How to take pics of guns & other small items (macro photography)

[Vlim]

Nice tutorial.

I created a couple of custom stands so I can balance the pistols like they are 'floating' inside the light box. This way you can avoid drop shadows, which makes it easier to process the photo digitally afterwards.

The stands are nothing more than a flat piece of wood with a 6mm rod (also wood) stuck in it. I can balance the pistols either on the frame (through the magazine opening) or the breech block (slide the 6mm rod through the muzzle and let the pistol rest on the top of the rod as it presses agains the breech). Usually I add a shot empty 9mm case as extra protection.

The light box is a cheap folding one like shown earlier. The light sources are a couple of cheap building lights. I usually don't worry about the white balance that much, as it can be rectified by the editing software later.