2) Setting Up a Photography Studio for Slides of 3d Artwork

My "photography studio" is my "clean studio" temporarily rearranged. The room is 8x10 feet, cramped space for photographing work up to 20" in diameter. A space two or three times that size would make the work much easier.

However, I was able to make this work.

A first step is to figure out a way to keep all daylight out of the room. This is so the light balance will be consistent, not a mixture of daylight, household tungsten lights, 3200K photo bulbs, etc. My tiny room has four huge windows and one small one. Because of the way the windows are made and the way I have shelves and rods in front of some, window shades wouldn’t work. So I made blackout curtains from 4-mil black plastic from the hardware store.

The blackout curtains are cut a few inches larger than each window, to provide overlap for extra light exclusion. Self adhesive Velcro strips along each edge hold the curtains in place. Slits and little cutouts enable the curtains to fit exactly.

The hook side of the Velcro strips stays on the walls or woodwork around the windows permanently. Since my walls are white, I used white Velcro. The strips aren’t noticeable when the blackout curtains are down.

When making the curtains, first apply the hook side of the Velcro to the edging around the windows. Then apply the soft side so it sticks to the hook side. Then one edge at a time, strip off the backing so the adhesive is revealed. Carefully hang the blackout curtain in place and press it against the adhesive so the Velcro will stick in the right place. Sometimes you have to strip off the backing a little at a time to make this placement accurate.

After all the blackout curtains are in place, turn off all the room lights and let your eyes adjust to the dark. If light comes in around the top edges, you may need to make some "overhang" curtains 8 to 12" long. Sometimes you need a patch that attaches to another blackout curtain with still more Velcro. Just keep working till the light is blacked out.

You’ll probably notice other little lights in the room. My surge protectors have green LED lights showing that the power is on. The cordless phone does too. These little lights are easily blacked out with black electrical tape later. Just make a note to remind yourself to cover them before you shoot film.

Before taking down the curtains, label them carefully. I use 1" wide white artist tape in the upper right corner of each curtain. I give each curtain a number and add "UR" for upper right. Make a list of the curtain labels so you’ll know which curtain goes on which window.

An alternative to the 4-mil black plastic curtains is a professional photographer’s aid, a blackout film that sticks to the window by static attraction. I may try this on one "problem window" next time. To cover a lot of area would be very expensive though.

Black gaffer tape is useful for patching any places as needed. Selecting blindly, I bought the Bogen / Manfrotto Gaffer Cloth Tape - Matte Black - 2" x 60 Yards. This worked fine for me. Perhaps a less expensive brand would have worked as well, but the 2" width proved important.

I found that on the south window, the black plastic curtain kept pulling away from the Velcro as it heated up in the sunlight. I finally had to use the black gaffer tape to close that edge. Even after weeks in place, the tape pulled off the painted wall without leaving a mark. As an all purpose "mark free duct tape for photographers" the gaffer tape has all kinds of uses in improvising photo setups. I consider it an essential item.

Dust and lint interfere with photographing artwork. On some backgrounds, every speck shows in the slides. Usually you want to keep the artwork as clean as possible, too.

Since clothes colors can reflect colored light onto the artwork and background, I chose a few sets of black or gray clothes to wear during photography sessions. Just before a session I change into these clothes. After a session I change back to everyday clothes. I make it a point to keep these clothes as clean as possible. Before going into the photo studio I take off my shoes. As soon as I enter, I run a lint roller over my clothes. These steps minimize the dust and lint I bring into the studio.

At first, this seemed like a major hassle. Soon it became a routine. Now I rarely have to think about it. I just do it.

Because dust and lint are a problem for other "clean studio" processes, I already had some procedures in place. I have a shopvac equipped with a goretex filter and an extra long hose that reaches anywhere in the room. So vacuuming is easy. Vacuuming with a goretex or hepa filter is by far the most effective way to keep surfaces clean.

Thanks to messages on a photonet forum, I discovered that running an air cleaner also minimizes dust. I bought an inexpensive GE model with charcoal and hepa filters. I run it overnight on full speed when I’m not present. Then when I come in, I turn it off. So the noise is not an issue.

Just before setting up background and artwork, you can also give the lower part of the room a quick light spray with water. This diminishes static attractions and keeps dust from the floor from rising onto the photo area. A small cheap sprayer works fine for this.

In addition to the lint roller, water sprayer, and vacuum cleaner, I keep a soft static attraction duster handy. It’s the modern version of a feather duster, made with a material that attracts and holds dust. This is handy to brush off the photography background or the artwork if needed. Of course, it has to be kept clean between uses.

Next Page: