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Use stencils like this photographer to create original light painted fine art photography

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The world of light painting is infinite it seems. It can involve anything from sweeping epic landscapes with light painted buildings, right down to macro shots done indoors. One artist has developed a fascinating technique of using stencils to create her beautiful images.

Brazilian photographer and multimedia artist Juliana Lauletta has been using this stencil technique for years, honing it into a fine craft. She spoke to DIYP about where she gets her inspiration, and generously shares her tips for making your own light-painted artwork.

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Build this portrait studio at home for under $20

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Whether we’re in lockdown or not, it’s always great to have the option of shooting high-quality photos at home. And it’s even better if we can do it on the cheap. In this video, Pye Jirsa teams up with Adorama to show you how to create a portrait studio at your own home for under $20.

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Here is a simple $20 studio you can set up anywhere

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If you plan to set up a home studio, there can be a lot of things on your mind and on your to-buy list. But what if I told you that you could make it so much simpler? In fact, you can set up a studio anywhere with just a few props and for some $20. Pye Jirsa teamed up with Adorama to show you an idea for a photo studio you can set up at your home or anywhere else and get professional-looking results on a budget.

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DIY backdrops for home shoots and lighting setup

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Bored of being stuck indoors yet? Shooting against the same white background all the time can get tiresome, so why not switch it up with some creative DIY alternatives.

Early on in my photographic career, I spent literally thousands of hours photographing subjects in front of white walls. This was an incredibly popular look in the 90’s as we moved away from the grey and brown cloudy backdrops of the 1980’s, but times are changing once again as we tire of the stark and clinical look of a pure white backdrop.

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Cheap DIY system for controlling daylight in your studio

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One of the advantages of artificial lighting is that you can control it and direct it as you like. Controlling daylight is another story. It’s not so easy to increase it or reduce it to your liking, especially not to be super-precise with it. Koldunov Brothers have come up with a clever DIY solution for adjusting the amount of natural light in your studio. It seems pretty simple to make, it takes very little investment and a bit of your good will.

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Tips and tricks for building a DIY home studio on a budget

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Building a studio in your home is the dream for many photographers. Assuming you can convince the rest of your family it’s a good idea, it can even become a reality. For those just getting into studio photography, building a home studio may be an afterthought to a home you already own. You may be very limited on space, so how can you make the most of it?

In this video, photographer Joe Edelman walks us through his home studio. While many of us might not be able to dedicate the space that Joe has, there’s always ways to make things feel bigger than they are. Joe shows us some of his space saving tips, as well as props and tools which serve multiple functions. No matter how large or small your studio, there are always ways to optimise your space and workflow.

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A step by step tutorial on building an IKEA beauty dish

I converted an IKEA lamp to a beauty dish a while ago and I was surprised of the result. I found a description when I was looking for other things and got curious if that really would work. I decided to try and I bought one at a visit to IKEA. But the one I bought was in aluminium finish and not white as the one below.

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How To Take A Classic Three Light Studio Portrait With Hardware Store LED Light Bulbs

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When I was getting started with photography, I knew that I had to learn how to light a subject indoors, but I couldn’t afford studio strobes – or even a hot shoe flash.

I ended up learning how to use artificial light by re-purposing a set of three 500 watt halogen work lights.  They turned a room into a sauna, constantly blew fuses and occasionally melted down my DIY light mods, but they taught me how to visualize light.

So when I was putting together my second studio lighting class at Skillshare, I though that it would be fun to return to my roots and photograph a classic three light studio portrait using hardware store LED light bulbs.

In this article I will show you how its done.

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Create an Epic DIY Battery Charging Station For Your Gear

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Charging batteries is an everyday part of the 21st-century photographer’s life.  While we shared earlier today how to prevent a battery fire, this little bit of awesome may do just the opposite.  (Okay, so, not really…)

The video production team at Vimeo put together a great tutorial on how they constructed the most epic battery charging station in recent history.

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Brooke Shaden Explains How To Light Portraits With Nothing But A House Lamp

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Brooke Shaden is the kind of inventive photographer who prefers to do-it-herself rather than spends wheelbarrows of money on expensive studio lighting and modifiers. Instead, Shaden challenges us to get creative with what resources we have available to us. In this case, it was one or two basic house lamps from Ikea. (And if you really want to get elaborate with your set up, she also explains how to use a tissue to diffuse the light from the lamps.)[Read More…]

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