I recently had a fellow photographer say to me that if you have to go to Home Depot and do DIY for your photography that you shouldn't be in the field. I told him that I've yet to see someone starting out be able to afford all the goodies in the beginning. I've seen professionals with PVC tube reflector screens etc... especially on location shoots.
This is about equipment other than lighting... studio stands, reflector stands, reflectors etc...
Yes I'm new to this type of photography (glamour/models/fashion), but I know how to be inventive and safe. How many of you use DIY in your studios and on location?
sometimes i think it's like walmart vs. nordstrom. clothes are cheaper at walmart but they may not last as long (well at least it doesn't seem that way when you look at them). so if you look at total cost of ownership nordstrom may not be as expensive as you think. but if cash is tight then you may not be able to afford to pay nordstrom prices.
so i can use foamcore boards but over time they wear out and warp and such so i have to keep replacing them and eventually i might have been just as well off getting something sturdy from photoflex. but i didn't have to shell out as much cash initially for the foamcore.
everything in a photography store is expensive so i definitely look for the loews type of options when i can. we're currently thinking of using a piece of PVC pipe to hang a backdrop. but if you put some value on your time then you have to consider that as well (should you be building some pvc gizmo or out looking for new clients?)
I did the home depot DIY initially. It served it's purpose as practice. It helped me develop an eye for composition and lighting. I learned why things didn't work with DIY. No one starts out as a master. So it doesn't make sense to blow a lot of money on equipment to find out you just don't have the knack to shoot. Yes, when you do DIY, the images you take might not be the best. But you could have the greatest equipment, the most expensive equipment, and your images still won't be the best.
Cameras, lights, everything that goes with photography is only as good as the mind behind the camera.
If it does what you need who cares what anyone thinks? Let this guy get caught up on brand names and crap like that while you use what you have and put him out of business
Crappy lights are crappy lights. Home depot lights are meant to illuminate a room with no other light in it. They're not built for photographic purposes. You'll just end up taking motion blurry, wide open, high iso shots you won't want to use later, or really contrasty shots of a very warm model. I also wouldn't start out with those "AC Slave lights" I've seen on ebay. They're not that powerful and when they die, you pitch them, plus no modeling lights. There's better gear closer than you think. Novatron sets on ebay often go for under $300. There's a lot more learning to be had out of a cheap set of Novatrons than HD lights any day of the week. About the only thing HD lights will teach you is why you shouldn't use HD lights. Personally I've found it's cheaper to go a bit higher than you normally would with photography equipment because going lower, then saving up for what you need eventually ends up costing more.
Now *some* people can make any light source work. If you don't know if you're one of those people, you aren't.
Sentimental Treasures wrote: I recently had a fellow photographer say to me that if you have to go to Home Depot and do DIY for your photography that you shouldn't be in the field. I told him that I've yet to see someone starting out be able to afford all the goodies in the beginning. I've seen professionals with PVC tube reflector screens etc... especially on location shoots.
Yes I'm new to this type of photography (glamour/models/fashion), but I know how to be inventive and safe. How many of you use DIY in your studios and on location?
The only people who should be in the field are the ones who will not rest until they acquire the tools they need to create the images that are in their heads.
Sometimes the right tool is an 8x10 camera, and sometimes it's a special plate you welded together in the garage.
As long as the final product looks like a final product, and you're maintaining good safety standards on the set, who cares how it was made?
There are people on this site who claim to have been photographers for 15 years and run around with a 5D mark II and all the fancy lights in the world, who couldn't shoot the wide end of a barn with a 12mm lens. There are also geniuses who screw around with modified $25 Holgas. The equipment doesn't matter if the results are inferior.
If you do the shop lights from home depot, you can get the blue halogen (sp) bulbs for them and the light is worlds better. Plus they have dimmer switches on extension cords now... So you have some control over the light intensity.
Yes, I DIY, I do it because I don’t have a $4,000 lighting budget. Maybe some day I will, but today? $30 at home depot.
For example a 9ft studio stand wouold break you if you starting out, they're anywhere from 2500 and up... but if you look at the components, what cost so much?
I worked in a metal fab place and I priced the materials for 500 I can have the cadillac of stands
No I'm not talking lighting... I'm talking other equipment, stantionary backdrop stands, studio stands, heavy duty boom arms, etc
I wish I knew how to weld. I think I would spend a lot less on certain kinds of equipment.
