entirely different, but it's too late for that now, I think. The problem with lowering f-stop is that I lose the depth of focus. I need to keep the product in focus.

I have considered making a tent over the entire shooting table, I think it's a good idea. I might give it a try. Right now I need these photos done ASAP, so I will shoot them all to submit and start replacing them with better photos as I tweak the system. The tent is the first thing I will try.

 

[nycphotography]

So try incandescent bulbs and see if the color settles down (gets consistent).

Also I absolutely would NOT mix flourescent and incandescent, or even incandescent and flash. It can be done, but you really have to know your lighting, and work at it.


Try going from iso 400 @ f22 to ISO 100 @f11. ISO 100 should have richer color depth anyhow. f/11 should give plenty of DOF for the small items your shooting, and maybe not blow the highlights as bad.

 

[Mystery]

So try incandescent bulbs and see if the color settles down (gets consistent).

Also I absolutely would NOT mix flourescent and incandescent, or even incandescent and flash. It can be done, but you really have to know your lighting, and work at it.


Try going from iso 400 @ f22 to ISO 100 @f11. ISO 100 should have richer color depth anyhow. f/11 should give plenty of DOF for the small items your shooting, and maybe not blow the highlights as bad.

I can try that. But will the fluorescent lights under the lexan cause white balance issues? I already tried tried moving up a few f/stops, and the back of the product was out of focus, but I don't remember the exact settings I used, and I don't think I changed ISO. I'll try what you suggested to see what happens and post back in a bit. Thanks!

 

[jlo24141]

set your custom white balance to 5500k on your camera and also make sure thats the number it reads in your editing software.

 

[BigDM]

My suggestion is to stop trying to guess at the light/aperture ratio and get yourself a QUALITY digital light meter! I have found from past experience CFLs are not consistent in their light - either in output or temperature. If you turn the lights on and take a light reading and then wait for five minutes and take another reading, the two readings will differ - probably pretty significantly. As your household voltage fluctuates, so will the temperature of your lights! Use either flash or incandescent lights. Get a light meter reading from your background, set your camera for one or two stops over that (since the light meter will give you what it thinks is a mid-tone value) and take a couple of test shots. The really nice thing about most digital light meters is you can do "what-ifs" with them. You can change the ISO of the shot and see what you should set your f-stop and shutter speed to, or select your f-stop and see what you should set your shutter speed to.

I found that the quality of my commercial photos increased, the consistency between shots remained pretty much the same, AND I had to shoot fewer test shots and spend less time in post after getting a quality meter.