Photographing Ceramics

What prompted the images here was both my need to photograph my Aunt Shelle Avecilla's unique ceramics, and well as David Hobby's referral to the new Lumiquest lightbox. More importantly he designed a "flap" that I would find useful in creating a gradient background for the scoop I was using.

BTW, this exercise was not part of Strobist 102.

My take away from this self-imposed exercise was 1) I need to plan all my equipment, 2) experiment, even though I think I have finished the assignment.

I kept on going back to my equipment/materials for more and more stuff. Being lazy, each time I figured I wouldn't need it. Then I just "had" to have it.

Equipment for a studio shot for small objects that I needed is below. Items 1-9 I had ready. Items 10-18 I had to scrounge around the house.

1. 2x3' table
   
2. 2x4 plastic sheet for scoop
3. lighting tripod
4. SB-800 on remote
5. SB-80DX on remote
6. flash stand
7. D200 built-in flash on Manual, with IR blocker ( xxxx )
8. ball-bungee cords for holding flashes
9. modeling clay to hold ceramics in place
10. Velcro strips for holding flags in place
11. extra batteries for flashes
12. various items to prop up ceramics
13. light stand to act as Over-head boom
14. gaffer tape
15. flags for flash
16. Lumiquest I softbox (no, I didn't buy III)
17. snoot (home-made fr plastic)
18. Car Window Sunshade (used as flag for overhead)

The first mistake I made was to use the bare flash with flags. The gradation on my scoop from this setting was crude. It looked like I had two separate gradations, no matter what I did. So for almost 2/3's of the time I just stuck with that setup, below. Note, I didn't really use the flash to the lower right, even though it's in the picture.


Here's the result, with pixelated background.

Just before I photographed my last object, a soy sauce container, I figured "Why didn't I experiment with something different for a softer light? Like a Lumiquest?" Duh....

It didn't take long to setup, I just had to overcome my resistance to take apart my main flash (overhead) and put on the Lumiquest. Really, it took about 80 seconds. Why was I so hard-headed? My first shot, without a flag on the Lumiquest produced silky soft shadows, just what I wanted for the objects:

Then I remembered David's contraption for a barndoor, right on the Lumiquest. I just put what I had on.

Adjusting the shadow gradation was a snap, an you see above.

Next time I'll use a wider barndoor, the width of the widest object. Most objects didn't need the wide barndoor; they were small enough that the light fall of on the sides were not noticeable in the pictures above. However, a wide plate did. So I will make up a wider barndoor with velcro, and a dose of gaffer tape, when needed.

NEXT POST: Flash Cross-lighting with Sunlight