Blue439
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Thanks very much Needa. To achieve that in just one exposure, I had to (1) be extremely lucky and (2) use more light sources than I would care to admit!
Post Your Tabletop photography, pack shot and still life
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Silversnapper
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Blue439
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One of my themed groups on Flickr once had a theme, āWar Storiesā. I chose to construe that theme very literally and shoot mementoes of World War I, āThe Great Warā as they called it before we became smart enough and began to number them. Aside from the book about that war and the burlap, everything you see is period 1914ā1918, family mementoes from my grandfatherās war (the rusty helmet was his, too). The revolver and the ammo are not mine, however. You know that in Europe, we have very strict gun control laws, so I had to go to an antique dealer who owned the gun and was allowed to have it. He let me use it for the photo, but only as long as it didnāt leave his premises.
So, I had to transport all the pieces in the photo, the background burlap, plus all the shooting and lighting equipment, and set it all up in a corner of his store... Curious people passing by on the sidewalk, seeing this activity through the window, would stop to have a better look... I hope I created some interest and attracted some business for that nice antique dealer that day! And thanks for portable power packs that allowed me to use my big studio flashes and their soft, soft light, without having to make the guy spend any money on electricity for me... All the stuff was packed in a folding little red cart with sturdy wheels that acquitted itself just fine.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head, artificial lighting.
So, I had to transport all the pieces in the photo, the background burlap, plus all the shooting and lighting equipment, and set it all up in a corner of his store... Curious people passing by on the sidewalk, seeing this activity through the window, would stop to have a better look... I hope I created some interest and attracted some business for that nice antique dealer that day! And thanks for portable power packs that allowed me to use my big studio flashes and their soft, soft light, without having to make the guy spend any money on electricity for me... All the stuff was packed in a folding little red cart with sturdy wheels that acquitted itself just fine.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head, artificial lighting.
Blue439
New member
Thank you! Here is another small photo of it. It is mostly covered with rust, but on the bottom left, you can still vaguely discern the blue-gray original color:
Blue439
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āFrissonā
McKenzie & Childs bracelet on an 1860 French dictionary. The bracelet was of course wiped as best I could, but still the gold-plating shows scuffs and traces that I couldnāt make go away. Most everything that McKenzie & Childs (of NYC) do is amazing and lovely, but the jewellery is still costume jewellery and the gold plating was obviously not the best quality...
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 35mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting, focus-stacked.
McKenzie & Childs bracelet on an 1860 French dictionary. The bracelet was of course wiped as best I could, but still the gold-plating shows scuffs and traces that I couldnāt make go away. Most everything that McKenzie & Childs (of NYC) do is amazing and lovely, but the jewellery is still costume jewellery and the gold plating was obviously not the best quality...
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 35mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting, focus-stacked.
Blue439
New member
This is the āpack shotā (aka product photography) side of tabletop. I enjoy it very much, itās very stimulating to try and make a great-looking product look even better.
Now, for tripods, I made the usual mistakes everyone makes and started cheap, before I finally invested in Gitzos about 15 years ago and then never looked back. I now own three. Regarding tripod heads, it also took me some time before I was happy with my choices. I have my Arca-Swiss which I bought maybe 8 years ago; it sits on the big Gitzo and I will always keep it, but Iām a bit reluctant to take it out in the field, as it costs more than 2,000 euros... So, I needed a second head. This photo shows a Magic Ball MB-5 ball head by Novoflex which I bought in October 2019 and used for some time.
Like all products made by Novoflex, it is premium quality, with a clever āinverseā design, which makes it simple and easy to use. Novoflex are famous for those innovative ideas: after all, havenāt they invented the tripod with four legs?
I stopped using this Magic Ball as I went more heavily into architecture and old stones. Ball heads are not good for this kind of photography. I first bought a Leofoto VH-30R panoramic, which I still have, and finally a Benro geared head, which I will keep and replace if it breaks.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
Now, for tripods, I made the usual mistakes everyone makes and started cheap, before I finally invested in Gitzos about 15 years ago and then never looked back. I now own three. Regarding tripod heads, it also took me some time before I was happy with my choices. I have my Arca-Swiss which I bought maybe 8 years ago; it sits on the big Gitzo and I will always keep it, but Iām a bit reluctant to take it out in the field, as it costs more than 2,000 euros... So, I needed a second head. This photo shows a Magic Ball MB-5 ball head by Novoflex which I bought in October 2019 and used for some time.
Like all products made by Novoflex, it is premium quality, with a clever āinverseā design, which makes it simple and easy to use. Novoflex are famous for those innovative ideas: after all, havenāt they invented the tripod with four legs?
I stopped using this Magic Ball as I went more heavily into architecture and old stones. Ball heads are not good for this kind of photography. I first bought a Leofoto VH-30R panoramic, which I still have, and finally a Benro geared head, which I will keep and replace if it breaks.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
Blue439
New member
I have mentioned that my favorite brand of tripods is Gitzo. Well, sometimes, though, you do need to set up a tripod on a table, or very close to the ground, or in a constrained area where there is no space for longer legs... For such cases, and also for tabletop photography, I have this little here guy that Rollei calls the Mini M1 Traveler. It is aluminum, astoundingly sturdy, and the legs deploy to about three times the minimum length you see here. They also adjust at various angles. The ball head has an Arca-Swiss mount and performs surprisingly well, even under the heavy load of a big DSLR and a pro lens. I recommend this baby without reservation.
The cute moss I acquired for a prop. Can you believe they actually sell that stuff on the web? I still have it in a ziploc plastic bag in a dark cupboard, it is in perfect condition. You may see it in other uploads in the future...
