Photography Basics
View allAll Photos Tagged howto
"E mi venne in mente che non esiste
nessun manuale che parli del problema essenziale (...): tenere a quello che si fa. Questo è considerato di
scarsa importanza, o viene dato per scontato.
(...)
vedere se questa strana separazione tra quello che l’uomo fa e quello che l’uomo è
potrebbe aiutarci a capire che cosa diavolo è andato storto in questo ventesimo secolo..."
Questo brano è tratto dal romanzo di R. Pirsig "Lo Zen e l’arte della
manutenzione della motocicletta" (ed.: Adelphi).
Fill the blender about 2/3 full of water. Be kind to yourself and let the water temperature be between tepid and bathwater warm, no need to go plunging your hands into cold water.
This shot is one in a series about engraving stones and tiles using a sandblaster.
Full description of the sandblasting process here: buildmakecraftbake.com/2009/03/how-to-tuesday-sandblastin...
Edit: I have an update here!
Some people have asked me how I take photos of my pots, so the notes in this picture should cover everything I know! The light setup and backdrop cost me less than $100. I shoot with a Nikon D80 using either a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens or the Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro, but you could shoot with anything that you can mount to a tripod. I keep the F/stop at F/13 to get the biggest field of depth without worrying about sensor size diffraction.
Getting a decent backdrop is pretty critical. Pots don't look right unless they're against a gradient backdrop. If a pot is on a flat color then it looks like it's floating in the air. A gradient grounds the pot. I shoot against a "thunder gray" Flotone backdrop from B&H. The smaller backdrop will barely accommodate my larger platters. The Flotone backdrop is beautiful, but it scratches easily. I figure I can get away with taking photos of thirty or forty pots before I need to replace the backdrop.
I intentionally use harsh lighting-- you may want to soften yours. An easy (but flammable) way is to tape sheets of white copy paper over the lamp shells. I've done this for brief stints, but I wouldn't do this for extended periods of time. I use harsh lighting because my pots are often very shiny in areas and very matte others. I like to bring this out by emphasizing the light reflection on the shiny parts. I used to shoot in a light tent and I found the resulting photos rather boring.
The final result is: www.flickr.com/photos/searleb/2133181112/. My setup is always changing as I need to photograph new and different pots!
Good luck, and if you try this technique, let me know!
-Brian
Some of you asked me about the lockers which I built for the Star Wars Crew Room: flic.kr/p/2gShdgj
It isn't that complicated, I used SNOT brackets. The technic bricks are necessary to attach the lockers to the wall.
Just realized this is possible and wanted to keep it for future reference, as I have no direct need for it now. Hope others find it useful too. This should allow for reasonably decent angled stripes too because you could continue to go diagonal with multiple 2x2s, 3x3s or 4x4s in a row.
There are slight gaps, but not large enough to fill with ½ plate elements. Those gaps can be used as subtle greebling, so it's not that bad if you can make it work for you.
Note I did not have a 3x3 plate at hand but it's not required: the solution shown here is one plate higher than a single 3x3 plate would be. If you want to cover things with tiles, the extra plate height is unavoidable for 3x3 and 4x4 anyway.
You can do this with larger wedge plates too, obviously.
This shot is one in a series about engraving stones and tiles using a sandblaster.
Full description of the sandblasting process here: buildmakecraftbake.com/2009/03/how-to-tuesday-sandblastin...
Have you ever tried using Adobe Photoshop only to end up in a total state of confusion?
One minute you’re adding a layer mask and the next, you’re rolling around in a sobbing heap on the floor with your computer on fire? We’ve all been there. It’s not just you.
Relax and breathe a sigh of relief because ‘Photoshop For Morons‘ is finally here.
www.fototripper.com/store/photoshop-for-morons-hd-video-t...
Well, this is how I do it anyway... there are programs that will do it for you as well but I don't have any of those. Do give it a try, it's quite addictive.
A rather basic How-To on how I hacked a Mamiya RB67 to take a 35mm film canister:
1) Get the barrel of a Biro. Confirm that it fits in to the holes at either end of a 35mm film canister.
2) Cut two short lengths off the barrel. You'll have to eye-ball the lengths. You may want to specifically cut lengths that will put the 35mm film right at the top or bottom of the plate. Mine is a little way down from the top, to make sure the full height of the film was exposed, but also lead to some of my framing not coming out as expected.
3) File slots in to both ends of both of your peices of barrel. The slots mean that you can push the barrel further in to the 35mm canister, meaning it is held in place more firmly. The slots at the other ends should be wide/deep enough to sit on the lugs where the 120 film roll usually goes.
