Would it be possible for you to do all your weekly photography at one time?
Well the AV room would be ideal but it is a bit full at the moment.
I expect it to be full for a long time. If someone isn’t shoot blue screen, someone else is editing videos or music or experimenting with the brain-reading helmet.
what about the room with the pillar
also how could we gauge the frequency of need for this type of setup
how many members have how many projects to photograph on a how frequent basis ?
We had a similar discussion about the Pillar Room when the subject of where to put a ping-pong table came up. In the end, we decided that the ping-pong tables have to be folded and stored out of the way when not in use. We need the Pillar Room to be available for multiple different groups using it in multiple different ways. I’ve seen that room used for meetings, classes, projects, pinball arcade and parties. Each of these has taken up most or all of the room. Also, increasing amounts of items are being stored or used in it, so it is slowly shrinking.
I think the main way that we would gauge the demand for a resource is by the requests for it.
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Seems that space is a bit limited right now, so I am going to post a “how-to” thing about it (hopefully this weekend). It was made on the cheap… Honestly, the most expensive cost was the lights. I went with a 12-yard roll of backdrop - that is not necessary for personal use. If space magically becomes available, I may keep it up there. Or I may store it on the arts/crafts shelf, and help show someone how set it up to shoot if they need it for something.
I’ll make a post in this thread as soon as I get the instructable thing up. 
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I will be a new member soon (it may be May—lots of out of town trips in April–I am the short fat old jewelry lady that came out Thurs night).
I would be Very interested in photography and how to do product pics. It is a skill set I really need. I have a decent Nikon Cool Pix camera (so new I am still learning it) of my own.
Check out the other post on the forum about a photography committee. Might be of interest to you. 
Calrenn Day,
If you interested in learning the ins and outs of photographing your products, I strongly suggest a book called Light, Science, and Magic. It covers all aspects of providing the lighting to get the kind of shot you want and most of the material is even suitable for basic equipment such as a typical point and shoot or a cell phone camera and a pair of shop lights (of course better equipment can make some things easier).
The latest version of the book should be available at most any public library, and barring that you could use Interlibrary loan. An earlier version of the book is floating around the web on pdf, and while I am providing a link to one such copy I don’t know if this was done in violation of the authors copyright.
For product photography the book is fantastic at demonstrating how to avoid glare, show silver/white colored objects on a white background (or black objects on a black background) and many other ‘tricks’. All done in some of the clearest explanations of the subject I have ever encountered.
Potential unauthorized copy of the second edition
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Perhaps a smallish table in the a/v room “permanently” set up with a small light tent such as this one. http://www.smithvictor.com/products/detail.asp?prodid=587. I have one of these, and it works great for small items, and not very expensive, about $130 on Amazon.
I like the idea of this
who would be decisionmakers
A similar light tent setup was proposed earlier in this thread, but the reasoning was that it’s too small to be useful for many of the items produced at the Makerspace. The larger light tent we can set up and take down is useful for a broader group of people than a smaller one, and even a small setup we’d be hard pressed to find the space to have permanently setup. I’m having a hard time sorting what your opposition to Krissy’s light tent is @kjposter It’s easier to learn how to set up and photograph with it than pretty much any other tool in Makerspace.
The real problem with setting up any equipment to do a shoot for a single object is that the time of setup/takedown far exceeds the time for the actual shoot. Perhaps it would make sense for a group (say a subcommitte of the Digital Media or Creative Arts committes) to have regularly scheduled meetings to do the setup/takedowns and members could then shoot their ‘stuff’ with a consistent setup. That way the setup time is spread over a number of object shoots.
Perhaps such a thing could be arranged on a weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly schedule depending upon demand? I would guess the Hands on class room would be a great place to do the shooting, since it has the ability to control outside lighting.
Personally, I would like to see members add ‘good’ shots of their projects to the wiki page to let everyone know about the kinds of things that get made here!
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That’s a good idea, pick a regular Saturday afternoon or something and say the light tent will be set up for whoever wants to use it. I’m sure folks would be on board with the idea.
i second this post
the time for setup takedown
the potential to promote maker space
I have read that book and it is excellent. I also recommend it
I’m a new member and very interested in using the light tent/box setup. Was a decision reached on having it available for member use, either already set up or stored somewhere?
I read that a light tent was stored in the Creative Arts room, but when I’ve asked about it, no one knows anything about it. As far as I’ve been able to find, the Space does not have a light tent available for member use.
That’s too bad. Thanks for responding!
Julia Rigler
Sent from my iPhone
After spending some time researching the location of the light tent that the space used to own, it appears that it was probably discarded when the digital media room was cleaned out. It was a DIY tent made with muslin and PVC pipe, so it is likely it wasn’t recognized for what it was.
Personally, I don’t think light tents (as they are typically sold) are very useful. If you have anything but a white background, the background color will significantly effect the color of any object you photograph with it. IMO, the background should be physically separated from the object being photographed, which should be placed on clear plastic or even better glass. The background can then be lit separately and its color prevented from affecting the color of the object being photographed. The light softening effect of the tent itself can be accomplished many other ways.