Any idea how to build something like this?

[jymbee]

Although your concerns have some validity, your analogy is not as applicable here. With a window, you have sources of light on both sides. This is what causes loss of contrast and ghosts. What you would be doing would be more like a picture frame. The window is pressed up against the subject, which isn't a light source. You can test this out by buying a small piece of plexiglass from the hardware store and taking a picture of a smaller object.

I should warn you though, that you will need to control the lighting in the room. You want a diffuse light in the room. Any bright bare lights in the room which could reflect off the plexiglass directly into your camera will be a problem. If you have a photographers umbrella, you'll likely be ok. You may want to have these off to the sides enough where they will not cause a direct reflection. This could also be tested by moving your smaller sample over the full area in your wall where the bigger quilt would take up. If you have any questions, you can feel free to send me a private message. Just be patient as I may be traveling some.

Good points however beyond the potential issues of introducing a layer of plastic between the camera & subject, I think other structural factors would rule out this approach. As explained previously, smaller items up to 4x5 feet e.g. are no problem-- they can be shot vertically. Being able to photograph larger items 8x10 feet & up is the focus of this thread. The plexi is an interesting approach but I just don't think it would be feasible-- working with a sheet that large being just one of the factors.

Lighting is not an issue as our studio is equipped with strobes, LED lights, soft boxes, umbrellas, reflectors, remote control devices etc. etc.

So, where are you travelling to?

 

[jymbee]

Most mirrors have a surprising amount of color change. Our eyes/brain adjust it pretty well, but it's probably more than a simple white balance adjustment for photo use, if you want really accurate colors.

Good point and I'm the first to admit I know nothing about color change effects of mirrors. I never really thought of it but my guess would be there's quite a range of quality involved with different mirror constructions. Just don't know whether any would be of sufficiently high quality-- but I have my doubts. I'll have to look into a a bit out of curiosity.

 

[bigtiller]

Have you looked into generating and using static electricity? It may be over your budget.

These robots use static electricity to move boxes, fruits, and iPads - The Verge

 

[PILOON]

Being as to how this is a tractor forum I suggest you hang the quilts from a FEL and shoot pics, LOL!

Getting serious, quilts are for covering a bed, are they not?
One pix for the overall impression and since most quilt patterns are repetitive simply zoom in or otherwise a close up shot to show details.

 

[SPYDERLK]

What if the large quilt was "scanned" by taking multi exposures in a grid pattern and then the digital images were combined by computer to form the picture of the full quilt?

 

[NorTracNY]

Good points however beyond the potential issues of introducing a layer of plastic between the camera & subject, I think other structural factors would rule out this approach. As explained previously, smaller items up to 4x5 feet e.g. are no problem-- they can be shot vertically. Being able to photograph larger items 8x10 feet & up is the focus of this thread. The plexi is an interesting approach but I just don't think it would be feasible-- working with a sheet that large being just one of the factors.

Lighting is not an issue as our studio is equipped with strobes, LED lights, soft boxes, umbrellas, reflectors, remote control devices etc. etc.

So, where are you travelling to?

Europe, I got home despite the NorEaster yesterday. I understand that this is for larger quilts. I am just stating that you can test this with a small sheet and small quilt by taking the images in the different locations that the bigger quilt would be, you'd ensure quickly if lighting would be an issue. I understand that dealing with a large sheet would be a little difficult, but it would be A LOT easier than setting up a huge mirror. I do see that sheets are available in very large sizes. 6X10' Hopefully with more searching or a phone call you'd find a little bigger.

Large Plexiglass sheet in XL and XXL sizes are sold by ePlastics.com

I'm not sure what the person is thinking about the mirror and color. Yes, a mirror coated with a dichroic coating will have color issues. Those issues would change with angle too. But for a very large mirror, it's generally an aluminum coating. Aluminium alone is pretty neutral over the visible spectrum. You do need to be careful if they put a protective layer on the aluminum though. Those could be what the person is expressing concern about.

Scanning is also certainly an option. I am not sure what software programs are available to help with the stitching. I doubt you would want to try doing it manually.

 

[4570Man]

Have you considered a Quadcopter to take pictures with the quilt laying flat on the ground. I've had a DJI phantom one as a toy for a long time. I recently bought phantom 4 pro for commercial use ( and before I get thrown under the bus I have the proper licenses ). I flew it for the first this week and with a 20 megapixel camera the video footage was astounding. The biggest fault in this plan is it requires it to not be raining and it's not a cheap option.