4) Put it all together, and pull the film over the plate, and around the take-up spindle, just like a normal 120 film.
5) Make a mental note of where on the back plate the film is sitting. When taking photos, remember that the image is top-bottom reversed in the camera, so if the film is sitting along the bottom of the plate, it will expose the top of the image you see in the view-finder.
6) As you wind the film on, you may find that the frame-counter does not advance. This means you have to flick the mechanical lever that is usually used to allow you to perform multiple exposures, just to make the camera let you expose a frame. This does then mean you don't have that lock-out protection, so you have to be quite systematic to avoid accidental double-exposures. Other people have reported that the frame-counter still works fine, meaning you don't have to fiddle with the mutli-exposure lever.
7) When the film is finished (I got about 16 exposures on a 36-exposure 35mm film) you need to unload it IN THE DARK, either in a dark room, or with the cartidge in a dark bag. Simply pop the 35mm cannister and the take-up spool off the lugs and manually wind the film back in to the cannister. You might want to practice this bit with a duff film in the light, so that you know what you're doing in the dark.
Hope someone finds this helpful!
Hacía tiempo que no subía nada a Flickr. Aprovecho para subir la foto que ilustra el artículo sobre cómo hacer fotos de gotas de agua de dZoom.
Es muy sencillo. ¡ Animaros !
[STEP 1]
Take an empty 120 spool (I'm sure you have a few lying around; you know, from the B&W film you developed on your own, or when you respooled a 120 onto a 620 spool?), and mod as seen here.
First, saw off the part in red. Then, carefully carve out the parts in blue so that you get something like what you see on the left. I did all of this with an Exacto knife set I bought at an art supply store. The saw worked for the red portion, and one of the carving knives worked well for the blue portions.
Note that the width of the two "forks" has to be much narrower than it originally is. See where I've carved it down where the two arrows are.
The length of the forks do not have to be exact. The longer one here is 9mm and the shorter one is 6mm. It don't matter too much because it's actually the wider round stubs that puts a limit on where the film canister goes. And praise almighty, the combined leghts are just perfect.
Check out my latest how-to post: Build Yourself a LEGO Wall. These are all exterior wall ideas, interiors coming sometime soon!
This is what the interior of the shuttle and its engines look like.
On the top of the thrusters there are two modulex tiles connected to clip plates.
Here's an update on my previous photo rig. I'll only annotate things that have changed, so take a look at the old one for more detail.
Reader Flickablogga gave me a great critique on the previous photo and pointed out that I had huge double reflections by using both lights at full power. This is something I hadn't noticed before, but you can see it throughout most of my previous work. Based on his critique, I've moved using only one main light and one for fill with a cheap white umbrella. In the past I've used wax paper or copy paper to tone down the harsh lights, but $20 umbrella gives a much larger source and does a much better job without muting the light too much.
One of the problems with my pots is that the stop range between the whites and blacks is huge using the shooting strategy above. At the same time, my pots have very saturated colors and if I compress the exposure so that the highlights are properly exposed, I have trouble hanging onto the correct color. The reasoning is that our eyes can see a dynamic range of 10-14 stops while our cameras can take photos of only about 8 or 9. If you compress the range so that you can hang onto lights and darks properly, you lose something in the middle.
To compensate for this, I've also recently tried shooting pots in HDR (high dynamic range) as well. I'm skeptical of this strategy for now, but I think the pros are currently outweighing the cons (there are definitely both). I've been taking 3 to 4 photos in 1.5 stop increments and combining them with software (Photomatix Pro). This gives me the extra 3-4 stops that our eyes can capture but the camera cannot.
HDR removes a lot of the camera work of getting the exposure correct, but it does take more computer work afterward. I have the HDR software tuned to keep the correct color saturation of middle exposure but uses information from the extreme exposures to keep the whites and blacks properly exposed. In the process of converting to jpegs, the whites and blacks get compressed but the middle exposure is left the same (the reverse of shooting normally). For example, here is one pot with HDR and without HDR. Without a doubt, the HDR version has much more accurate color representation in the mid-range of the exposure (the interesting part).
However, I think something is lost in the HDR version-- the colors are almost too well balanced. I think this is primarily because jpegs can only represent 8 stops of data and the extremes are just too compressed. What are your thoughts? Also, if you Strobist guys can think up a way to do this without HDR, I'd love to about hear it.
The effects of different writing implements on handmade post-consumer recycled paper (no size added). For better detail, look at the different sizes.
For an example of how watercolour looks on both sized and unsized paper, and a very basic how to look here.
Hello fellow DIYers! Thank you for your time in visiting my posts
Im new to all these photography with small speedlights, and i must say it gets addicting!
