Anyone use photography rigs for flower shots?

I have seen several pictures here where the plants are photographed with black or color backgrounds and the lighting and shading is just perfect.

I am curious what kind of "photo rigs" folks here use and perhaps they could share their secrets

I am thinking of building a frame out of pvc tubes that will support a color fabric draped in the background, and then two support braces that will carry lamps that I can move around to get the best lighting angle on the plant.
I will not be applying glue to certain joints of the frame so they can be dismantled when not needed.
What do you folks think?

I used to do catalog photography and had a background paper rack that would hold different color paper rolls...very large rolls (8-12ft across). The photo below is very similar to what I used but would drape the bottom half across a table for a flat surface. I have a set of photography lights that I would adjust to get the least amount of shadow possible and edit the rest out.

Natural light also makes for good photography. Morning light (before 11:00am or so) is bright enough without being too intense.

Shann~

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I simply use black poster board, no flash(just natural light) on most and a desk lamp directed on the bloom. I also use a tripod to prevent a blurry foto. All simple, but effective. Sometimes I use Adobe to edit out any junk from the foto. Adobe also has a feature that allows you to direct spotlights onto the foto.

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Lol. I use duct tape to tape up a black piece of cloth and use morning sunlight as Shann suggested for 'glamor' shots. I also like to use my back yard in the early morning sunlight as a background. With the right focus the backgrounds fuzz out and the bloom is enhanced by the natural surroundings. JMHO

Cheers,
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

I tuck my black cloth under things, that are on the shelf above the potting bench.

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Shannara,

I was thinking of something similar to what you have in the picture, but a low cost and smaller alternative.
Great ideas everyone!

Another Luddite here I simply tie some black fabric to a clothes horse and place the plant in front of it facing the camera and the window behind the camera which is my light source (hopefully that makes sense). I shoot in natural light avoiding bright sunlight

I use natural lighting whenever possible as I generally don't care for the glare that using a flash often creates [though sometimes there is little choice] and I try to avoid doing any "photoshopping" if I can.

For a backdrop, I most commonly just use a cheap black cloth draped over 'whatever'. I am thinking of picking up some black felt -- seems like it would make for a better black background.

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Thats what I dont like about the flash. The picture gets drowned out by too much light from the flash that it ends up so different from the intended image.

So my goal is to give it enough light that I dont need the flash, but not too much light that I end up with pictures of glowing flowers with no detail.

You can manipulate the film speed so that you don't have to use a flash in lower natural light. My new digital camera can do this on manual. You can set the ISO to: 80,100,200,300,400.

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