Light- my most important tool?

Echo139er

Hey do not trow away your old "positionable" lamp. You can remove the lamp portion and somehow jig a camera mount on the end of it.  

It works great for picture taking at different angles.  A friend of mine who does stained glass as a hobby has one on her bench.  I will try and get a pic of it so you can check it out.

Unfortunately my camera weighs several pounds, and I don't think the springs on that lamp are strong enough nor the adjustment knobs.  Fortunately I have a pretty good tripod. I had used an old tripod head that fastens to a fitting I included on my current bench but I don't use it much. I just prefer my regular tripod that I use for photography outside the workshop.

I am thrilled with the technology in the new digital cameras.  I do a lot of model photography, which is macro stuff, of course.  Doing an article on my Zvezda Dreadnought build and hope to have FSM buy it.  You can also see some of my photographic work in the article I did for FSM a few months ago on the Kurtis Kraft Midget.  I have been taking a lot of macro pics with flash lately.  Never used to be able to use flash with macro photography, but it is sure great now!

Don Stauffer

I had to replace my light on my work bench- the old one quit working.  Turns out it was the starter, not the bulb, and no way to get new starter.  So had to replace the whole lamp. It was one of those magnifier fluorescent jobs with a circular bulb surrounding a big magnifier.  It was also positionable, counterbalanced with knobs to adjust positioning.

I had another lamp next to my bench that I used for a couple of days until I got a new lamp.  In that time I was very aware of not having an ideal light. I was doing a lot of photo etch placement, and some air brushing.  Got to realizing that the lamp on my workbench may well be my most important tool for model building. I maintain you cannot do a really good job of modeling, and especially painting, unless you have good lighting in more modeling area.  Checked with a couple of modeling friends, and they agreed with me.

That was a replacement for a lamp just like it that I bought only two years ago.  The previous one lasted about forty years!

Don, I have the same type of magnifying lamp, and it's accompanied by an incandescent articulating desk lamp.  I have to wear strong reading glasses, and even with those, I still rely on that magnifier for any close work.   My study has four 4ft. fluorescent tubes in two twin fixtures and there is still not enough light.   You know, as my eyesight has gotten worse, and fingers become stiffer, I think those are somewhat offset by my better skills and judgment and maybe a little more patience too.   I concur, light is one our most important tools.

Gary

Agreed. My world changed when I got a hanging two-tube fluorescent shop light to hang above the bench. Colors easier to distinguish and my eyes don't get all tired from straining any longer.

Don...sucks about the light. I agree wholeheartedly about the light, didn't know what I was missing until I got some good lights.

Hey do not trow away your old "positionable" lamp. You can remove the lamp portion and somehow jig a camera mount on the end of it.  

It works great for picture taking at different angles.  A friend of mine who does stained glass as a hobby has one on her bench.  I will try and get a pic of it so you can check it out.