DiyPhotographyStuff

DIY Photography Stuff And More!!!

Tips

The easiest product photography setup ever

May 15

Posted by Samuel M. in DIY projects, Product photography, Tips | 5 Comments

One of the most popular question on the web, when starting to learn photography is how do improve your product photography.

Somehow you don’t have to own an online ebay shop in order to be interested in product photography.It simply a common task to do when you start to explore your photography.You don’t have to ask a model to participate in a shootout, you can do it in your bedroom or living room, you can use studio strobes or a simple reading lamp.

So I can’t put the finger why, but every one will do that in one way or an other.

Surfing over flicker.com (which is a great site for photography inspiration) I found this simple setup which I thinks beats my simple product photography tutorial. All this guy uses is a couple of papers arranged in a simple “box” setup for white background and reflector. The only downside for this is that it will suit only small product as this setup is small. Shooting this lens that he did is already to big. So check it out and start learning and experimenting!

Credit for Josh Liba.

Here is a link to Josh’s Flickr gallery: Josh Liba

Tips for better panning photographs

May 9

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | 1 Comment

panning-photography-8

Panning is a very nice and simple photographic effect, that is very simple to implement.I’m pretty sure had some panning in your photography even if you didn’t want to.For getting the panning effect right you have to follow the basic steps that I’ll talk about in the following post, the base for a prefect panning is slow shutter speed,not to slow and not to fast.

Get in to read more:

Read the rest of this entry »

How to use an old light meter

Apr 23

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | 3 Comments

light_meter-2

Lately I find it very fun to shoot some films with old and not automatic film cameras. I find it a joy to use those metallic old age cameras, and the look of the developed photographs is something different from the digital cameras too. There is something about the film you use instead of the digital sensor, and I think much of the difference in the outcome is about the optics. They definitely used different glass back then, no L DG or any other marks on the lens, but simple 50mm f/1.4 manual and thats all!!!.

Some of the cameras that I own has built in light meters, in my Russian Zenith ET the light meter doesn’t work any more and in my Pentax the light meter works, but only with a battery the is very hard to find in Israel.

So I got my self the light meter my father used some 20 years ago, when there where no alternatives or built in light meters. The only thing was that he didn’t really remember how to operate it. After some research here is my “crash manual” on how to use your old light meter. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,

Indoor architecture photography tips

Apr 17

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | 7 Comments

My wife’s sister is an architect and as one she starts to work on an online internet portfolio. Many times before she goes out for a location, she asks me for some tips about how to shoot better photographs than using the automatic (P,Av,Tv) modes. So I have to be the one that instructs, tip and help. I must admit that I had no experience shooting indoor architecture photographs automatically the first step will be to find pictures of such work and try to figure out what the photographer did there.

IMG_8829

If you’ll get some architectural or lifestyle magazine you see that most of the pictures have the same “look” and many things in common:

  • Almost all of the indoor architectural photographs look as shot with available light.
  • Images are sharp with good depth .
  • Some parts look a bit over exposed.

So if you ask yourself how to get those results, here are my tips for better Indoor architectural photography:

Read the rest of this entry »

How to use a small flash with an umbrela box (Brolly)

Mar 25

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips, video | 1 Comment

If you are into home studio photography,a good start be getting an umbrella softbox also known as brolly.

Here are the basics steps to connect your umbrella softbox to a small camera flash.

Canon 5DMKI Vs. Canon 40D

Mar 15

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | 1 Comment

Hey

I use for most of  my photographs one of my two Canon 40D. When the Canon 5DMkII got out to the market, there where plenty of the 5DMkI available for sale as second hand cameras. I had a big strugle what to do whether to get a copy of the 5DMkI to couple with my 40D or to keep the 40D instead.

The 5D advantages are clear:

  • Full Frame camera.
  • 12MP.
  • Very nice depth of field.
  • 100% View finder.

The 40D advantages are clear too

  • Better focus speed.
  • More up to date DIGIC processor.
  • Bigger and much better LCD screen.

So recently someone popped that question in one of the forums that I visit in. My reply was: I rather keep the 40D and if there will be an upgrade it will be to the 5DMkII or the Canon 7D. But a very good photographer made a test between those cameras, see it yourself, it will help you decide if you are in the same problem (APS-C Vs. FF).

PS

The test run by Allon Kira on of the best Macro and nature photographers that I know!!!

Allon Kira

Get in to check the rest of the test :

Read the rest of this entry »

DIY photography-How to photograph Lightning

Feb 28

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | No Comments

Taking lightning photographs are actually surprisingly very very easy!For such kind of photographs (I accidentally,on the way took this one) you almost don’t need any pro equipment at all.

Get in and read my easy and simple tips on how make that simple diy photography of stormy lightning.

diy-photography-lighting-photography

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags:

Easy Ebay photography using a light tent

Feb 10

Posted by Samuel M. in Product photography, Tips | 2 Comments

We all know how important it is to get a good picture in order to get a good selling page in your eBay.com store.

A good picture will generate more traffic to you store and will probably will get you  better conversion rate,that means in simple words MORE MONEY!!!

Here I’ll cover the basics of how to shot a good picture with a low budget studio equipment.One light tent and three flash units might cost you less than  90$.Get this and you’ll be ready for your eBay product photography homebased studio.

eaby_photography_with_light_tent_02_resize

Read the rest of this entry »

Cookie Photography-the cookie shootout

Jan 29

Posted by Samuel M. in DIY projects, Product photography, Tips | 1 Comment

The cookie post started when I had a newly wed couple that came to my office to get their wedding album.I had to bring some goods in to serve the guys,so I went don’t to the local super market,having only a couple of minutes to choose the best sweet for my visitors,I decided to go with the chocolate chips cookies that I all ways love!

When I took the box from the self I said to myself ,”hey that’s a great photo on the box I want to do that too!”

Here  is one of the first  pics that I took:

the_cookie_01

Get In and read the rest of the story (I bet you’ll want those chocolate cookies too)!
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ,

Ebay White Balance lens cap,is that good?

Jan 24

Posted by Samuel M. in Tips | No Comments

Well,as you may all know,the issue of getting the right color temperature,also known as White Balance is one of the biggest influence prospect in the final picture quality  you can get out of your camera.

When you get into some mixed light scene your camera auto WB (White Balance)  metering system might loose its north.Therefor when I shoot wedding or commercial events I’m looking for some more accurate WB measuring system.

Two of the most popular tools are the Gray card and the Lens cap.

The gray card is a simple gray card that as you take a picture of it in the scene you are shooting will help the camera manually set the WB.The lens cap is a cap that you put on your lens and and it suppose to white blank the camera.After you take a picture with the lens cap on you can set the manual WB.

There are some white balance lens cap that sell on ebay for about 5$.I wanted to test that with the more old fashion gray card.So lets see what wee got here:

WB_TEST

So what is my conclusion?

  • The Lens cap gave me to cold WB.
  • The camera auto WB was to warm.
  • The Grey card WB was more natural colored .

The winner:Gray card!!!