Pitch a Tent for Better Macro Photography
Posted 03/31/2006 at 6:38pm
| by Niko Coucouvanis

Got some antique beer bottles to sell on eBay? Photograph 'em better in a light tent.
WHAT YOU NEED
> Decent camera, preferably with a macro lens
> 3/4-inch PVC pipe (26 cents per foot) and T-joints ($2 for 10)
> Ripstop nylon or similar fabric (such as a shower curtain)
> Velcro tape (or other fastening system)
> Big, sturdy table to work on
So you got yourself a digital SLR camera and now you think you're big stuff? Yeah, whatever. The cool kids are into macrophotography - super-close-ups of coins, bugs, flowers, whatever. The best way to capture such small fragments of the world is to isolate your subject in a light tent: a mini tabletop photo studio with light-diffusing walls. Place a few remote flash units (or table lamps) outside the tent, and marvel at your in-tent subject's perfectly even light.