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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> What Every Photog Should Have: A List of Basic Props
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Showing posts 26 - 40 of 40, (reverse)
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05/19/2006 11:02:00 AM · #26
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:

Originally posted by ladyhawk22:

Oh!! And I would also like to pick up a relatively sheer white umbrella for lighting purposes and some car reflectors as well...very cheap stuff :-)


The car reflectors RAWK! I have two of them for that purpose. Mine are the wire-framed circular type.


I hear space blankets work well, too.
05/19/2006 11:21:40 AM · #27
I was thinking about making a 6' tall Softbox with some sort of duffusion material, and mount my strobes into it somehow.

Dazian makes some great lighting fabrics, but they're fairly pricey. They also have some chroma key background cloth. about $7.50 to $10.00 per yard for the reasonable stuff.

I may try the wax paper trick, but seems it might be a little too harsh/direct.

One of these might be helpful. (okay, just saw the thing about non-real photo equipment, but still...)

Message edited by author 2006-05-19 11:25:41.
05/19/2006 11:41:44 AM · #28
Originally posted by goodman:

spare change to buy that yummy deep fried dougnut that should sustain you for the whole day.

water!

A roll of toilet paper ...
05/19/2006 11:44:45 AM · #29
Originally posted by goodman:

pepper spray (bitch repellent)


and I always use cologne for the opposite reason...

*ducking and running*
05/19/2006 11:50:49 AM · #30
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:

Originally posted by goodman:

pepper spray (bitch repellent)


and I always use cologne for the opposite reason...

*ducking and running*

Only problem is that you're much more likely to attract mosquitoes unless you use Eau de DEET.
05/19/2006 11:56:40 AM · #31
I've been told by working pros - if you can't use a prop at least 3 different ways, don't buy it. Others use a higher number.

popular items - big backdrops (10x20feet)(black, white, 3 mottled ones at least and usually 2 or 3 scenics), vairous pieces of cloth, bistro chair, hats, jackets, posing stool and table.
05/19/2006 12:11:13 PM · #32
I'm not going to be much help, but if it's odd bobs you want, try joining freecycle in your hometown - they're always giving away olls of wallpaper, wood, stuff you can ram together to make more stuff!
05/19/2006 12:54:13 PM · #33
I find that when I go out and about to shoot, it's beneficial to wear clothes. The last time I forgot my clothes, it caused quite a fuss.
05/19/2006 12:57:16 PM · #34
Originally posted by Spazmo99:

I find that when I go out and about to shoot, it's beneficial to wear clothes. The last time I forgot my clothes, it caused quite a fuss.


Hah!
05/19/2006 01:06:16 PM · #35
Originally posted by wavelength:

I was thinking about making a 6' tall Softbox with some sort of duffusion material, and mount my strobes into it somehow.

Dazian makes some great lighting fabrics, but they're fairly pricey. They also have some chroma key background cloth. about $7.50 to $10.00 per yard for the reasonable stuff.

I may try the wax paper trick, but seems it might be a little too harsh/direct.

One of these might be helpful. (okay, just saw the thing about non-real photo equipment, but still...)


I put sheets over my lights and it seems to be working fairly well. Being stupid, I bought a piece of gray cloth for a backdrop that seems to reflect light in a bad way. But, it's good I found out BEFORE I try to do senior portraits. So, now I need a new piece of gray fabric, and I'd like to have blue.

I don't understand how reflectors work.

Message edited by author 2006-05-19 13:08:31.
05/19/2006 01:45:46 PM · #36
Well, I'm no lighting expert--that's for sure! But, as I understand it, reflectors are placed to help "fill in" the lighting...especially for portraits outdoors and such. They reflect just a bit of the lighting onto your subject, depending on how you position them. So if you're getting just a bit too much shadow, but not enough to warrant adding another light or moving a light, reflectors might be the way to go.

I used to not believe in reflectors...but I used my white foam core board as a reflector in the Still Life challenge to achieve the lighting I wanted (though it seems not the lighting the voters wanted! hahaha).

So now I believe!
05/19/2006 01:48:17 PM · #37
rubberducky
+ a woodie ;)
05/19/2006 02:16:25 PM · #38
An odd item that I have found useful is an extendable handle that is used for paint rollers. You can find them in the paint department of Lowe's, Home Depot, or any paint store. I inserted mine in the tube of white backdrop paper and was able to adjust the length just so to attach it to homemade brackets on the wall of my little basement studio.
(Dressed it up with a fancy border, DPC style :o)

C/C welcome!
05/19/2006 02:37:24 PM · #39
Originally posted by Bear_Music:


What works even better is a box of black linoleum tiles: they keep the paper flat on the floor, your subjects can walk on 'em without moving them, and they generally are easier to work with. We kept white ones around too.
R.

I'm so glad to run across this tip Robert. I've been looking for bright white carpet that I could have bound into an appropriate size to lay over the white paper, but I've learned that pure white carpet is hard to find! I'll try the tiles. So glad you mentioned this, thanks.
05/20/2006 05:30:27 PM · #40
For those of you playing along at home, here's what I picked up this weekend:

Lighting:
* A small work spotlight of the variety that can hang from or clamp onto something, with an adjustable neck.

Diffusion Panel:
* two pieces each of 1x2x4 and 1x2x6 plywood
* white duck tape to take the plywood into a frame of roughly 4x6
* five yards (15 ft.) white muslin (enough for a double layer to wrap around a 6 ft. frame.

Backdrops:
* two yards each of black, green, and blue felt
* two yards beige burlap
* a roll of white paper

The total cost was around $75, with the most expensive items being the $10 work light and the $12 paper roll. The wood was about $5 total, the tape was $5 as well, and the rest was fabric, with the felts being the most expensive being $2.99/yard. I suppose this means I have an assembly project for tomorrow! Thanks for all the suggestions!
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