This may be categorized as industrial photography

bigsnowdog

I do a certain amount of photography of automotive components and detail views of vehicles. This will typically be indoors. I experiment with shop lights and the flash on the Canon 40D. I do have a Speedlite, too, though in closeup it is a bit much, obviously.

I am curious as to what suggestions you accomplished folks might have. It is also helpful if it is modest in cost. :-)

Thank you.

basflt

closeup you say ?
in closeup light is very inportend , the closer you get the more light you need
if the speedlight give to much reflection , you can use thin paper to diffuse it
or , bounce it of on paper
better then raising ISO , imo

bigsnowdog

basflt wrote: »

closeup you say ?
in closeup light is very inportend , the closer you get the more light you need
if the speedlight give to much reflection , you can use thin paper to diffuse it
or , bounce it of on paper
better then raising ISO , imo

The thin paper idea is a great suggestion. I will try that!

I have also [don't laugh now] considered building a crude framework over an outdoor bench, then draping a white bed sheet over it as a diffuser, and taking the photos under that canopy.

basflt

you dont see me laughing
sounds like a good idea
better then buying an expensive photo-tent , especially since you are in an industrial environment [ i guess ]

mercphoto

bigsnowdog wrote: »

The thin paper idea is a great suggestion. I will try that!

I have also [don't laugh now] considered building a crude framework over an outdoor bench, then draping a white bed sheet over it as a diffuser, and taking the photos under that canopy.

I once thought of doing exactly that for photographing car interiors, draping the bed sheet over all the windows.

bigsnowdog

basflt wrote: »

you dont see me laughing
sounds like a good idea
better then buying an expensive photo-tent , especially since you are in an industrial environment [ i guess ]

I am not really in an industrial environment, but my subject matter is essentially industrial. No people. Reflective metal surfaces. Components and assemblies.

It is very easy to have lots of hot spots from reflective surfaces.

bigsnowdog

mercphoto wrote: »

I once thought of doing exactly that for photographing car interiors, draping the bed sheet over all the windows.

A great idea!

basflt

then , aim the shop-light to the sheets
and , use kitchen-paper in front of your flash-light(s)
costs nothing , but with some experimenting it will [should ] work

bigsnowdog

basflt wrote: »

then , aim the shop-light to the sheets
and , use kitchen-paper in front of your flash-light(s)
costs nothing , but with some experimenting it will [should ] work

What do you mean by kitchen paper? I am not familiar with that term.

basflt

sorry , im not familiar with english terms

i mean those paper tissue stuff from a roll
usually used in kitchen to clean the mess

[ not familiar with kitchen-terms either ]

http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1208827&postcount=2

Art Scott

he means paper towels.....I used Kleexex for diffusers for years...even for weddings a portraits..
.a Kleenex and a rubber band amke for a great diffuser.....just make sure the Kleenex is white
and NOT blue or pink or yello0w......

racer

Art Scott wrote: »

just make sure the Kleenex is white
and NOT blue or pink or yello0w......

....or covered with boogies

gecko0

Not sure if you mean the same thing by saying "shop lights", but you could also try cheap $5 clamp lamps from a hardware store. Throw in a 5500K bulb and you're golden (add in diffusers as necessary from above).

Art Scott

gecko0 wrote: »

Not sure if you mean the same thing by saying "shop lights", but you could also try cheap $5 clamp lamps from a hardware store. Throw in a 5500K bulb and you're golden (add in diffusers as necessary from above).

The only prob here is the extremely short life of photo bulbs.....it is only a few hours and they are no longer daylight balanced...............thye tend to get pricey quickly due to this..............

vintagemxr

I did from the late '80s through 2009 what you seem to be describing. I worked for a major auto manufacturer at their proving grounds and a big part of my work was documenting surface, part, trim, and fit issues as well as general test set ups.

If you're shooting for photo display, a catalog or company website then you've got a different thing going from engineering documentation and would want a more artful look to the images. The usual table top photo methods would apply.

If you're documenting parts for reports then you need max DoF and few shadows. It's a rather un-arty look but is what is needed for cold hearted analysis.

I've worked with flood lights, strobes, color corrected florescent, backlit shower curtains, and about anything else we could dream up. In the end, a diffused flash and a small reflector get the job done pretty well for most things.

Controlling blown out highlights on metallic parts is a real challenge as is documenting tiny imperfections on a monochromatic surface.

Really though, it comes down to what the intent of the photos is, what you're trying to show.

Doug