thoughts on how to make your own equipment?

11/29/2006 02:08:14 AM · #1

Hi, im Shawn,im only 19 and i just got a canon 350 at a killer price. Ive always loved taking pictures but havn't had cameras that were good enough. Now that im getting a fairly good camera, i want to take some nice pictures. Ive been looking around and i see things like (sorry i dont know the real names of these things) the Umbrella on a tripod that reflects the light, i wouldnt' think something like this would be too hard to make, and would be cheaper to make than it would be to buy (like $300+ canadian). Is there perhaps a website that would tell you how to make this sort of stuff? Im not looking for anything fancy, im mostly needing it for taking family photos and such. Aside from that item, what other equipment can be home-made? Things like backdrops are easy enough. Also back to the umbrella thing, where might i find a suitable lightsource for it? I have a worklight in my garage that is super bright. Can someone perhaps give me a list of a few essentials, i dont need anything super-pro of course as they are mostly pictures for me and my family. Sorry if there are alot of runon sentences in there, im pretty tired lol. Thanks for the help people.

fotomann_forever

11/29/2006 02:11:30 AM · #2

//www.diyphotography.net/

They have some cool projects for the Do It Yourselfer

Carl Zeiss 35mm ZF f/2.0 Distagon T

11/29/2006 02:50:07 AM · #3

thats awsome thank you

virtuamike

Nikon D2X

11/29/2006 02:57:59 AM · #4

strobist

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/29/2006 03:02:52 AM · #5

one of these takes about 5 minutes to assemble once you have the parts: one old tripod, one 12" diameter circular piece of 5/8" plywood, 6 x 150 watt home depot clamp lamps (with full spectrum bulbs).

drill a wee hole in the centre of the plywood, screw the tripod mount into it, clamp the lamps on, and giddy up.

took these (and many many others) with this set-up and nothing more.

total cost is less than a hundred bucks (Canadian ;))

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

11/29/2006 03:09:42 AM · #6

Originally posted by Pedro:

total cost is less than a hundred bucks (Canadian ;))

That's awesome, Pedro! ..but just when I thought I could rush out and copy your brilliant innovation, I realized I don't have Canadian money. :( Guess I'll have to work on fixing the toilet this weekend instead. ;-)

11/29/2006 03:14:14 AM · #7

I'll sell you some Canadian Money. $2:$1 canadian:us exchange. as much as you want. but then you'll have to come up to a canadian home depot to buy it.

Even though i have real lighting gear now, i still use this setup sometimes cuz i likes the cool catchlights. :)

Olympus 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital

11/29/2006 03:17:40 AM · #8

Hmm i like your Light rig there, Im going SUPER cheap at the moment, only using what i have and a little $$ but once i get more money im so doing that lol.

Edit: took out "joke" as pedro already said it :D lol

Message edited by author 2006-11-29 03:23:23.

joynim

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

11/29/2006 03:24:44 AM · #9

Originally posted by Pedro:

Thats real cool I wonder how much it would cost in NZ dollars :0 I'm going to give that a go one of these days
* adds to watched threads*

Message edited by author 2006-11-29 03:25:07.

11/29/2006 03:34:22 AM · #10

ok well after looking at that first website it got me excited lol, but im just not sure bout some things. Im very new to photography aside from snapshots, so where can i find out exactly how/when i should be using those different rigs like that reflector, the "hotspot" thing and what not. Thanks again for your quick responces.

11/29/2006 10:35:40 AM · #11

virtually all lighting methods have the same purpose - when you pull the trigger, you want to throw enough light on your subject that the image gets recorded on the film or sensor.

there are three variables that affect how the light hits the sensor: the shutter speed (how long the sensor is exposed to the light), the aperture (the size of the hole in your lens that lets light to the sensor), and the ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor to light). Once you understand how manipulating these variables affect the shot, the whole lighting thing will make more sense.

Every shooting situation is different; which lighting method you choose will depend on what's available to you, and what effect you're after.

I'd suggest reading a tutorial such as this one and learning about the things i mentioned above first, as they're the fundamental building blocks of how things work.

once you've figured that part out, the lighting issue makes a whole lot more sense.