So for the materials i used:
Black Plastic Folders - addicting to use for DIYS, cmon they look slick! and they're black! you can mostly find them in your nearest office supplies stores
White or Frosted Plastic Folders - found these to be vital, they give a pretty even diffusion too! you can mostly find them in your nearest office supplies stores
Disposable Silver Sink Padding - or if you cant find those you can simply use any foil or silver reflective material
Double Sided Tape Adhesive - works wonders! leaves it looking clean and slick!
black rubber foam - I taped these around the tunnel where my flash head goes, i dont like sticking anything to my rare sb800 so these things keep em in a snuggly and comfy fit. but if you're a velcro fan you can easily substitute it with velcro.
My entry for a DIY Softbox Contest!
DIY SOFTBOX 8x8 SHOT
www.flickr.com/photos/yeahenzo/sets/72157627005547960/
DIY SOFTBOX 8x8 SAMPLE SHOTS
2/3 of the chocolate has been melted in the microwave for about 30- 45 sec. Stir the melted chocolate and add the rest of the chocolate chopped in small pieces to the bowl. When the desired temperature of 33- 34 degree C (91- 93 F)has been achieved, allow the chocolate to rest for a few minutes. Stir again, then the chocolate will be ready to use.
Cut small pieces of parchment paper (30x 10 cm/ 12x 4 in) and place on the work surface. Dip two fingers into the chocolate and without removing any excess, use a stroking action to paint a shape approximately 6 cm (2 1/2 in) long onto the strip, trailing off the base. Repeat to fill the sheet- about 30 pieces are required for the cake, but make extra to allow for breakages.
As the sheet is filled, take hold of both ends of the strip and gently fold it 90 degrees lengthways. Leave it up against a baking tray or similar edge to hold the right angle while the chocolate sets. When set, gently peel off the decorative pieces and trim the base to neaten.
Gather what you need. Most things are household items, except for the screen and the vat. It goes easier if you work near a water source, and where you can spill water without worries.
For more in depth video on how this works check out this short clip I put together www.youtube.com/watch?v=28j5nAIVtoI
With Captain Jack Matt Smith my sigfig cosplaying as the Doctor, and featuring everyone's favorite time-traveling spaceship that looks like a phonebooth.
The interior is pretty simply built. The walls are two plates thick, and are put on 1x1 bricks with stud on one side. Basically using the fact that a brick is 2.5 plates thick to get that offset.
Over the years I’ve spent as a LEGO builder I’ve built many a tree… some beautiful, some passable, and some – let’s face it – terrible. Learn the easy why what I found out the hard way here!
This shows how to use microfilm, which lacks the sprocket holes.
Get a cheap camera to remodel.
Cut down the sprocket claws with a nail cutter.
Apply synthetic glue on it to get enough friction.
If needed and possible, drill a small hole to the spool (right ) and pour a small amount of glue to enforce the friction. For Canon AE-1 and AV-1, the rotation is on the opposite side to the expectation. So this does not work.
With this cheap improvement, a small film camera can make as good images as the ones 6x9 can make.
Not the clever girl who thought this up. Place background on flat surface (if outside, check for shadows or glare); position art or other printed image on background; hold camera parallel to art, lining up the edges in the view screen. Make sure at least 2 connecting edges are lines up with edges of camera screen. This prevents distortion. Click. Mar. 2019.
You can crop your feet out, of course.
I was asked how I did the curves on the Whitefang, so I made up this in LDD to explain. The two rightmost builds are different solution I tried to reinforce the links and keep the S shape. I ended up using the rightmost one, with 3 flex hoses. In the center technic holes I first placed a black string (part 16542) before putting the flex hose, so it stays firmly in place.
Here are instructions for bun hair. Lemme see if I can link to full size for downloading.... Shoot, I can't find the link on new flickr. Will see if I can figure it out in a bit.
Spin pins:
www.target.com/Goody-Simple-Styles-Spin-Pin/dp/B003FVDNO6
You are supposed to be able to use just these, without anymore bobby pins. But with all the spins and leaps Emma does, extra pins are needed. Plus she has a LOT of hair. You can also secure the bun with a hair net for added support (we do that for competitions) or if your bun has lots of "whispies" and "whomies" like layered hair will have.
Not really an instruction, but will help to understand how it works. Original image is quite large (1600x1600) but I think it is better to have everything at once than to browse through 16 little images.
Imagen para el tutorial: tatica.org/2014/09/10/que-es-una-mascara-de-capa-gimp/
Image for the tutorial: tatica.org/en/2014/09/10/que-es-una-mascara-de-capa-gimp/