[Woodcarver] Help

[Loren Woodard]

Alex:

For my photographs I use a home made light tent.  Lynn Diel had an article
in Carving Magazine a few issues back that told how to make the light tent.
My best results have come with a light blue background.  I use three lights.
My light tent is wrapped with a bed sheet.  I use a clamp-on light fixture
on top with a standard incandescent bulb that shines through the top of the
light tent and onto the light blue back board.  I then light the front with
two light that have 13 watt daylight (florescent) bulbs in them.  I direct
one light on each side of the carving.  This setup seems to work better for
me than any other method that I have tried.

I too had a terrible time with light.  As a matter of fact, I had an article
turned down for a carving magazine because of the pictures.  I've worked
hard on the photographs and the above worked better for me than anything.  

By all means, don't use a bare flash.  


As far as getting your carving mojo working, good luck.  I think we all go
through those time.  I went through one not long ago.  I love caricature
carving.  I got out some books on caricature carving and read them
thoroughly from cover to cover, discovered a couple of new things I wanted
to try and yahoo, I'm carving once again.  Good luck and get back to carving
as soon as you can. You're too good not to get back on it soon. 

  
Loren Woodard 

-----Original Message-----
From: woodcarver-bounces at carverscompanion.com
[mailto:woodcarver-bounces at carverscompanion.com] On Behalf Of Alex Bisso
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 9:11 PM
To: woodcarver at carverscompanion.com
Subject: [Woodcarver] Help

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OK it's about time I asked for some help on two issues.
    First, I seem to be at a carving standstill.  I have not finished a 
carving since early last fall when I completed a brown trout started earlier

last year.  I just can't seem to get motivated enough to either start 
something new or complete some started projects that I told myself I would 
get done this year.  Can anyone tell me what has worked to get them 
motivated to get back to carving after a dry spell?
    Second, I have a recurring problem with getting good photos of carvings.

My standard method of trial and error with the lighting, inside and outside 
works sometimes but not consistently.  On my last fish for example, I took 
one photo (after a couple of tries) using a piece of light blue foam from an

old camping bedroll and the color and contrast came out very well.  However,

when I tried to set up with a cloth maroon cloth background to take more 
photos, it looked good but my camera did not like it at all.  The photos 
were either too dark or too bright and glarey and the colors did not look 
true.  There must be a way to set up for photos that provides a good 
background and lighting for true color without glare.  Can anyone suggest 
something simple and reliable that might work.
   Thanks for any input.
Alex Bisso
Billings, MT 

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