Home Made Copy Stand

Thanks Fuzzy... experiencing another foot of snow on top of the three we already have so tomorrow I plan on doing some experimenting with the lighting to see how much I can improve the shots... :)

I use two Elinchrom D-Lite-RX4 strobes. These are high end lights but I use the for portrait and product photography. Do a Google search and you'll see what I mean ;) You can see one of the lights in the 3rd picture down. It's got a softbox attached to it. That's how I diffuse the light.

Takes up a lot of room but it certainly looks like it works well.

Yes sir it does however nearly an empty nester now I have a dedicated room for my photography so it's not a big deal for me. If you notice, you'll see my lighted shooting table behind the card table. I use that for doing product photography in the same room.

Once the boys finally leave the nest for good I have a room downstairs thats 22x18 that will become my 'hobby' room. Photography included..

"I use two Elinchrom D-Lite-RX4 strobes. These are high end lights but I use the for portrait and product photography. Do a Google search and you'll see what I mean ;) "
Thanks for the reply; a little too pricey for my application.

Because this question comes up periodically, I periodically share my set up.
It isn't better than many of the other approaches, just another option. And you may note, much of this forum is about using what is at hand, and doing it on a budget.
I had a hobby drill stand in the basement. The kind where you install your own hand drill. I got it about 30 years ago, but they may be available at hardware or home improvement stores. And not long ago I found two of them at garage sales for about $20-$25.



I easily removed the top section that holds the drill.



The table that holds the work piece was removed from the apparatus that would lift and lower it. And replaced it with my camera.



I've made two minor improvements since then.
First, instead of relying on the perfect length bolt to secure the camera, I used a longer bolt, threaded a nut to it, right up to the head, then placed it through the apparatus, finger tightened the bolt to the camera, and tightened the "jam" nut gently with a wrench.
Second, I wanted to protect the camera from scratches, and insure a full area of contact.
The CD works rather well, however, I may trim one side to offer a little more "hand space" when adjusting knobs on my bellows system.



It was quick, easy, cheap, entirely reversible and doesn't take up much space. Just another alternative. Next upgrade may be lighting.