Holding small things in position for studio shot

I've got some objects that rotate on their own and need to get some photos of them in certain positions. They are not that big, 7 inches long x 2.5 inches wide.

 

What can be used to hold them from rotating and be hidden under the object? (The item does not have to attach to the object.)

Believe you'll get useful suggestions with more info on the items. What are they made of? Are they fragile and easily damaged? Are they valuable and irreplaceable or expendable. Depending on your answers - double stick tape, a small pile of table salt, a bit of modeling clay (AKA plasticine). a couple of drops of candle wax, putty, etc., etc.

Another good one is to cut "doorstops" out an art eraser to keep things from rolling away. I have a fixture I made up for medium sized objects (over an inch or two) that consists of a disk with a magnet in the middle. It sits on a post with a ball bearing for the magnet to stick to. It lets me rotate things to whatever angle I need and hopefully stays hidden under the part. I stick the parts to the disk with double sided tape.

Don't know where you are, but Blu-Tak (the student's friend) can be used to keep items still, and is easy to mould into shape for ease of obscuring. Also has a certain amount of 'play' so items can be moved easily - and for those who do fiddly jobs such as lens repair, a small blob on a screw head holds it to the screw driver until the threads have caught, and won't drop into the lens itself.

There are a wide variety of specialty clamps and holders. We could better help if you would share an image or two of the items.

Thanks for the suggestions. They are various odds and ends. One is a scrimshaw whale tooth. Another was a reel of film on end. I was mainly inquiring about the whale tooth. It only lays flat on 2 directions when on the side. I wanted to take all 4 sides lying down and 2 of those sides are not doable without a support.

 

I'd have no problem with the tooth if I shot it on its end as a base. But no space for that with backdrops etc.. I'm shooting down on it lying down.

Don't know where you are, but Blu-Tak (the student's friend) can be used to keep items still, and is easy to mould into shape for ease of obscuring. Also has a certain amount of 'play' so items can be moved easily - and for those who do fiddly jobs such as lens repair, a small blob on a screw head holds it to the screw driver until the threads have caught, and won't drop into the lens itself.

 

Never heard of it. Looks useful.

 

blu-tack reusable adhesive - Google Search

Never heard of it. Looks useful.

 

blu-tack reusable adhesive - Google Search

 

That's it - used by generations of students to put posters up on walls ! Has a myriad uses round the home. I would advise the original - other versions don't seem to have the same adhesive qualities, but if it is not intended to be a long-term solution, they would probably work. The whale tooth sounds intriguing - mayhap you could post the result, please ?

 

Good luck.

 

BTW, also useful to keep young children occupied as they try to pull it first from one hand, then the other . . . .

Don't know if the Blu-Tack would pull any ink out of the scrimshaw. The tooth would probably be best served on a pedestal that rotates with still or video made of it. It is an erotic or X rated scrimshaw.

 

 

I wanted to use a copy stand because I have no room for backdrops. But having it on a revolving pedestal may be the best thing.

Sometimes I need to take a photo of a film reel on edge while shooting down. But it always rolls. This would probably have more leeway for things being in the photo as the focus would be far from the bottom of the reel.

 

 

Does anyplace specialize in selling studio gear for setting up stills? Or do you just have to scour B&H?

Manfrotto makes a lot of clamps, arms, etc. that I have used for years in my studio. B&H and Adorama both carry them as well as many other photo suppliers. I have also used a product called TackiWax which would solve your immediate problem, although I couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't remove ink from the scrimshaw. It does come off pretty easily from most surfaces so if you pick your spots carefully it might work. It should be possible to wedge the film reel in place without having anything show if the wedges are narrow and go between the edges of the reel.

The film reel - if steel, I would make a simple appliance featuring a magnet, or one with a shaft the same size as used to mount the reel on a projector.

Don't know if the Blu-Tack would pull any ink out of the scrimshaw. The tooth would probably be best served on a pedestal that rotates with still or video made of it. It is an erotic or X rated scrimshaw.

<snip>.

 

Are there areas of it where there is no ink ? If not, possibly a cradle fashioned of black card could support it while you shoot, and could be dealt with in post.

I've shot similar shaped glass art by simply cutting a hole in thick-ish cardboard just large enough to hold the object's base in position. Then put it inside a black -t-shirt, object placed in the fabric-covered indentation. Shoot. Museum curator passed this technique along.

Artists and artisans use various clamps of different sizes. A hobby supply store or an artist supply house will have them.

 

And of course, 'clamps' on-line will yield many different kinds

 

Explore mini clamps for crafts | Amazon.com

Blu-tak or kiddies plasticene, thumb-tacks, bits of wire or unbent paperclips, fishing-line, sticky-tape, gaffer-tape, masking-tape, black card, white card, G-clamps, plastic grips..... etc, etc.

 

All essential items in any product or still-life studio.

because I have no room for backdrops.

A small object like that should need no more than an A3 or A2 sheet of black paper bent into an infinity curve.

Edited February 17, 2021 by rodeo_joe|1

I don't have anything to add to all the good suggestions so far. Just to bear in mind that some post-processing can often remove any unsightly bits of 'holding materials' that may appear in the photo.

 

I realize that the photo of the whale's tooth just for illustrative purposes, but it made me think of 'focus-stacking' which I believe other photographers use to create sharp images in close-up situations where the DoF might be limited. I've used it in a very amateur way too.

 

I've only shot 'small objects' once or twice. Two things that helped me see precisely where my (manual) focus and Dof was at, was to tether my DSLR to a laptop (or tablet') in 'Live View', increase the 'live viewing' magnification on my DSLR and see the object (or parts of it) on a large screen. This was especially usually in knowing which shots I might later need for 'focus stacking'.

 

My apologies in advance for giving suggestions for anything you already know more about than me :). I just thought the suggestions might be helpful for people who come across this thread in the future.

Edited February 17, 2021 by mikemorrell

I've certainly been known to remove supports in post processing but I'd also advise that getting it right in the original shot is best. I've let some things go, thinking they'd be no problem, only to find out it took me 45 minutes of messing about to get them fixed.

I fully agree, @conrad_hoffman! Getting things right (by design and through skills) is always by far the very best option. PP editing is always a 2nd best option to correct things that you didn't quite get right the first time around. Or are just visually distracting from what you want to communicate with a photo.

 

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QUOTE="conrad_hoffman, post: 5883989, member: 108367"]I've certainly been known to remove supports in post processing but I'd also advise that getting it right in the original shot is best. I've let some things go, thinking they'd be no problem, only to find out it took me 45 minutes of messing about to get them fixed.