Brainstorming some ideas

[Nickcanada]

So I've got a few more product things to do. Just little fuel quick connector things (few inches long). I did a dozen or so of them earlier and I hung them in front of a white background by a piece of string. The problem with that is it was a pain in the ass trying to get the damn part to stop spinning and moving around so I want to find a way to secure the part more efficiently.

I was thinking wire hanger and modeling clay or drilling small holes in the part to slip the hanger through in the back out of sight.

Anyone have any ideas or links to sites that talk about this kinda thing? I'm trying to reduce the amount of PP I need to do and would rather rig up something then spend an hour in PS to remove and clone stuff out.

[Elisha]

do you have any example pics of the subject?

[Rhys]

Normally things are put on wires. I'd simply hot-glue them to some wire then arrange the angles so the wire doesn't show. Then it's just a case of lighting the subject and not the background.

For more ideas you could consult Light, Science & Magic.

[Nickcanada]

Here is an example.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9138-2.jpg

That's longest one I've done, about 6 inches long. Most of them are angled and are part plastic part steel tube. I'll post some more samples latter that's just all I have online.


I like the hot glue idea. See I knew there would be some really simple solutions. Keep em coming! remember there are no stupid ideas..... well yes there are, but I promise not to tell you that to your face. ;)

[FLiPMaRC]

Any particular reason why you need to hang the items? So there aren't any shadows?

[Elisha]

just speaking out of my ass here, but why don't you use a mirror and capture the image on the mirror instead!

[Nickcanada]

Any particular reason why you need to hang the items? So there aren't any shadows?

Yeah, I'm trying to eliminate shadows and also make it easy for the image to be cut out from the background. I've been thinking of buying a chroma key background instead of the white background. I wonder if it would work to just lay the part on the background? I'll have to try it.

[AdamW]

Hot glue's a good idea. Also, there's this stuff:

http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=21369779&cm_mmc=GBase-_-Office_Supplies-_-Tape,_Glue,_Adhesives-_-Glue_Adhesives&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=21369779

But laying it on a seemless white background will allow for some shadows, which will give the object more depth. Or, you can set it on a white glazed tile for some subtle reflections.

[gilly]

Yeah, I'm trying to eliminate shadows and also make it easy for the image to be cut out from the background. I've been thinking of buying a chroma key background instead of the white background. I wonder if it would work to just lay the part on the background? I'll have to try it.

I really wouldn't worry about the background if these are to have a clipping path and be placed in a brochure or similar. Any half decent graphic designer would do the clipping path by hand and not use the magic wand to cut them out if thats what you were thinking? Any product shots I have received to work with are usually on a very rough background. It's more important to get the product as clean as possible, doesn't even matter if there's cardboard, clips, sticky tape etc in frame.

Setup idea.
Ever tried using a piece of A4/Letter size paper as a soft box? Works well for stuff like this. You can even get fancy with it and cut out one side of a box and tape the paper in. Sit the products on this with a flash triggered from underneath, another flash from above L/R either thru another paper softbox or an umbrella and you've got a good setup! That's how I'd attempt it.

[FLiPMaRC]

Hey Nick, have you seen this thread on POTN (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=281524&highlight=product+shot+setup) about DIY light box for product shots? It's over 200 pages of different ideas you may want to try :)

[24Peter]

Nick - I use armature wire when fishing line won't do the job (i.e., too much spinning). It is stiff and comes in different gauges: http://www.dickblick.com/products/armature-wire/ Obviously you'll still need to clone it out of the final image, but it is often much easier to shoot than stuff suspended with string/fishing line.

I also use Blue Tack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-tack) a lot on product shots (similar to the LocTite stuff Adam posted above.)

[Nickcanada]

Thanks fellas! I think I might just buy a light box. I see some of them come with multiple backgrounds ect. I do like the idea of putting the part on a white piece of paper and using a flash to shoot trough it. I think that's how the pros do it only with a little more fancy of a set up. I'll keep ya'll posted with pictures soon.

[Rhys]

I did buy a light box and a right useless thing it turned out to be. I can get better results without the light box.

[Nickcanada]

Okay, so here is what I did, metal coat hanger suspending the part in front of a white background. I used that putty stuff to hold the part to the coat hanger, worked like a charm!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/_MG_8856.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/_MG_8857.jpg

And here is the final product

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_0933-Edit-2.jpg

comments, suggestions welcome.

[AdamW]

Glad we could help. That final product looks about perfect! (Whatever it is....)

[Nickcanada]

Glad we could help. That final product looks about perfect! (Whatever it is....)

Thanks Adam. That part is a repair fuel connector for Chevy Cavaliers. The plastic part clips onto the fuel filter and the other end slides onto the nylon output fuel line from the fuel pump. The original quick connect that clips onto the fuel filter is often impossible to remove so this aftermarket solution was created. This little part has saved my sanity more times than I care to think about! lol. :D

[FLiPMaRC]

:cool: Nice!