Minimal Setup for Photographing Guitars?

<p>I have been doing my best to light my custom acoustic guitar builds with available lighting. They have been adequate for my needs, but I want to shoot some better images and move my business onto the web. In researching this topic on the forum, I see folks using some elaborate setups. Any way to get decent results on a budget of under $200 to $300? I don't mind using continuous lighting to keep the cost down. Umbrellas, softboxes, reflectors? This really isn't my expertise at all, so I'd appreciate what you would recommend to get me started?<br>

I'll be using my Pentax K20D with a Pentax DA16-50<br>

Many thanks,<br>

Ken</p>

<p>Because you have the time to do it right (no models getting bored and hungry!), you can get a lot done with very modest equipment. The most important thing about guitars is that they (usually) have reflective surfaces ... and someimes you want to see that reflection (well, you want to see somethingi reflected <em>in</em> that surface) and sometimes you want to see <em>through</em> that surface to see the wood below. This all comes down to managing the angles involved. You've picked a fun, but genuinely tricky thing to want to learn how to shoot well.<br /><br />I can't recommend enough that you pick up and read <em><strong><a href="http://www.laurphoto.com/prdr/light_science_magic">Light: Science and Magic</a></strong></em>, so that you can get your head around the issue. This will help you to understand, more than anything else, how to deal with reflections and surface textures. It doesn't mean needing a sophisticated lighting system - you can get a lot done with a few large sheets of foam core from the craft shop, and some simple diffusing material like white rip-stop nylon on a frame. If you build guitars, you're already a fabrication-kinda-guy, so that stuff won't bother you at all.<br /><br />The main concept: you have large surfaces. In those surfaces, you're going to see (or wish to prevent seeing) reflections of a lot of the surrounding space. You can control that to a certain extent by working with longer focal length lenses and a greater working distance, but that may not always flatter the guitar. So that all adds up to positioning bright and dark material (backdrops, foam core flags, etc) in a way that create a reflected scene that most shows off the guitar, in the mood you want it to be seen.<br /><br />Yes, you might someday make the most of multiple studio strobes, softboxes, snoots, radio triggers, stands, booms, sandbags, overhead scrims, seamless paper, etc. But you can get a LOT done on a shoestring if you are willing to manage those reflections and use a nice solid tripod so that you can get clean longer exposures when not using especially bright lighting. <br /><br />If you <em>do</em> have a little money to throw at it, I'd probably consider something like a <strong><a href="http://www.alienbees.com/beginner.html">Beginner Bee</a></strong> (great value, those Alien Bees lights), and then look at rigging up your own reflectors, flags, and gobos from foam core.</p>

<p>I typically use 2 AB400s in 24" X 36" softboxes and one AB800 on a boom stand overhead (usually with a 20deg honeycomb grid) for my guitar and stringed instruments.<br>

You'll need a 1/2-wide roll of seamless paper for a background, the white bed sheet really doesn't make it.<br>

I shoot most stuff with a 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, but larger instruments (cello etc.) require a wider angle lens because of space concerns so I use my 17-40L at the 40mm end.<br>

You can see my guitar photography, and read about how I do it, on my website and blog at www.guitarphotog.com.<br>

You might be able to do this on a budget, but just as you don't scrimp on cutters, planers, drills or clamps, you shouldn't scrimp on your photography tools if you expect professional results.<br>

Feel free to email me if you would like to talk more about shooting guitars and stringed instruments.<br>

<Chas><br /></p>

<p>I have a friend who just purchased a used stobe kit for under $300. It came with 3 strobes, and a bunch of extras (softboxes, barn doors, stands etc). As stated above, you really should purchase the Light:science and magic book. It will go into great detail how to controll the reflections </p>

<p>I can help you, but first, you have to tell me how to build a good guitar on a limited budget.</p>

<p>OK, I;m joking. Well, maybe "half joking", because it's a parallel path: getting good at a particular aspect of photography (like studio still life) is work, just like getting good at building guitars.</p>

<p>Buy the book that Matt recommended (I'm an LSM fan, too), practice a lot on the guitars, take some classes in product and still life photography, practice some more, hire a pro to shoot some of your guitars so you can watch him work, and practice some more. And post pictures here for critique, there's lots of people who will tell you what's wrong, and a few who will tell you how to fix what's wrong. ;)</p>

<p>Photoflex school has a guitar tutorial.</p>

<p>You folks are great! I'll pick up the book. Thanks Matt! Charles, if you don't mind, I may shoot you an email offline as I get under on this project. I have a guitar I am delivering to the buyer tomorrow, so the build pressure is off as of tomorrow, and I can focus on getting this. Joseph, I want to take a few pictures before the guitar before it goes. So I'll shoot some tonight and serve them up. They will be shot mainly using available light with my K20D on a mediocre tripod, but you'll get an idea of what knowledge I am starting with.<br>

Thanks!<br>

Ken</p>

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<p>I ordered the recommend book this afternoon, so it is on the way. I took a few pictures of the guitar I am delivering tomorrow. Lighting was the house lights with shop lights for fill (yeah, those lights are harsh, but its all I had). At least you'll get an idea of where I am starting from.<br>

Thanks!<br>

Ken</p>

 

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<p>One more...</p>

 

<p>Trying again...</p><div></div>

<p>Here is a link to Frank Ford's information about photographing the guitars he repairs. He is very well known in machinist circles, especially for his photography.</p>

<p>http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/General/aboutphotos.html</p>