Hey John can you tell how hi your ceiling are please they dont look that high but nice pic i was alway told you should have 12 foot ....lam would like to make a studio in my basement but only have 71/2 feet do you think it to low
goalie wrote:
Hey John can you tell how hi your ceiling are please they dont look that high but nice pic i was alway told you should have 12 foot ....lam would like to make a studio in my basement but only have 71/2 feet do you think it to low
goalie
rhrocker wrote:
Dennysb, that's a great idea, thanks for sharing. Currently I have a set of 3 small "tents" (I posted about them on the preceeding page), but have some Ailien Bees on the way(already have 2 rols of seamless) , and will expand to start photographing larger objects (products, not live people shots). You did a good job on the lighting.
Thx rhrocker,
The trick for me on still photography (lighting) is to use a light meter (Sekonic L-358), always shoot on manual and get a customize white balance first. It also helps that I'm using the best canon kept secret. the EF 50mm 1.8 II.
I first saw this thread a few weeks ago right after I’d torn down my “studio” after shooting a part to post in a forum as part of a question. Every time I see this thread, I think of setting it all up again in order to take a shot of my fantastic studio to post here, so here it is. Cardboard box on top of a step ladder. White foam board to set object on. Light left attached to treadmill that had to be moved out of the way for the setup. Light right sitting on top of two cardboard boxes that are sitting on top of couch. I placed a small airplane model under the lights for this “studio” shot, as the part I originally photographed is no longer at the house. Some day when I get around to enlarging this room, some real lights will be purchased. In the meantime, I read the lighting forum a lot, but rarely post.
DSallee wrote:
You mentioned a few pages back about "tethering" your camera for instant diagnoses of lighting effects on pics... I'm assuming this is to a PC which captures images at the time of the photo... you mentioned most Canon's have this capability.. do you or anyone here know if the Canon 20D has this capability?? I am planning this purchase next month and think this feature would greatly increase my learning process in lighting/posing...
Dave
Hi Dave,
I apologize that I missed your question earlier and I've been away from the boards for a few days.
Yes, tethering attaches the camera to a PC or a Mac (i used to use an HP Laptop, but now tether to a 17" Mac Bowerbook.) The images come up on the computer screen within a few seconds of taking the shot.
From what I can see, the Canon 20D supports tethered shooting with the Canon software that ships with the camera.
That's my setup exactly, though I couldn't spring for a foam board and have to use the back of a poster (white) which curves up at the back for that nice graduated look
The treadmill is a nice touch, good to see one getting some use..lol.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread, thnx everyone for posting their studio pics.
I'm not sure about the 20D but I have tethered my DRebel, the software comes with the camera it's very simple to use and you can use the PC to activate the shutter, etc...
I found it very helpful, I never seem to get a good enough read from the camera LCD to make sure focus, lighting, etc... is right.
JohnE wrote:
Excellent results Dennys. It just shows how much skill with your tools means more than the amount or quality of all the hardware. Very nice.
John
Wow John, You know how much I admire your work, so the fact you think I am doing something right, means a lot.
You guys are so inspiring. Your work amazes me and I can only dream! I can't wait to get lights, but alas I must. I'm excited to get lights and backdrops someday though. For now I'm using the KISS method.
My lighting setup--Sun/two four dollar construction lamps. :-(
My studio--posterboard and various backgrounds--brand "mother nature". :-(
Some of my pictures using these methods:
Kids Sun/Mother Nature
Dog--Sun/Mother Nature
Cat--$4 lamp handheld by child
Blue Bowl--Sun/background--black velvet skirt draped on barbecue
PS, I know the cropping on the kids is "off" but I was still pretty new to photog when I took it. But I LOVED the light so thought I'd share. There's nothing like a cloudy day with field burning for great pictures (and asthma attacks). :-)
I have been following your posts and I really like your PS treatment of your photos. They never look over PS even when the intention is to make them look very different from a "normal" shoot.
You probably have explained your technique before, but would you mind telling us how do you do the effects for the first picture.
By the way that cat must be a professional model lol , great capture - my favorite pic of the series.
Hi Dennys! The cat is actually queen of the universe--but she's pretty coopertive for the camera. I was happy with that shot myself. :-) That shot required very little PS aside from color conversion. Bless animals and their fur versus our blotchy/wrinkly skin!
I think I have about 5000 different work flows for doing photos. :-) I think the reason that so many are similar looking despite the varied treatments is that my taste is for that particular "look". Soft but not Dreamy FX is how I describe it!
The one of my kids was done on the horridly complicated but still "useful if you're broke" GIMP software. The tutorial was very compicated--overly so if you ask me. But I used it for quite some time. It gives a very "light" look to photos and I might go back to it come summertime shooting because it does lend something a little unusual, especially for outdoor shots. It really is good for preserving detail in key areas like the eyes. I had it down where I could do it very quickly, but now I've forgotten. The tutorial is here though and all steps are available in PS: http://www.gimpguru.org/Tutorials/SoftPortrait/
Now I use several different methods. Two filters I use are Radiant in VP but I really mess with the preset levels to customize it. I also use my newest soft focus from Power Retouche.
And my newest favorite method is to make a duplicate layer. I then severaly soften the top layer with a very heavy handed Gaussian blur and tweak the opacity until I get something I like. Sometimes I'll use "overlay" or "softlight" blending modes. I used to blur the bottom instead of the top, but then realized it's convenient to have the bottom be your sharp layer so you can erase through on key parts like catchlights. This was the method I used on the picture of my son fishing that had the "dreamy" look. Sometimes when using this method I apply a radiant filter on the guassian blur layer only, which produces nice color impact. Sometimes I'll actually desaturate the other layer to soften the color impact. It kind of varies according to the picture.
Wow, that was long winded and you're probably sorry you asked! Thanks for the comments. I love those shots of your wife by the way. She's so darned pretty! :-) You captured her very well.
SKMDC said "Soft but not Dreamy FX is how I describe it" when he was talking about the looks in his pictures. He's right. I think he does a great job of it too! Thanks also Skmdc for the links to show how to soften photos. I'm in a learning curve with PS CS, and enjoyed knowing the work flow.
I want to thank each of you for the wonderful information you supplied in this thread. I spent a few hours reading all and loved it, have to say I learned a lot and will come back and reread much here!
John, many said you should write a book, I agree with all of them but do understand the time involved. I want to thank you for the key chapters you supplied here in this internet boook!
I have a small tip to pass on. A while back I looked into buying a mini boom with stand, the price was a bit high so I started to think what else would work as a boom....for under $20 I found the answer, mike stands! I bought two at BestBuy and they worked out great, not only as a mini boom stand but to hold my home made large reflectors (used clamps to hold em).
One day very sooon I'll snap a few shots of my tiny studio to post here.
the EF 50mm 1.8 II.
