Tabletop Lighting Ghetto Edition Details

Last weekend I spend 2 days conceiving and”building” and awesome lighting setup so I can take higher quality pictures of the miniature figures I have been collecting. It was a great learning experience and following various online tips I used items I had around the house to build the awesome setup you see below.

It made a good practical lesson about lighting, shadows, posting, types of light, reflecting light, camera position among other things. Looking forward to doing more practical experiments like this because not only do I enjoy the puzzled looks from my mom and sister I am actually enjoying myself and learning a few things. It was good to stick with my plans and explore my interest in tabletop photography.  Check out the details of what made the set up work and 2 sample pictures below.

  • cartridge/construction paper – background
  • plain white paper- reflector
  • old standing lamp with white paper wrapped around the bulb – main light and diffuser
  • clothespins x2 – keep the background in place
  • flashlight/paperweight – keep a section of the background in place
  • mop stick – help to angle the lap shade so the light is directed at the subject
  • ceiling light – second light
  • morning light from 2 windows and an open door – ambient light
  • fan – to counter wind through window and shaking the background
  • shoes box – to prop up mop as it wasn’t long enough to reach the lamp shade
  • hardcover book x2
  • regular tripod
  • tabletop tripod (used from my bed)
  • camera – Sony DSC-H9
  • other miscellaneous stuff

In the early stages the light was too harsh but I adjusted according

The shot I am most proud of from the shoot

Check out themost recent photos in the Anime Figures and Toys set of my Flickr page for lots more photos.

Related Posts on Eyeshrine.com