New Photo Cube

I love, love, love my new EZ Cube. It’s so sweet, tiny and efficient!  I went for the 12″ cube, which allows me to keep it set up in a permanent location.  A larger cube wouldn’t fit on this little table, so I would have to break it down after each use.  I’m using two cheapo gooseneck desk lamps from Staples and day white compact fluorescent bulbs for my lighting.  I picked up an acrylic  photo frame to use as the support for shooting pendants.  I just tape a background photo to the acrylic frame and clip the pendant chain to the upper corners.

The EZ Cube has two really cool features.  First, the top zips open.  This means I can make adjustments and switch out pieces without moving the camera and disturbing the arrangement of the front panel.  I didn’t realize how important this feature would be until I used the tent.  Second, the front panel is really flexible and easy to work with.  It attaches around the edges with velcro.  The best arrangement for my camera has the front two legs of the tripod actually sitting inside the cube, which is possible by opening the lower velcro sections.  It also has a center zipper that closes above and below the camera lens to minimize the camera reflection.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE my EZ Cube?

Here’s an example of a recent shot taken with the cube.  This image has not been re-touched yet.  You can see some minor camera reflection, but with shiny surfaces, even the tiniest bit of camera lens will be reflected back in the image.  My husband is a wiz with Photoshop, and he has taught me some amazing tricks for cleaning up these reflections.  When I find the time, I’ll post a tutorial to share what I’ve learned.

I started with a DIY photo tent, built out of PVC pipe and a piece of diffusing fabric.  It worked quite well, but it was time to upgrade.  You can read about my home-built photo tent in a previous post.  It’s really a great solution for starting out on a budget.