Where to begin?

I have mostly shot landscapes. I take my camera outdoors and shoot what I see. But occasionally I need to take pictures of inanimate objects, tabletop, and I try to use either natural lighting from a window and/or a flash. I'm also a hobby woodworker and like to photograph my woodworking projects when they are complete. I am not satisfied with my results to date taking such pictures, and I feel like inadequate lighting is a large part of my frustration. I basically don't know anything about adapting the light conditions to what I want or need. Beyond a simple flash unit, that I use so rarely that I have to go back to square one each time, I have no lighting equipment.

So where do I begin? Are there any good sites or books to start with? That would help me understand photographic lighting? The range of equipment - even the terminology is strange to me. I'd like to try using multiple flashes off camera, but I don't even know how they might be supported (stands? mini-tripod?).

All of my interest is non-professional. I am a retired hobbyist.

Thanks,
Peter

A fairly inclusive/comprehensive website that I've found helpful is strobist.blogspot.com. Has three different sections (lighting 101, 102, and 103) that build on each other and are quite helpful. Worth checking out.

-Matt

You're going for a fascinating journey with a learning curve.

I'd try to figure out an outdoor place with nice background, shadowed, but with good light first. Even closer to a window might work for you. The next step would be a reflector if the light is too one sided.

Thanks. I'll bookmark that site and check it out.

Peter

Ah, yes. Another learning curve. I spend too much time reading and not enough time trying.

Maybe my backyard will do. Lots of trees, and sun when it shines. Once the snow is gone.

Thanks,
Peter

I learned lighting from the Dean Collins videos. They are old now, but I think they could still be useful.

Some of them -- maybe all of them -- are available on YouTube.

One suggestion:

If the still life subjects that you want to take pictures of are fairly small (you said “tabletop”), a good entry point to lighting for you might be using a lightbox/light cube/light shed ….. something like this… it’s also quite large….. there are smaller versions (you can also make your own with some PVC and white nylon fabric):
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1032648-REG/impact_dls_g_digital_light_shed_36x36x36.html

Light boxes create amazing product photography images and have the benefit for a beginner of being able to use inexpensive “hot lights” (always on lights …. Even “spot lights” that you can buy at Home Depot or Walmart. Something like this (as a woodworker you probably already have a dozen in the garage):

www.homedepot.com/p/Woods-60-Watt-6-ft-18-2-SPT-2-Incandescent-Portable-Clamp-Work-Light-with-5-5-in-Reflector-0160/204667690 … do keep the hot light away from the lightbox as you don’t need a fire. Or just get some strong LEDs.

The light box will act as the diffuser and you can play around with angles, direction, etc. you can also add a reflector inside the box and see what that does.

Anyway, a good, simple, and inexpensive place to start that will produce good results. Google around the internet for a ton of tips on ‘lightbox photography”….. once you are ready for something “more/different”, it will be time to move to strobes.

Thanks. I think I found him. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef1ammJiPE0
That's a bizarre camera he is using. He mounts it on a tripod and then types on the keyboard. I wonder if there is any shaking. There are a couple other videos there as well that I will check out.

Peter

Thanks. Yes I have seen, and briefly used a lightbox. Our woodturners guild like to post samples of members projects on Facebook and so one guy at our meetings uses a small portable light box and a couple fixed "hot" (?) lights. The one you pointed to is 35 by 35 by 35, maybe just a tad bigger than the one he uses. The lights he uses do not have enough lumens for what I want. My brief use was one meeting he was away and he asked me to handle the photography for him and he lent me his light box. So the little experience I had there let me see what I liked or didn't like about light boxes. They are limited in space so if we had a bigger item or maybe a set of several items (for one picture) the box could become crowded and lighting then suffered a bit. But definitely along the lines of what I was considering.

An example of one I took, lacking any experience.

[]

Thanks,
Peter

EDIT: the picture I posted disappeared for some reason that I don't understand.

Light from a large window can be fine, but you do need a reflector to lighten the shadows. A sheet of polystyrene foam works well.

These work great and are a lot of fun. Try one.

Sorry, I don't see anything. What are a lot of fun?

Peter

Light boxes are a lot of fun.

I would get one that already have adjustable lights off Amazon.

I call them lighboxes. Search that on Amazon. I like the 36 inch ones.