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The “A.I.R” = Affordable Inflatable Reflector
There are already a lot of DIY reflector designs out there, which are built of PVC tubes and are definitely great: cheap, easy to build, effective and often collapsible. But there is a drawback: the length of the tubes limits the minimal size of the disassembled reflector.
Tobi Troendle created the A.I.R reflector. Aside from having a cool name it also folds to nothing.
So, you are here reading the second part of the Studio @ Home series. This is good; it means that you want to take better pictures. But have you stopped a minute to think why do I even need a studio? At Home? While most of us have a good intuition about it, and we feel that a studio will help us take better pictures (at least of some specific kinds), I would like to suggest several reasons to move from sporadic art driven shooting to studio environment. Still no DIY on this post, but I will lay the grounds for most ideas that will follow up on this series of articles.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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