Show me your photography setup! Please

[treefrog]

Most likely there must already some threads dedicated to this but couldn't find them with my keyword search.
I would love to purchase a photography light/studio box that is easy to operate and transport (a plus would be that the light can be powered by a USB).
Most product I find on Amazon are photo cubes, and I believe something vertically rectangular would b more appropriate to do whole plants shots.
Well, please let me know what worked for you!
Cheers,
Mathieu

 

[big923cattleya]

Question please??
Why does it need to be transportable?

As an AOS photographer, I operated with stands, they held different colored back drops. I had ring flash, bounce flash capability, off the camera shoe cord, battery pack, etc. Also photo umbrellas. How much do you want to invest dollar wise?
This was all before USB cords.
I had to be portable because I had to photograph winning orchids at judgings and shows. Now shooting my own orchids, mostly for posting on forums, I use a pvc pipe frame, black cloth, tripod and digital SLR with macro lens and close up rings.

Your question has no single answer

 

[treefrog]

Question please??
Why does it need to be transportable?

My shadehouse is about 70m from my home and I would love something I can easily bring there, take the pictures of the flowering plants and quickly dismantle and run with before the next flash flooding rainfall .

This was all before USB cords.

The USB cord capablity for lightning would provide me with the option of using batteries as power source.

I'm not looking for something with professional lightning, but mostly for a way to step up from the cellphone pictures over an ugly background.

 

[big923cattleya]

Okay. Again, why not bring the orchids to the photography set up?

And there is a good deal of options for you to choose from between a cell phone camera and a “professional set up”.

Both here in Detroit and on Long Island, I could avail myself of a top quality Camera Store. I found my local shop here and B&H Photography in NYC to be very, very helpful with my photo goals. Here I already had 20 years of photography experience behind me so I kind of knew what I wanted. The did present options. Smaller budget, mid budget and a Big Budget. I would suggest talking to people who work in a Camera Store. They can give you real honest info. That is what I would do.

Just remember this tip, one camera can be just like another BUT what makes a noticeable difference are the lenses. And again, how deeply and how much do you want to spend.
Point 2, you get what you pay for. Quality May cost you in Quantity of $$$$$.

 

[CarlG]

First, I don't use a complete enclosure or tent; I have a piece of black velvet that I hang from a dowel some distance behind the plant.

Second, I use three flash units on light stands. One on each side, one above. Each flash equipped with a diffuser, approximately 10" diagonal, perhaps a little larger. The flashes are triggered remotely by controller on the camera.

If you want colored backgrounds, use a piece of white foam core board (or a sheet of white-painted plywood), and a fourth flash with a colored gel in front of it.

 

[Ray]

I built a stand out of PVC pipe and used binder clips to hang black velvet from it, just as Carl mentioned. I also had green and beige, but black was the most often used.

Set a way back from the subject, it “ate” shadows.

I purchased cheap ac-powered “slave” flashes that were triggered by the camera flash ($10-$15 each) to surround the plant, with the light diffused by sheer polyester fabric stapled to artist canvas stretchers.