DIYPhotography.net

I've had it happen when I heard a veteran photog telling another, "This one? You cannot do this one, you don't have the gear".

Now, as the name of the site suggests, this is not what I consider a good answer. A better answer would be a breakdown of the shoot, trying to get some understanding of what is a must for it, what gear is needed and how can we make up for the gear we don't have. Maybe with another piece of gear; maybe in post; and maybe by changing one of the underlying assumptions that we initially had when thinking about the shoot.

Photographer Scott Bourke (flickr) shows this exact king of thinking in his Sportraits session. There is a nice how to video and then some thoughts. I'd love to hear your take on dealing with gear shortage in the comments. Click to continue ›

If you read this blog long enough, you know I am a big fan of small strobes. They are portable, relatively cheap, can squeeze some intense light and great for on the go. Key words for this post are relatively cheap.

While you can buy used SBs on eBay for a bit over $100 or a LumoPro for a similar price, you are still in for more than a $100 for lights.

Just saw photog Andy Game setup which has a great answer to the money issue. Click to continue ›

Mechanical Mashup is a site to my taste. It is a new and fresh pod/video cast thing with great DIY tutorials. Lots of Photography, but also other fun hacks and ideas for the DIY lovers. And to top sugar with chocolate, you got to love those guys attitude.

One of their latest creations is a video describing how to build a PVC and coroplast continuous light system. (Videos, yup plurals,  after the jump). Click to continue ›

The following guest post was written by Ron Horner, a Photographer and a DIYer extraordiner.

This morning my employer came into work and wanted my help in doing a portraiture shoot of his daughter and her family this afternoon. Of course I agreed as he is a rank amateur and needs all the help that he can get with his Nikon D80 and SB600 flash.

I thought that it would be a simple one light bounce flash shoot but when he showed up three hours before the shoot with a new umbrella and wanted lessons on studio photography at the same time, things got interesting. He had only bought the umbrella, no umbrella holder or stand and had no idea about what was involved. The stand was no problem, I just had to make a short drive across the city to get my tripod but the holder was a different proposition. Click to continue ›

In this post you will find a collection of really (and I mean really) cheap alternatives to pro lighting.

Will you get the same crisp results that you get with pro gear? Probably just an approximation. On the other hand none of those mods cost more than a nickel and a dime, so it is well worth the try.

Click to continue ›

As part of the ongoing Studio @ Home series, I asked DIYP readers, what is your favorite photographic light. 

By that question I meant what is the light source you love most when you are taking pictures. Strobists you can cheer, but it was a close match. Again, thanks for all who voted and commented, it helps us learn about the trends, and makes a great community feeling.

Results and some thought after the jump.

Click to continue ›

While I've done some considerable efforts to disconnect the Gordian knot between bodily functions and lighting, my efforts are futile once and again.

Visit Tony's excellent picture tutorial for the quickest toilet gridspot ever.

Click image for larger version on flickr

Of course, you can always make your snoot in a more conventional way - with a cooling grid or coroplast (or heavens forbid, buy one).

Click to continue ›

On the last installment of S@H lighting we covered the usage of LEDs as a light source. While LEDs give you great control over your light, there was something missing. Power. The next step up with lighting can be using work-lights.

Click to continue ›

After doing nothing but moving pausing for a short while to let everyone suck in the goods on Studio @ Home, we're going to continue to explore lighting options. We already discussed LED lights, and we'll be exploring worklights, strobes and big guns next. Till then, I'd love to hear what you use for lighting your pictures. 

If your answer is not on the list, let us know via the comments.

The other thing is that we are going to have a new assignment on S@H. get your cameras ready. And now on with the entrée. 

RSS readers, you may have to click the link to vote and view results. 

Click to continue ›

The following article is a guest post by Ilya Titov, a photographer and web designer, who also runs a great blog at blog.webboggles.com.

Are you a photographer who needs to take dozens of high quality photographs every day?

Are you a designer who has to process the above? - I am both, and I cheated.

Well, not really, I just optimized the way I go about achieving the target outcome. I dothis by using a home grown illuminated light table (or slope). Read on for full details.

Click to continue ›