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.

 

[Cody]

Glendan Light Box Photography, 12"x12" Portable Photo Light Box with 112 LED Lights & 6 Kinds of Double-Sided Color Backdrops and Adjustable White Light, Soft Light, Warm Light for Product Photography https://a.co/d/307E3hO

I've got a slightly larger one of these. I like that it all folds up pretty flat. Really bright, adjustable, color changing light. Works well for very small things.

 

[jtrmd]

my iPhone and backdrop. I have gotten too lazy to get everything all setup. I don't think I used my actual camera in a long time.

 

[BrucherT]

Why does this thread still have no photos? OP says “show me.” Show him!

 

[gonewild]

Why does this thread still have no photos? OP says “show me.” Show him!

It's not easy to take a picture of your camera with your camera.

 

[Ray]

It's not easy to take a picture of your camera with your camera.

Or when you don’t have the setup any longer.

 

[treefrog]

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 $$$$$.

I'm still undecided but you make some good points, and maybe having a small (not much free space) permanent photography setup inside the home would be a good idea. I already have a quite good camera with both macro and portrait zoom f/2.8 and I'm mostly trying to decide on lightning. Flash photography is always something I have found difficult to master. Would light boxes be a sufficient alternative? I have a product like the one below in mind:


Regarding reaching to a local photography store, unfortunately there are none where I live (French Guiana). Even the flash or lightboxes, I would need to order while travelling either in Europe or the USA. This sure make things a bit more complicated....
Cheers,
Math

 

[treefrog]

Glendan Light Box Photography, 12"x12" Portable Photo Light Box with 112 LED Lights & 6 Kinds of Double-Sided Color Backdrops and Adjustable White Light, Soft Light, Warm Light for Product Photography https://a.co/d/307E3hO

I've got a slightly larger one of these. I like that it all folds up pretty flat. Really bright, adjustable, color changing light. Works well for very small things.

I was initially looking for this type of lightbox, but I don't seem to find one with a rectangular/vertical shape that would be adequate to photograph large multiflorals or Phragmipedium.
Math

 

[southernbelle]

Why does this thread still have no photos? OP says “show me.” Show him!

I just put up a new set up. Ordered a photographic LED diffuser light with stand and a backdrop/stand (all on Amazon) and under $100. Getting it set up, will post, soon. Still primitive and I will photograph with my iPhone 16 Pro Max, so we'll see. A test shot showed with the 5,000K natural light setting (it changes with a remote Warm, Cool, Natural) on the light stand, colors were true! Yea!!! We'll see.

 

[swamprad]

Looking forward to seeing your setup! I want to do something similar.

 

[BrucherT]

It's not easy to take a picture of your camera with your camera.

That’s why god put a camera in your phone!

 

[big923cattleya]

Well both cell phones and cameras both have come a long way. And if restricted by where you live you may just need to keep it very simple.

My backdrop is black bainbridge board clipped to PVC piping on a vertical frame, 18x 30 vertical. I could also use black cloth. The digital SLR takes much better pictures and with "Elements" there is a good deal more that I can do in editing. My cell phone camera isn't quite so versatile. I have a small goose neck lamp with a soft white bulb that I can train on my subject in order to provide a little more fill light on my subject. (you can soften the bulb too)
It is important to note, I just saw a program in late December showing all 23 major award winners in the AOS system for 2023. Every single background was black. Blue and gray use to appear about 3-7% of the time 10 years ago, white was also used more 15-20 years ago. BUT BLACK is KING, every image POPS with a black background.
Flash control is another thing easily controlled. White tissue taped or draped over a flash can soften it easily. You can use more then one layer depending upon strength of flash.
A tripod is essential. But they need not be incredibly expensive. The older I get, the more shake I produce. Lol
When I am working with my digital SLR, I feel that I can control depth of field much more easily, and believe me, that is so critical. Bringing a little more of each flower into sharp focus is so very important. I do not have that type of control with the cell phone. Providing of course the photographer understands depth of field. So many professional wannabees do not!!!! They call it "depth and field". No silly, it is "depth of field". Big difference.
Goo luck and good shooting!!!!!