Steam Punk LeMats.

Same pistol, slightly color corrected, cropped and retouched. Nikon 300 shoots a little warm. I was using Dynalite flashes and no tripod, just freehanding the camera. Used all the F-stop I could get. I use this old deerhide from a 1988 lake buck in every calendar it seems. Tried to cut my time agonizing over every shot and keep moving. We finished 16 different weapons between 9am and 4pm with an hour off for lunch. Most of the set-ups are one main light in a Chimera diffuser and silver card reflectors. Sometimes a background light. Lotta tape-covered bricks, clamps, et, just out of the frame. Sent 15 files to the calendar printer. Couldn't have done so many without Sneed. He was working in every shot.

LeMat. You don't notice it much, but nearly every pistol is elevated slightly off the background with chunks of tacki-wax or squares of foamcore....or a very hard working wooden clothespin.

Pair of LeMats.

I love LeMats. This collection has five, including a Civil War veteran. I'm putting this up just for Tam.

If they made a reproduction of the lower early LeMat, I swear thats all I would carry for CCL.

These photos didn't make the cut but it sure was fun to be able to handle these pistols.

Update: Lower silver LeMat is a later model. There may have even been some modifications to make some shoot brass cartridge ammunition. You can buy a Lemat anytime, as a repro or original. Confederacy got 2500 or so. It's rare, but available on gunbroker. You can even buy a non-firing replica for about 90 bucks.