This photo was done with white balance (WB) set for flourescent and lighting was incandescent photo bulb. Note the reds on the background which is colored from white (bottom) to dark gray (top.

This is the same light setup with WB changed to tungsten . light is not covered and is bounced off ceiling at the 4 o'clock position. Note the heavy shadows.

This shot has a T shirt cover over light to reduce harsh shadows.

Lights can be "bounced" to give softer lighting. To bounce the light is not directly on the subject, but is aimed at the ceiling or wall giving reflected light to the subject. Remember that the color of this light is affected by the object it is reflected off of.

The objective of lighting is not to totally eliminate shadows, but to highlight areas and leave some shadow line which will create depth in the picture. The source can be to either side from the 4 or 8 o'clock position. Tents can be used to soften and spread the lighting and you can make your own As is done here . Reflectors can fill in light on the opposite side to fill in dark areas and for this use white fabric or Mylar reflector. These are simple to build also.

A good point about lighting is do not lock yourself into one method. Be willing to experiment. Do not use internal flash, but do try changing settings which we will cover in other posts. While you are set up make more than one picture and try turning the piece to get shots from different angles as this will change the effect of lighting.

All that leads to this is the set up I have. I use a plastic gradient background. The lights are either halogen worklights or a photo bulb I have had for years and dug out recently. The lights are aimed at the ceiling either over the subject or 110 degrees away from the subject. Photo space is limited for my set up so camera is 3-4 feet from subject on tripod . I just bought a remote switch I will use or you could use the time delay feature. I have 2 shop windows and I cover one to reduce the glare spot caused by external light, also turn off all other shop lighting.

This is my setup for the photo itself . With gradient backgrounds you will here have the dark end at the top.

Here you will see the setup for the light. The swing arm allows me to change position of the light easily.

This is a Simple Photo Shoot article  by John Lucas. John is a retired professional photographer and wood turner. We have invited him to participate with us as he has many helpful tips

Here are more links: 

Photographing Your Woodworking Projects like a Pro (on the cheap) from Popular Woodworking

Product Photo Shoot Made Easy- Wood Bowls By Kent at TurnAWoodBowl.com

Here is a topic that may not come up often enough. I am not a professional and do tend to point and shoot, but there are some basics we can all benefit from.

Lets start with equipment.

• A good camera helps, but there lots of them. I like SLR's and have been using them since the early 80's. Now using DSLR. There are plenty of compact cameras out there that will work also. Important is being able to change settings from A,to T to P,or portrait or macro and capability to adjust light balance. The camera does not have to break the bank and if you want a good SLR (film) I have one for reasonable.
• A tripod is essential to get a good shot and this too could be reasonable as it only needs to hold camera steady but can be difficult to set up so look at reviews before a purchase.
• A background for the picture helps to eliminate distracting background. Do not use wrinkled fabric. The background should be a neutral color such as gray or gradient gray to white. This can be paper on a roll or plastic in various sizes. You can google search and find many available. The background should go under the work piece.
• Lighting is essential and it will be very evasive. You will only need one or two light sources and they should be the same color temperature. Do not choose CFL unless you can find the color corrected type. LED's also work just not the white light ones. I use halogen work lights pointed toward the ceiling for reflected light to reduce shadows and glare. You can also use tents and diffusers to soften lights. These you can make from several different fabric types (Tshirt to sheets to shears from curtains)

This covers the minimum for photographic equipment to get a good picture of your work. You could spend as much as $2000 or more or as little as 200 based on your budget and how you are bitten by the photography bug.

I will be covering other areas in future installments.