# Shooting Clothing Straight Down



## mwz (Nov 21, 2013)

Hello All,

I was hoping for some input and advice on a shoot I have coming up. I've been shooting clothes for Eshops of a while but this client wants the "messy on the ground" look. Problem is, I don't have a lateral arm attachment for my tripod to keep the legs out of the way. 

I was thinking about propping the pieces up on a plywood ramp (on white paper) but can see running into some issues (product slides, I mess up the angle etc). Is there a sturdy DIY solution get a boom arm working on top of my ball head to achieve the results I am looking for?

Thanks for your consideration.
Max


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## astroNikon (Nov 21, 2013)

well on the cheap end

use a table.
Put your tripod with legs extended though together on the table with the camera sticking over the end - make sure you put sufficient weight that will not shift on the legs of the tripod to hold it up so it does NOT FALL.  This is risky, but definitely a DIY & quick.

or you could try something like this on your tripod
Promaster Tripod Accessory Tilt Arm | eBay


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## hirejn (Nov 21, 2013)

Wouldn't it just be easier to buy the equipment that has the functionality you need? You're getting paid, right? So write it off as an expense. It doesn't have to be the most expensive version. See if Flashpoint at Adorama has a cheap one, or look for used on eBay. Then you'll have a quality tool available for future similar work.


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## robbins.photo (Nov 21, 2013)

mwz said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I was hoping for some input and advice on a shoot I have coming up. I've been shooting clothes for Eshops of a while but this client wants the "messy on the ground" look. Problem is, I don't have a lateral arm attachment for my tripod to keep the legs out of the way.
> 
> ...



First thing that springs to my mind is a good sized piece of sheet rock (dry wall) or something similar (even a good sized piece of styrofoam would work), put the clothes on that and pin them in place, then pick up your whole sheet and set it vertical so you can shoot the way you normally would with the tripod and still have it look like the clothes where laying on the ground.


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## amolitor (Nov 21, 2013)

Some tripods let you reverse the post, and put the head underneath.

Failing that, try shortening two legs and extending the third, then tilting the head pretty radically.


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