Sometimes when I photograph objects, particularly something like my iPod touch which is very shiny, it’s difficult to get the exact results you want without seeing tons of reflections which can easily ruin a shot. I don’t want to buy anything professional like a lightbox for the amount of photography I do, but I’d still like to take some shots and have that plain white background which you see in magazine ads and catalogues.
I happened upon some photography on Flickr which looked like it was taken in a professional studio, when infact the apparatus to help create that shot was just over £5. Today I purchased that apparatus from IKEA, placed a few objects in and took photos. Here are a some of the results.
So, how was this achieved and what exactly are IKEA doing selling photography products, I hear you ask? Well, they don’t. It’s a pop-up laundry bag which acts like a photography tent. It’s perfect and it’s called SKUBB which costs £5.29. I haven’t positioned any lights on it for the above photos, I was just allowing natural daylight coming in through the windows. For the shiny floor I simply placed an A4 sheet of glossy photo paper into the laundry bag, then hooked my digital camera up to my JOBY Gorillapod tripod, set the camera to Super Macro and had fun experimenting. Very pleased with the results which will make photographing small and shiny objects so much easier in future, especially the shiny metal behind of the iPod touch!
05 Sep 08
12:02 am
If these are the results from spending just £5 on equipment, I’m very impressed. A shame the nearest IKEA is a drive away from where I am - it’ll have to wait until somebody here wants some new shelves
05 Sep 08
8:52 am
Superb idea Sam! I am quite shocked that it’s worked so well, and will add it to my ‘Ikea list’! (surely every house has one?!)
05 Sep 08
1:51 pm
My IKEA isn’t far away, Alex, but it’s right next door to the MetroCentre which is one of the biggest (and busiest) shopping malls in Europe. It’s often not fun to get in and out of with the amount of traffic that passes that way. Hope someone wants some new shelving soon to justify a trip
It surprised me at how well it worked too, Khalid. It was months ago that I first saw it in action on Flickr and I’ve been to IKEA a few times in that time, but neglected to pick one up thinking there had to be more to it. I didn’t think it would work very well for me but thought it was worth a try. Glad I did now.
06 Sep 08
5:39 pm
Hey Sam,
Would you be able to take a photo of the laundry bag, so i can see the size in comparison with your desk, to see how big it is? Thanks
Tristan
06 Sep 08
6:05 pm
Hi Tristan,
It’s a lot bigger than I expected it to be, so I have to use it on the floor or on a table with nothing else on it….
06 Sep 08
7:06 pm
I’ve been playing around and experimenting with photos after taking them inside the laundry-bag. In iPhoto I increase the exposure leves and create that seamless white background so that photos look like this…
Who’d have thought you could have endless fun with a laundry bag, huh?
06 Sep 08
7:20 pm
Wow. I want one. The results are fantastic, Sam. I especially like the green crocodile.
I would really like to get one of these. Unfortunately, my nearest IKEA is quite a distance away in Leeds. It’ll be a while before I go again, so in the meantime - does anyone want to grab me one and post it to me? I’d cover all costs of course. Just a thought.
Andrew.
08 Sep 08
1:37 pm
All the items that you used have been fairly small, dont suppose you could take something a bit bigger in there at all please ?
08 Sep 08
3:30 pm
Hi Andrew. I would happily pick one up for you next time I go there (not sure when that will be, though). However, the only problem I see is actually mailing this to you. It’s a lot larger than I expected after seeing the pics on the IKEA website and although it does fold flat and isn’t hugely heavy, it’s quite on the large side. I can’t see where I could get a jiffy bag that size. In total for buying and postage/packing you’d be looking at between £10-£15
Hi Mark. If I want to photograph a taller object like a vase for example then I’ll need to get a bigger sheet of paper so I can have a suitable backdrop. The largest item I’ve photographed so far is my shoe - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/purplelime/DSCF0015.jpg
09 Sep 08
5:10 pm
@Sam Thanks a lot for looking into it for me. You’re right, even though £15 isn’t that much - it is three times more than the original price. I’ll be forcing my parents to visit IKEA before my return to Uni so hopefully I can pick one then. Thanks again.
09 Sep 08
10:56 pm
What a great idea! I had said item in my hands the other day and didn’t get it - I think I will when I am in Ikea next.
Thanks for posting!
10 Sep 08
10:09 pm
Hope you can pick one up soon, Andrew
No problem, Jon. It’s hard to believe something so cheap can do such a great job. That’s why I was hesitant about buying in the past. You’ll have loads of fun looking around for things to place inside and snap away at
25 Sep 08
11:27 pm
Great stuff Sam. I love seeing tips for creating improvised studio kit.
26 Sep 08
8:04 pm
Cheers David
I was really pleased to see the results and save a lot of money on the expensive studio kit.
09 Oct 08
1:58 pm
This is a great idea. I’m defo gonna give it a go sometime. Cheers. (cool blog too)
11 Oct 08
3:16 pm
Cheers, phojus. Much appreciated