P

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/29/2006 12:57:44 PM · #12

BTW these lights also make wicked-cool catch lights. :)

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

11/29/2006 01:19:53 PM · #13

Hey Pedro, are they too bright to light kids. (ie. do they make you want to squint?)

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

11/29/2006 01:25:39 PM · #14

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Hey Pedro, are they too bright to light kids. (ie. do they make you want to squint?)

Yeah, pretty much. Some kids were ok with it, but others (like my little guy) found it too bright. you could probably get away with using lower wattage bulbs though - I used 100s and they were bright like the sun :)

P

Spork99

OM System OM-1

11/29/2006 02:38:07 PM · #15

You might consider replacing the light bulbs with these, then you'd have a strobe version.

wavelength

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

11/29/2006 02:54:43 PM · #16

Don't forget Tinker Tubes for building scrims and light tents and such.

magenmarie

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

11/29/2006 03:16:17 PM · #17

Pedro, that is amaaaaazing! This may sound like a stupid question, but I'm still milking the fact that I'm an amateur, so it's ok!

My (stupid) question is, with your homemade lighting contraption.... you just have all the lights plugged in and on while you are shooting? Or do you have it set up somehow where they all "go off" when you take a picture?

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

11/29/2006 03:29:53 PM · #18

Check out StudioLighting.net and in particular listen to some of their podcasts. Half of what they talk about is cheap DIY approaches to lighting or interesting ways to build creative lighting. They also talk about the expensive stuff, but there's a lot if good options in there.

The TinkerTubes book is worth a read too.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

11/29/2006 05:19:14 PM · #19

Originally posted by magenmarie:

Yes, these are constant-source lights. i plug them all into a power bar with an on/off switch so i can control them all simultaneously if i want. The bulbs that Spaz linked would give you the same thing that flashed, but at $50 per bulb, I'd save the money and put it towards a cheap strobe kit :)

Spork99

OM System OM-1

11/29/2006 05:45:55 PM · #20

Originally posted by Pedro:

The bulbs that Spaz linked would give you the same thing that flashed, but at $50 per bulb, I'd save the money and put it towards a cheap strobe kit :)

Well, if you consider the cost of a "beauty dish" or ringflash for your strobe kit, even at $50/bulb your setup will be a bargain.

You should try cutting a hole in the center of your board and shooting through it. That will basically duplicate the ringflash look. Very flattering for the pretty models you shoot.

Message edited by author 2006-11-29 17:47:40.

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

11/29/2006 05:48:16 PM · #21

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

Originally posted by Pedro:
The bulbs that Spaz linked would give you the same thing that flashed, but at $50 per bulb, I'd save the money and put it towards a cheap strobe kit :)

Well, if you consider the cost of a "beauty dish" or ringflash for your strobe kit, even at $50/bulb your setup will be a bargain.

You just have to find the right ringflash

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

11/29/2006 05:56:11 PM · #22

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

originally that was the plan, but because of the way I ended up mounting it, I needed the centre of the board for the tripod screw. i shoot from between the lights a lot, and the result is pretty close. although sometimes i thin i like the catchlights off-set from the pupil a little - sometimes when they're right on the pupil it looks a little...um...something. Spaced out. or something.

G, have you used that Alien Bees ring flash? I likes $400 a lot better than the $1200 unit i was looking at the other day

Spork99

OM System OM-1

11/29/2006 06:03:19 PM · #23

Originally posted by Pedro:

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

Well, if you consider the cost of a "beauty dish" or ringflash for your strobe kit, even at $50/bulb your setup will be a bargain.

You should try cutting a hole in the center of your board and shooting through it. That will basically duplicate the ringflash look. Very flattering for the pretty models you shoot.

originally that was the plan, but because of the way I ended up mounting it, I needed the centre of the board for the tripod screw. i shoot from between the lights a lot, and the result is pretty close. although sometimes i thin i like the catchlights off-set from the pupil a little - sometimes when they're right on the pupil it looks a little...um...something. Spaced out. or something.

I was thinking about this, which I originally saw on fredmiranda.com

And yeah, I agree, the flat, shadowless light you get from a ringflash can give that "spaced out" look, but I guess that's the idea....or something.

Message edited by author 2006-11-29 18:04:48.

magenmarie

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV