DIYPhotography

Going From Bedroom To Studio To Bedroom In 108 Seconds

May 19, 2009 by Udi Tirosh 1 Comment

Photographer James Burger walks us through a 108 seconds journey of converting his bedroom into a studio and back. And he does that stop motion, no less. (If you are reading this via RSS, you may want to click the post to see the full vid).

More after the jump.

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Studio @ Home – Intro

May 18, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

Welcome to Studio @ Home.

After three years and some change that this site is running I am getting a lot of feedback that makes me think that some order is needed.

True, over the last few years we’ve covered almost any aspect of home photography on a budget going through backdrops, light modifiers, and camera tweaks that will make your life easier when going on this long journey of getting a home studio. However, all the info was scattered all over wisely spread across the time line.

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Attach Your Camera To…. Anything

May 12, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

It is not a secret that I am a big fan of using 1/4″ bolts on just about anything to create ad-hoc tripods.

However, this one by Brian Green tops them all.

Brian is the type of guy that hikes, bikes and generally enjoys the good life (I mean the really good life, not the ones that you enjoy on the couch watching Lost).[Read More…]

DIYP Readers Products Favs

May 9, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

Every once in a while I like to have a look at the orders coming in via DIYP Amazon links.

Not only it make me proud that you help support the site by buying stuff via the DIYP Amazon link (it costs the same, but a small portion of the sale goes to support DIYP), but it help me see what are the trends in buying books accessories and cameras.

Here is the list of popular items as of today (May, 2009) with some commentary inline.

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Get Your Flash 100% On Axis With Umbrella

May 4, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

OK, So if you look at the title and say ??@?#?$%%$@, it’s time for a little umbrella-holder intro.

Umbrella holder AKA umbrella swivel is a piece of equipment that is meant to attach a small strobe to a light stand. They come in verity of prices and flavors, but one thing is common to all. They have a hole on the bottom to connect to the light stand on one end and a metal stud / hot shoe / cold shoe that attaches to a small flash on the other end.

Wait – didn’t you say they are called umbrella holders? Well, yes – this is because they also have a dedicated shaft to insert an umbrella, either reflective or shoot through.

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Four Things You Can Do With Gels Plus A Photogels Bonus

May 3, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

Our friend Mason over at photogels.com is giving a 15% discount for gel packs for DIYP readers.

If you wonder what Gels are good for, and what the heck you can do with those awesome combo packs, read on. There are many great uses for them gel sheets. Here are my favorite four:

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Voice Activated Lightstands

May 2, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

There are times when setting up for a shot is not an option. Take the annual family gathering picnic for example. 8 adults, 6 kids and a dog. Everyone is food-focused and no one is photo-op oriented. Also (as you can see on the left) no one is willing to stand still, even for a second.

This is why setting up for a shot is nearly impossible. Well, not impossible – strobes can be tied up (or gaffertaped, or spiderred) to trees. However this solution will provide harsh light. I was looking for something softer.

The obvious option is to shoot with no – trust good old available light. This is a good option and many great moments can be captured using available light. Yet, there is another option, such that will allow you to use off camera flash even in the toughest situations.

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Speed Links for 04-29-2009

April 29, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

This edition of speedlinks is pretty DIY centric. We’ll cover huge boom stands, gaffer tape holder surprise, flash gel holder thingy, some wacky flash diffusers and more.

If you like those tiny bites of the web, you can take a look at the bottom right corner where I post the links as I find them (and befriend me on Delicious), or you can watch my stumbles on stumbleupon.

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Taking A Huge Image With No Camera

April 25, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

Going back to the old days where digital was not even heard of and 35mm might have been a related kin of the .45″. Yet they took pictures. They did is using Camera Obscura (Dark Chamber).

The basic pinhole is a really simple – it is a shoe box with a small hole on one end and a sheet of sketching paper on the other end. In fact is it so simple that some scientists speculate that it was the first evolutionary step for the (infinitely complex) human eye.

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It’s All In The Cards

April 21, 2009 by Udi Tirosh Leave a Comment

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.

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