See this exploding grape picture? it was taken using a method called high-speed-photography. Yup, this is the same image type as those exploding balloons, squashed tomatoes and bullet shots. The idea is to capture a tiny moment in time, so tiny in fact, that you will not see it with your bar eyes. Trying to capture a flying bullet is not trivial, you can read about the general setup here.[Read More…]
DIY – High Speed Photography at Home
How to take photos like the one you are seeing here. It’s a glass of Champaign, being shot with a BB gun. You can use this technique to take picture of exploding things like tomatoes, watter balloons, watermelons, or even you Canon camera as you smash it against a wall for not understanding the menus (Sorry, could not resist…) [Read More…]
DIY – Sound Trigger for the Sigma EF-500 Flash
This article will describe my home made sound trigger electronic kit.
I use this circuit kit to take high speed photos like the nice tomato splash shown here (more about high speed photography setups). This circuit is not complicated and the total cost is low so it is even suitable as your first electronics kit.[Read More…]
The Sigma EF-500 flash – Light duration vs. output power
The measurements in the below table help to illustrate the amount of time that the flash is emitting light in each of its various power setting. This time is crucial when taking high speed photos.
Measurements were done with a Photo-diode, oscilloscope set to 50ohm.
| 1/1 Output power | |
| 1/2 Output power |  |
| 1/4 Output power |  |
| 1/8 Output power |  |
| 1/16 Output power |  |
| 1/32 Output power |  |
| 1/64 Output power |  |
| 1/128 Output power |  |
contributed by Karsten Stroemvig (aka Lullaby)
DIY – Release Cable for Canon DSLRs
This is a very simple diagram and instructions for building a shutter release cable for a canon DSLR.
Cable release is that thingamajig you use when you want to activate your camera, but you do not want to touch it. Why would you want t do this? I can think of two reasons: 1 – you do not want to move the camera by pressing the shutter release button. And 2 – you need to stand away from the camera. Compared with Cannon’s RS60 E3 this is a real nice deal.[Read More…]
Take Infrared (IR) Pictures With Your Digital Camera
In this article, I will show you how to make a cheap infrared (IR) filter for your digital camera out of bits and pieces such as cardboard rolls, electrical tape, and some black processed photographic film (old negatives). This is just getting a brand new Hoya R72 IR filter for free.
The idea for this project came while researching IR light. When I discovered unexposed processed film made an effective IR filter, I literally had to put my house upside down to fish out some old negatives. Sadly, I also destroyed the zoom motor on my trusty Canon A60 by making a case that was too tight. You will see I have included several warnings here to prevent you from making the same mistake! I am now the proud (and poorer) owner of a brilliant Canon A710…[Read More…]
It’s raining DIY Beauty Dishes
Following my post on home made beauty dishes, I got mails with tons of follow up to this beauty dish. Heck, most were much better then my original idea (and no, I am not sure they even saw my post before making their own beauty dishes). Some did better construction, some did better finish, some gave better explanations, and some just did the same, but cooler.[Read More…]
Taking pictures of paintings
Brian Edmonds writes:
I am trying to take pictures of paintings in my studio. I am having trouble with hot spots and dead spots. I have tried angling the lights but I get a little of both. I am using a canon digital camera that allows for changing settings but only has the snapshot flash. I would also like to take these digital pictures and turn them into slides. I know there are companies that do this do you have any suggestions?
I have read your blog entries but do not know which suggestion applies to me. I am an amateur photographer but I can usually manipulate things enough to get by. My studio has natural light fluorescent bulbs. Should I try to use these lights in combo with the angled lights or should I try to use only the angled lights?
Thank you in advance.
Truly frustrated,
Brian Edmonds
Hi Brian,
Taking pictures of paintings is a tricky subject. While it looks simple when thinking of it, going into the practical setup can be rather tricky.
There are a few setups you can use to take picture of painting. I think that the easiest way is to take your pictures out side to a shady location and take the shots.
If you insist on taking the shots in a studio (and I can see a few reasons for insisting so) here are my recommendations.
- Use a tripod. Even if you are using a flash, and can go to high shooting speeds, using a tripod will help you verify that your camera is completely parallel to the painting.
- You can use the setup up suggested in the diagram below. It has two strobes with umbrellas. If you don’t have two strobes you can use continuous lighting, just make sure you use the correct white balance – use a gray card.
I have left angle "A" as a "variable" as it depends on the size of your painting. For small painting I’d go with "traditional" 45 degrees. For larger paintings I’d use a wider angle. When playing around with angles make sure that the strobes are not angled too wide. This will cause the light to skim your painting, reducing brightness and creating uneven lighting (brighter on the edges). Also make sure that both strobes are set t the same output levels and positioned in the same distance from the painting.
Best of Luck,
Udi
DIY – Continuous Ink Systems
Some how, back in February of 2006, I found out about Continuous Ink Systems (CIS) and begin my search. I came across a man selling what I deemed to be a good system to try on E-Bay, and through a few emails, discovered he lived just up the street from me. I bought my first CIS from him within a week.
A CIS supplies “phony” cartridges with ink continuously from large reservoirs out side the printer with silicon tubing. The average home printer cartridge holds only 8-15ml of ink, and the CIS I bought comes pre loaded with 100ml of ink in each color container. That’s a lot of cartridges worth of ink![Read More…]
RSS confusion
Hi DIY-ers,
There has been a confusion with my shared hosting, and some RSS feed were redirected to another site. I have fixed the problem, thanks for understanding,
Udi
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