Chris Friesen said:

Greg G. wrote:
I understand about lighting/camera
setups. I try to photograph woodturnings, but without investing some
effort into diffuse lighting and backgrounds (who the hell has time or
room for that...) they turn out like this:
http://webpages.charter.net/videodoc..._pwalnut01.jpg

Have you tried shining lights through a white sheet draped over the
work? Ideally you'd have a cutout in the cloth just big enough for the
lens to poke through.

Actually, Chris, I've invested no more than 5 minutes of thought and
zero effort into such things. I suppose I really should, considering
how badly the flash alters the appearance of the segments. Used to do
videography work, so it's not rocket science. Just a matter of
setting about completing the task. A cardboard box shell, some nicely
draped fabric, a few mirrors and a diffuse light source would probably
cover it.

You can also get some neat effects placing the subject on a sheet of
acrylic sitting on a black surface.

I have a small woodturning display in a friend's gallery, and used a
similar approach to show the turning's underside details.
http://webpages.charter.net/videodoc...gDisplay02.jpg

FWIW,

Greg G.