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
The cute moss I acquired for a prop. Can you believe they actually sell that stuff on the web? I still have it in a ziploc plastic bag in a dark cupboard, it is in perfect condition. You may see it in other uploads in the future...
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
Blue439
New member
The tools of a seamstress. All props borrowed from my wifeās workshop room! The two old (19th century) thingies in front are from my mother who had them from hers who had them... You get the idea.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR II macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head, artificial lighting. Composite made of 12 focus-stacked exposures, set using the built-in function on the Z7 and stitched in Helicon Focus software.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR II macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head, artificial lighting. Composite made of 12 focus-stacked exposures, set using the built-in function on the Z7 and stitched in Helicon Focus software.
Robin W
Senior Member
Excellent
Blue439
New member
As I said, I love to do food photography. Just donāt leave me alone too long with the food!
The champagne crystal cup is vintage Baccarat from the 1920s, part of a set of twelve that is a family heirloom. And yes, the meat and veggie pie was yummy and no, it did not survive long.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 85mm Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting, stacked focus.
The champagne crystal cup is vintage Baccarat from the 1920s, part of a set of twelve that is a family heirloom. And yes, the meat and veggie pie was yummy and no, it did not survive long.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 85mm Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting, stacked focus.
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Blue439
New member
OK, this one is of absolutely no interest, technical, artistic or otherwise. But I love that T-shirt so much that I wanted to include it in my tabletop selection. There!
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm, Ę/4 S lens.
Improvised food photography during lunch at Fond Rose, a Paul Bocuse restaurant in Lyon (2019): a first course of salmon tartare, blini, dill-flavored cream and caviar. Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm, Ę/4 S lens, handheld.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70mm, Ę/4 S lens.
Improvised food photography during lunch at Fond Rose, a Paul Bocuse restaurant in Lyon (2019): a first course of salmon tartare, blini, dill-flavored cream and caviar. Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm, Ę/4 S lens, handheld.
Blue439
New member
This is one of the cute little Samsung solid-state hard drives I use these days for backup storage. I have several, 1 or 2 terabytes each, they are reliable and super-fast. I strongly recommend them, even though I got no discount from Amazon for any of āem! I keep a couple in my desk drawer, in those hard cases that are color-matched to the drive for easy identification, and a couple others sleep in my safe, in case anything happens to the first ones.
One of the challenges here was to use a black plexiglass plate as background (like the one for the salt and pepper shakers above) in order to have the subjects reflect slightly into it, without the reflection āstealing the showā away from the hero products.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting. Eight focus-stacked exposure stitched with Helicon Focus.
One of the challenges here was to use a black plexiglass plate as background (like the one for the salt and pepper shakers above) in order to have the subjects reflect slightly into it, without the reflection āstealing the showā away from the hero products.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 50mm, Ę/1.8 S lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting. Eight focus-stacked exposure stitched with Helicon Focus.
Blue439
New member
Having fun with old cameras... This is a very simple setup without big studio flashes, just a pair of cobras. No fancy softboxes either, just the accessories that came with the flashes. I had made a behind-the-scenes snapshot which I post underneath as well, so you can see how it was done. The flashes were remotely set and triggered by the commander on the camera, which is an Odin II by Phottix. Being a Phottix as well, the Mitros+ flash has a built-in receiver, but the Nikon flash doesnāt, which is why you see it sitting on an Odin II receiver.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 60mm, Ę/2.8 D lens, FTZ adapter. Rollei Traveler M1 tripod and ball head. Artificial lighting.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 60mm, Ę/2.8 D lens, FTZ adapter. Rollei Traveler M1 tripod and ball head. Artificial lighting.
Blue439
New member
This is a photo I took in August 2018 for a Flickr theme-based group. The theme was Weights and Measures.
In the foreground, the gold thingies are bronze measuring cups from Nepal. The rest you can certainly identify, except maybe the rulers I used as a backdrop on white card, and which are French navigation rulers.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 60mm, Ę/2.8 G macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting. Composite shot made up of 26 focus-stacked exposures, using the built-in function on the camera. Stack processed with Helicon Focus.
In the foreground, the gold thingies are bronze measuring cups from Nepal. The rest you can certainly identify, except maybe the rulers I used as a backdrop on white card, and which are French navigation rulers.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 60mm, Ę/2.8 G macro lens, FTZ adapter. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting. Composite shot made up of 26 focus-stacked exposures, using the built-in function on the camera. Stack processed with Helicon Focus.
Blue439
New member
This was another exercise in lighting, and like most, not very spectacular but extremely complex nonetheless: the idea was to create gradient lighting that would outline the contours of the bottles (without revealing the light sources, the camera or the photographer through reflection), while showing some transparency on the two on the sides but not on the center one, all of this while keeping a reflection of them all at the bottom but also retaining a perfectly seamless and invisible backdrop-background junction... I did sweat a lot on that one. 
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR macro lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR macro lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting.
Blue439
New member
This composition was put together for a themed Flickr group. As you can guess, the theme was... well, āLevelsā!
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca(Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting (see snapshot of setup below). 36 focus-stacked exposures set using the built-in function on the camera and processed with Helicon Focus.
iPhone snapshot of behind-the-scenes:
Nikon Z7, Micro-Nikkor 105mm, Ę/2.8 G VR lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca(Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Artificial lighting (see snapshot of setup below). 36 focus-stacked exposures set using the built-in function on the camera and processed with Helicon Focus.
iPhone snapshot of behind-the-scenes:
Robin W
Senior Member
Beautiful