Photo set-up in the shop

One thing I have always wanted is a easy photo set-up in the shop. Since just about every bodies shop is not quite big enough for everything, including mine with over 60 liner feet of workbenches, a space that can be used for other things as well as a photo studio would be in order. I have just gotten tired of setting up and the tripping over all those tripods and light stands.

So, wouldn't it be nice to have a background that rolled down into place and lights hanging from the ceiling . This way I only have to set up the camera tripod..... And shoot away. When I remodeled my shop last year I left room for this a month or so ago I finished it.

Here is a bench as just a bench.....



Now in just minutes it is transformed into a photo studio......



What we have is a background of rolled paper that comes down from above and clamps to the front of the table, it is 5 feet wide..... Plenty for most anything I do. Then I have two scissor things made of aluminum, these run on shower door tracks with two 4 wheeled "dollies" mounted at each end of a 1/2" alum. bar. This makes the whole thing quite stable, it has 3 feet of movement. Then since I couldn't decide whether I wanted photo floods or really bright halogens I mounted both on the ends of a 18" bar. This way they can be swiveled into position and even brought towards the center. There are also clamps for umbrellas and defusers.





Now they do make commercial stuff like this but it was too big for my small shop and low ceiling so I had to make my own. Most of the parts came off eBay, the scissors were $ 25 each I think, the lights were slightly used, about a $ 100 for 6 of them with stands, the shower track was NOS from some hardware store at a fraction of the new price. Most expensive were the knobs and levers from McMaster Carr....... Anyway the whole cost was about $ 250.........

Next I'll make up some kind of soft box to sit on the bench and maybe play with some LED lights..... Anyway it is really nice to be able to get good photos quick right in the shop!

You missed the most important part: the scale model of Roy Underhill to pose with your tiny cabinet.

Edit: Roy seemed more appropriate than Norm under the circumstances

Where is that Enormous stamp you pose in your photos?

I'm glad you built the setup because we ALL enjoy seeing photos of your amazing miniatures!

-Jeff

Nice set-up.

Even though my shop is incomplete at present, I actually have two photo areas set up. The first one is a quickie with a wall mounted easel and lights hanging from a furring strip that I screwed to the ceiling. A bit awkward to adjust the lights as they are hanging from web straps, but it does allow good photos. And it is out of the way and takes up zero space. I have a record album on the easel in this shot.



The second area is used a lot more. This is an old desk with a computer well. I have placed a translucent, plastic ceiling tile in that well and it forms both the bottom and the background in cyclorama fashion so there is no corner between them. Great for photographing small parts. I can cover the ceiling tile with different things for other effects.



I am not sure I will keep this desk when I finish my shop, but I will have some version of this set-up as it has been very, very usefull. Here's some shots I took on it: