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8 Reasons To Do A DIY Photography Project

Oct 7, 2014 by Laya Gerlock 9 Comments

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I started photography about 6 years ago. I was doing a 365 day project in flickr when I saw all the great strobist shots people were taking. I wanted to give it a try but I only had one sb-24 speedlight (it’s a 1988 flash) and no light modifiers whatsoever so I needed to DIY my own lights.

I remember the first DIY project that I made, it was a 1 foot  x 1 foot  softbox made out of illustration board and tracing paper. After that I used a silver umbrella and a white shower curtain to create my own studio look and after that was history in the making.

So here are my 8 reasons why you’d wanna do a DIY project

1. When you have more time than money… it’s cheap

You get to save a lot of money by doing your own DIYs, sometimes even more than 80% of the cost by buying branded stuff and still get the same result

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I made a triflector using an old music stand and it only cost me $29.

2. The comfort of your own home, You get to stay in your Jammies

Let’s face it, the world is getting more dangerous by the moment, and security is tight when shooting outdoors so rather than scouting a place where you can shoot why don’t you make your own backdrop inside your home or studio.

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I used Galvanized iron steel for a background in my studio

3. Not in the US? Not all lighting gear is available overseas

Some things are not available in local stores that you see in the web, if you order it internationally you pay 2x the price of the product plus paying extra for tax so its easier to just DIY your own.

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A Diy honeycomb snoot and ringflash using illustration boards.

4. Some lighting equipment and modifiers can’t be bought of the market

If you need something specific that manufactures haven’t made yet – There are some lighting products that you just have to DIY because it’s not really available anywhere else.

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Using flourescent tubes to create your own lighting modifier.

5. Bringing creativity and inspiration back

From time to time I get bored of doing the same stuff over and over again. I get my creativity and inspiration back when I create my own equipment. For me photography is more interesting when I do creative stuff like this.

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2nd hand wood to create backdrops for food photography

6. Weekend project (+ kids)

It’s a great weekend project to make something out of scratch and also quite fun to do. You can also do it with family and friends and have a great bonding time. and Trust me! It feels good to finish a project and use it.

The very first DIY studio I made, out of a white shower curtain and a normal umbrella taped to a tripod.

The very first DIY studio I made, out of a white shower curtain and a normal umbrella taped to a tripod.

7. Got some items thrown around? Use them to create amazing shots

It feels good to use normal items and get amazing shots out of it, like using an illustration board or granite tile.

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I used one piece of illustration board and one light to shoot this

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A normal piece of granite tile to create some outstanding shots

8. Get Featured in DIYP / shameless plug ;)

Last but the least is if you DIY something and you think it is worthy to share around the world, just message us and get a chance to be featured in an international website.

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You’ve been doing DIY this  whole time even if you did not realize it :) from creating backdrops through making props to a base for your subjects, so why stop now? DIYing  is a very fun and interesting thing to do! Share with us!

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

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Default ThumbnailThe Best DIY Project Of Them All – Your Project How I built this low budget DIY set for my recent photography project Default Thumbnail365 Reasons To Do A 365 Photo Project DIY Project: Wood Table For Product Photography

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: DIY, illustration board, inspiration, project, reasons

Laya Gerlock: from diyphotography.net

About Laya Gerlock

Laya Gerlock is a Portrait and Product photographer based in the Philippines. His passion is teaching and sharing his knowledge in Photograpy and has been doing this for 6 years. You can follow his work on his web page, follow him on Flickr and if you happen to come by Cubao, Quezon City (To Manila, Philippines) he gives a great workshop!

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