On the previous post we build all the circuitry needed for complete control over high speed setups and today we will put it to the test. We will recreate one of the images previously done on DIYP (and has been in the title for this series). Click to continue ›
I thought that the paper craft pinhole camera we pasted a wile back was as cool as it gets. Turns out, I could not be wronger. (yea, I know wronger is wronger). Click to continue ›
If you have not noticed DIYP is big on semi-made/semi-DIY photography projects. And we are also big on pinhole. This is why we absolutely love this Pinhole/DIY/Camera project.
The Blinky is a self-assemble DIY Pinhole lens made from cardboard. Similarly to the Paper Fold Pinhole, the film chamber is kept shut with a rubber band. (Did I say this kit is genius yet?) and the film is wound with a wooden peg.
The Blinky site does not say how much each kit costs, but they provide a mail for contact. Click to continue ›
Eeeeveryboy loves Bullet Time. Bullet Time is that magical moment in a movie when everything freezes and the camera makes a circle or a semi circle around an object. I guess it is called bullet time cuz the camera moves at the speed of a bullet.
By now, you probably know that this effect is achieved with a battery of stills camera that will set you back a small house. To achieve Bullet Time, the photographers (or Bullet time specialist) places cameras in a circle and use both a green screen and clever triggering software.
The big number of cameras are used to maintain smooth motion as the point of view moves from one camera to another.
The Triggering mechanism is used to trigger the camera one after the other in very close succession, so it would seem like time is still flowing while the POV changes.
And the green screens is used to eliminate any interference and gain control over the set.
Or..... You could crowd source it all. Click to continue ›
On our last post we built and used a sound trigger to shoot a crossbow shoots an egg, today we add a photo gate trigger and shoot things falling.
After using the original trigger circuits for quite a while, I decided to make some improvements and to amalgamate the various devices into one, and to finally "hard wire" the whole lot. My excuse was that while I was incorporating the improvements I could rationalize the kit, but to be honest this was a bit of a vanity project. The finished control box is better, and much more versatile, and has enough knobs and switches to impress the unwary, but functionally the quick-and-easy separate circuits are just as good!
So, you can treat this post as a bit of a vanity project too, and skip it completely unless you are a inveterate tinkerer yourself! Click to continue ›
On our last post we saw what high speed triggers are available, on this post we will build our first trigger and and take the very first high speed photo.
I started doing high-speed photography after being wowed by images I saw on the Filckr. Images made by hobbyists like me. As a very experimental (purely for fun) activity, I wasn't about to commit large amounts of money to it. Click to continue ›
After posting the big Macro tutorial, I thought it would be interesting to see what extreme macroists (yea, it's a new word) use to get those super detailed shots.
I was surprised by the amount of ingenuity compared to the amount of High end gear (hint more of the first, less of the second). This just goes to show that even with what you may consider highly specialized areas like macro, you can still make some pretty darn good pictures if you accept the lack of money as a creative constraint rather than a wall of bricks. Click to continue ›
On our last post we went through the basic ideas of capturing a high speed photograph, and today we will cover some of the basic triggers and kits available to play the high speed game.
So, we need a small and preferably cheap electronic gizmo that will be triggered when an event such as a passing cherry or a popping balloon occurs. We need it to then fire a flash unit, or even the camera shutter for slowish events like a bird taking off. (The camera can then fire the flash in the normal way that cameras do!) The range of triggers – and sensors for the various types of event - is quite extensive now. Click to continue ›
We have done quite a bit of High Speed Photography here on DIYP, but never took it from a step by step approach starting with the basics and moving up to elaborate setups. This is going to change today.
Starting today, and for every Monday in the next few weeks, high speed photographer Brian Davies is going to go show us the ropes on high speed photography. Brian is just your ordinary guy who loves to play with high speed, so the series is not going to be exclusive for lots-of-gear-super-techy-rich photographers, it is also aimed at the entry level togs who want to get some hands on with high speed. Actually there is very little that you would need other than a camera, a strobe, and a tripod to start with. All the high speed electronics can be DIYed if you have some basic soldering skills, or bought if you have a bit of extra green in your pocket. (Actually, for the triggers we show in this series, no soldering is neeed, they are on breadboard based).
And now, I step off and give the floor to Brian. Click to continue ›
If taking high end macro shots of insects strikes you as hard, how about upping the level by taking the pictures while insects are in buzzing around mid-flight. Too easy you say. Let do this 3D.
Photographer and designer Frans Fotoopa (photo grandpa) built a monster futuristic camera rig that does just that. Taking 3D images of fast flying insects in mid air. Click to continue ›
