What support should I use for overhead tabletop photography?
Asked 2/4/2018
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I want to photograph flat subjects on a table—mainly fabric, drawings, and paintings—with the camera pointed straight down. I’ve seen people do this with a tripod that has a horizontal/tilting center column, or by angling a tripod and counterweighting it. Is there a purpose-built stand for this kind of overhead setup, similar to an enlarger, or is a tripod usually the best option?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Stands like that do exist. They're called copy stands and as you might imagine they were designed to copy things, usually flat artwork.
There are other options. Camera stands often have overhead arms, though they're bulky and expensive, though very stable.
Tripods do work well if you have a counterweight. They also make jibs for tripods (usually larger tripods) that go even further.
And finally there's the truly fancy stuff they use in hollywood.
You can rent some of the stuff – particularly the jibs – that are too expensive to buy. If you have a local TV or film equipment rental shop they'll have some of this stuff.
Or you can rig something up in another way – I've used a Bogen Magic Arm for overhead shots and Casey Neistat has built his own overhead shooting table out of scrap wood. But mostly I use tripods with counterweights.
Originally by user63485. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user63485
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. The purpose-built stand for this is usually called a copy stand, designed for photographing flat artwork from directly above. Larger camera stands and overhead-arm setups also exist, but they tend to be bulkier and more expensive.
A normal tripod is still a common solution. Many tripods let you reverse or angle the center column, and some can get close to straight-down shooting if the legs straddle the subject. If you extend the camera out from the tripod, use a counterweight for stability.
Other workable options include tripod jibs/boom arms, clamp-and-articulated-arm systems, or even a simple DIY gantry if your camera is light. Clamp systems can be very sturdy and more versatile than a dedicated copy stand.
So if you want the simplest dedicated tool, look at a copy stand. If you want flexibility and already own support gear, a tripod with a horizontal/reversible column, boom arm, or clamp arm is often enough.
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