DIYPhotography.net

I love cards. When I was young I collected cards. Cards of anything and everything. I used to collect Rambo Cards, Fame cards (yes I did), The Garbage Gang cards, you name it. I even collected science cards.

I got to reunite with my old trading cards love when Trade Secret Cards came up with a photographer Strobist deck.

So, what is this Strobist Deck? Zeke Kamm, whom you may know from Nice Photo Mag compiled a set of 24 cards. Each card face has an image, and each card back has a quick how to and lighting diagram.

The basket ball on the top on this post, for example, was shot like this

The thing I like best about the cards, is that Zeke did not actually take the shots. Those were taken from the Strobist pool. (Although, I wish he'd used some of his own work). For each card, Zeke interviewed the photographer and came up with a precise excerpt of the setup, lighting info and any hack or trick employed in the making of the cards.

So in a way, this deck represents the cumulative effort of 24 photographers from all over the online community. It nice to see the world getting smaller and ideas being shared across physical boundaries.

The other thing which scored a review here on DIYP is the large amount of tricks shown in the deck. From using long exposure and a cheapo halogen light to create a huge softbox through using window blinds as cookies and even using peppers (you'll have to get the deck to find out about the peppers) - just tons of tricks that fits right into the DIY spirit.

Lastly, I like them because they are cards, you can stick 'em in your pocket and read on the bus. On the cashier line at your local grocery, well you get the point. They're small and fun.

Related Links:

- Strobist Favorites Gallery Volume 1