Here’s a selection of tools made by Ginger’s dad – Jim. The tools have been on show at a ‘tool meet’ in Springfield this weekend.

I took this photograph nearly a month ago. I’ve been holding off posting a picture until after the meeting closed.
I got a call from Carol earlier this afternoon, she told me that the tool display won the ‘people’s choice’ vote. That’s excellent news and well-deserved recognition for Jim.

Jim’s been collecting and selling antique tools for many years. He transitioned from making repairs and refurbishing tools to designing and making his own specialist tools – what he calls his “Fantasy Tools” They all work, and are a joy to see and touch.

Jim asked if I would take a picture of the display when we stayed with them for Labor Day Weekend. I hadn’t anticipated taking tool pictures and I didn’t have the best lens for the job with me. I wanted my lens with a shallow depth of field, that would allow me to get the tools nice and in focus while blurring out the visually busy workshop in the background. Failing that I needed a nice plain background.

Unfortunately, Jim didn’t have a suitable backdrop big enough either. However, I have a neat trick up my sleeves for such problems. I just take multiple pictures and move the backdrop. With Jim manhandling the backdrop and me on the remote shutter control it just took a couple of test shots followed by five pictures to get the pictures I needed.

Back home I had a nice PhotoShop session joining them all together. Then I extracted the tools from the background and put in the final gray backdrop.

Copyright © 2013 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.