Better eBay Sales with Better Photos-The Photo shoot set up-Using a Light Tent.
by admin on Aug.19, 2009, under Digital Camera Basics, ebay photos, Helpful Stuff, Photo Applications, photo color
In my previous post, Better eBay Sales with Better Photos-The Photo Shoot Setup, I described two setups: indoor with artificial light and outdoor with natural light and compared the two. My preference between the two was using natural light. I also said that I ordered a light tent to use indoors with artificial light. I ordered it from OBN Photographic Equipment and it arrived yesterday.
OBN 20” Light Tent
The light tent kit (http://www.obnphoto.com/light_tent.html) included a foldable tent, and four backdrops (white, black, gray, and blue), and a storage case. For my purposes I selected a 20 inch tent but they offer sizes ranging from 12” to 86”. Here is a photo of my initial test set up.
Light Tent Setup-Light Tent from OBN Photographic Equipment
I chose to use the gray backdrop for reasons that I explained in my previous post and took a few test shots with different lamp positions. I also set my camera to aperture preferred (f8) instead of auto exposure for greater depth of field. Here is an edited photo of a test shot taken with the best lamp position.
Stangl Bird Photo using Light Tent and Edited with CorrectPhoto Editor
Overall my impression of using a tent for shooting objects is very positive. I still want to do more testing to optimize lighting and I want a smoother background. I might even invest in different and brighter lamps with a diffuser. But, I believe this set up is what I will use for selling some of my bird collection. Here is a comparison of all three of the setups; artificial without tent, natural outdoor, and artificial with tent. Note the different background in the tent shot. I think I like it better than the fleece I used in the other setups, but will reserve judgment. Let me know if you have an opinion. The color of the photo taken in the tent is closer to the actual color of the ceramic bird which is probably the best argument for using a light tent.
Photo Setup comparison: Artifical light, Natural Light, Light Tent
Based on my initial experience and testing I plan to use the light tent for all my product shots and will share my experiences and tips I learned along the way. My next blog post will focus on editing the photo.
For more information on OBN Photographic Equipment go to their website, http://www.obnphoto.com
Wayne www.correctphoto.com
