DIYPhotography.net Photography and Studio Lighting

this article shows clearly how simple and handy it is to create clear and impressive shots.
i use this technique often for pro photography when shooting outside the studio and away from the heavy gear.
my comments :
Manual calibration of White Balance calibration is highly recomended when using this method. when a white backgrownd is used, manual WB is as simple as taking a photo of the backgrownd, then following the steps for using Custom White Balance option of the camera.
another thing is, when using this article's method, you can (and should!) also set the exposure manualy to get constant and accurate results. before placing your model on the set, take a clean picture of your white backgrownd and use the histogram to examine results. you should apply exposure paraeters that make your graph alligned to the right, this is where brightness level of your backgrownd will be accurately represented in the photo.
bare in mind that some materials may look white but are actualy not...
a good way to tell if your white backrownd is infact white is comparing it to a clean sheet (typo fixed) of your printer paper.

Now I just have to find A0 polypropelene. I'll use this.

PS. Ron Uriel - you wrote 'a clean sheet (typo fixed) of your printer paper'. What the heck?

Hi All, Sorry but I had to edit out the typos with the sheet being misspelled. dont be mad, I promise more funny TYPOs in future to come :).

Hello, Udi. Excellent info on a practical homemade studio.

On the last photo (with the bottles) it is impossible to see any shadows, etc.. Was this photo edited? If so, which program did you use?

Thanks,
Elkin

great pics at the bottom with the caterpillars! i want to make the same kind of pics, but of shoes. however, i do not have the luxury of taking the items outdoors. i do not have expensive lights. i will be purchasing 2x50W halogen lights to light the shoes and maybe cover it with a silk sheet or some material to diffuse the light.
if i do this will i get the same results? i am trying to make photos like the ones below:

this one
and this one

please let me know if i can get these kind of results with the setup i mentioned. thanks very much!

Would like to add a couple of thoughts on the discussion of indoor lighting. Considering that you are doing tabletop photographs of objects that are not going to move there is no need IMO to purchase 500w lighting. Rather than setting the background up on the floor put it on a table and pick up a couple of really cheap adjustable arm clamp on desk lamps from some place like Ikea. Using a 100w regular household bulb works just fine as long as you set a custom white balance. 500w lamps put off an awful lot of heat and can get pretty uncomfortable to work around in short order. Also white plastic garbage bags stretched on a frame make excellent diffusers or even a light tent. Just don’t get your lights too close.

Could you direct me to the explanation of how to do this? Or explain? I'm trying to do indoor (due to the weather) portrait type photography on an all white Muslin backdrop with really bad lighting LOL. I will hit Lowe's this weekend. Please explain "white balance" to me.
thanks

How do I setup a Cheap Home Studio for Portrait Shots. I am an artist that seeks for professional results with pennies to spend. Your help is appreciated.

Keep in mind that if you shoot in RAW mode then you don't need to worry about white balance when shooting. You can simply adjust it afterwards in your RAW converter. Also you tend to have a far greater dynamic range to pull from and I have often converted RAW files twice and then blended them in Photoshop to bring out detail in both dark and light areas that otherwise would have been lost in jpeg shooting.

Chris :)

Hi here a reaction from an enthousiastic amateur photographer from the Netherlands. Today I had some time off and decided to go ahead with this article. I bought A0 paper (the cheapest I could found) for just $0.75.

I compiled it outside just like in this article and took some pictures. The results are great.

Thanks again.

Johan Vorsterman van Oijen

I stopped by office depot and she looked like a confused deer looking at oncoming traffic when I asked for polypropylene sheets and showed her what I was looking for. Went to a crafting store and they only had a semi-clear 8" piece used for stencil making. Any other ideas on where to get it?

Thanks

As a signwriter, I have access to a lot of materials which would be perfect for this application such as matte white signvinyl - this is self adhesive, and so could be applied to a sheet of plastic for a more permanent solution.

If anyone is interested, do not hesitate to contact me at info@pcands.co.uk

Regards

David Woodthorpe - Preseli Computing & Signs

If you want BIG sheets of white paper, look for "drafting supplies", or go to an art store and get watercolor paper. You can usually find it by the roll, called "mylar" or "vellum".

For fun effects, shine lights through the backdrop to backlight your subject, use fancy art papers, or cloth.

Putting the backdrop on a table with the top part taped to a wall or other support keeps you from having to do "belly flop" photography.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/52513/digital_photography_light... is my eBay setup, and what I do for on-site factory shots. Cheap and effective.

To minimize shadows under objects, make them easier to isolate, prop them up on tiny bits of something of uniform size. Because of where I usually shoot, I tend to use stacks of washers or other spare parts

i can't seem to find these polypropylene sheets,what should i ask for when i go to office depot or staples? so far all i have gotten are confused looks from the staff?

I have been going through some of your articles. THe bokeh.the softbox and so on. I must say that you totally kick ass....its just awesome.....splendid job. continue the good work..I just am totally in love with your website. You dont mention your name anywhere dude......I only see Nick everywhere.....I must say that youre the "Nick of my life". And yeah I am from India and we find it a little difficult to get all those things youve stated in the stores nearby. The rubberised compound is probably not available here.

How can I phograph clear objects?

I work for a sweet shop and I need to take photos for the website of sweets and chocolates in cellophane. It is a nightmare to get a good, profesional style photo..any ideas would be greatly appreciated.