# Lighting Tips for Manfrotto Table



## ThunderAndRain (Sep 5, 2017)

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum but this looks like a great place to seek out some advice.

At work, we just bought this Manfrotto table to photograph fly fishing rods and reels.

What I would like to know is what is the best way to light it? We currently have two softboxes on either side and a softbox underneath, which does the job (pics attached), but requires quite a bit of Lightroom work to even out the white background. 

What type of light should I put under it to light up the plastic? How strong should it be?

Thanks in advance!

I'd also appreciate your thoughts on the pictures below, how I can try and improve.

-ThunderAndRain


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## FotosbyMike (Sep 11, 2017)

Welcome to the forum, two of my passion in one photo, fishing/custom rod building and product photography. Over all the images are a little over espoused where the product is starting to washout. 




ThunderAndRain said:


> What I would like to know is what is the best way to light it? We currently have two softboxes on either side and a softbox underneath, which does the job (pics attached), but requires quite a bit of Lightroom work to even out the white background.


 For evening lighting 2 lights at a 45 but this also produces a flat image, to add some depth use one light, bounce cards, flags...etc to shape the product then add the second light to reduce hard shadows and fill-in other areas. No matter what product photography takes time in editing software. The only way to really even out the white background is more lights. 




ThunderAndRain said:


> What type of light should I put under it to light up the plastic? How strong should it be?


 What are you using now, I am assuming continuous CFL lights and if so it takes a lot of continuous lighting to be strong enough, ~500-1000w per light but it is hard to say. 

I would be using some studio strobes to light the product that way you have full control over each light power out put.

Also on the 4th images I wouldn't cover the companies name.


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## fmw (Sep 13, 2017)

My father made bamboo fly rods as a hobby.  The light beneath the table should be directly below the product.  Its purpose is to blow out the background without casting any light on the subject itself.  It needs to be powerful enough to blow out the background.  You may need more than one to light the vertical surface.  If it requires a little tweaking in post process, that's OK.

I think you are doing fine technically.  Looks like a great tabletop shooting platform.  It's a lot nicer than mine.


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## tirediron (Sep 13, 2017)

A few thoughts:  First you need lights for the product and separate lights for the background.  Because of the nature of the product, I would be looking at strip boxes, and probably custom-making some; something in the 6" x 36" range (relatively simple to do with blackout cloth, white, rip-stop nylon and a page-wire frame).  I would also get the products OFF of the tale; suspend them with some... are you ready for this?  Fishing line!   Alternatively you could rig up a couple of white risers that the pole sections would lay across.


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