I totally agree on the studio pedestal stands. Those things are ridiculously expensive, and it's really just a steel pipe with a counterweight system on a heavy base that rolls around.
I believe what you pay for (and I could be wrong) is the weight in the base that is small in size but still heavy enough to keep the rig from tipping even with a large format camera on the pedestal. How many of us are shooting with cameras that heavy, or care enough about it looking pretty to not just build a box that encloses two cinder blocks filled with sand and rusty nuts and bolts?
It depends on what I have to put together and the amound of crap I'll need for it that I already have at home and not having to buy. I'm a big DIYer, BUT, the last time I tried to put something together, after I was done with my list of things to buy, it was definitely cheaper to buy the already made product from the store. Also, how long will it take to put it together and how much time do I have to put it together before I can use it.
Sentimental Treasures wrote: I recently had a fellow photographer say to me that if you have to go to Home Depot and do DIY for your photography that you shouldn't be in the field. I told him that I've yet to see someone starting out be able to afford all the goodies in the beginning. I've seen professionals with PVC tube reflector screens etc... especially on location shoots.
Yes I'm new to this type of photography (glamour/models/fashion), but I know how to be inventive and safe. How many of you use DIY in your studios and on location?
Sounds like you were talking to someone with more money than brains. Photographic equipment is like jeans; regardless of what you pay for the label, they are cut from the same cloth. Without doubt I'll probably get flamed but, the laws of physics still apply, light is light - regardless of the label.
ImagesByEd wrote: Photographic equipment is like jeans; regardless of what you pay for the label, they are cut from the same cloth. Without doubt I'll probably get flamed but, the laws of physics still apply, light is light - regardless of the label.
I'm going to go ahead and flame here. Not all denim is created equal, nor is all lighting equipment. Bad analogy.
Sentimental Treasures wrote: I recently had a fellow photographer say to me that if you have to go to Home Depot and do DIY for your photography that you shouldn't be in the field. I told him that I've yet to see someone starting out be able to afford all the goodies in the beginning. I've seen professionals with PVC tube reflector screens etc... especially on location shoots.
Yes I'm new to this type of photography (glamour/models/fashion), but I know how to be inventive and safe. How many of you use DIY in your studios and on location?
Have Pentax Will Travel wrote: I'm going to go ahead and flame here. Not all denim is created equal, nor is all lighting equipment. Bad analogy.
BTW, a flash tube is just that - regardless of the price or label they will produce the exact same results given the correct input voltages, etc - former electronics engineer here :-)
Edited to add: It's that laws of physics thing :-)
I couldn't resist clicking on the link to see an article about one of the last cotton gins in the U.S., especially since I'm surrounded by them, and a gigantic new one just went online nearby.
Have Pentax Will Travel wrote: I'm going to go ahead and flame here. Not all denim is created equal.
I couldn't resist clicking on the link to see an article about one of the last cotton gins in the U.S., especially since I'm surrounded by them, and a gigantic new one just went online nearby.
Have Pentax Will Travel wrote: As long as the final product looks like a final product, and you're maintaining good safety standards on the set, who cares how it was made?
Have Pentax Will Travel wrote: I totally agree on the studio pedestal stands. Those things are ridiculously expensive, and it's really just a steel pipe with a counterweight system on a heavy base that rolls around.
I think that's a bit like saying that a Steadycam is really just a camera mount attached to a vest with some springs.
It's technically true, but there's a metric shitton of engineering that has gone into making it work well.
I found this guy who built a ringflash. It's the best DIY project I have ever done. I am not that good with building things, but I did manage to build this. His tutorial is amazing and I think I have $30 in materials to build it. I have not used it for models yet, but have shot some insects with it and like it a lot.
BTW, a flash tube is just that - regardless of the price or label they will produce the exact same results given the correct input voltages, etc - former electronics engineer here :-)
Edited to add: It's that laws of physics thing :-)
And yet a royally expensive ProFoto pack system has a flash duration far shorter than any AlienBees monolight.
No, I understood. I was just saying your logic is flawed. A capacitor is a capacitor until you don't have one that discharges fast enough.
Or changes color temp on you with every shot.
Sometimes a person can get away with cheep stuff & sometimes the shitty sync cords go out in the middle of a job.
I have learned that you don't HAVE to spend all the cash at once but you have a greater chance of screwing your self out of a job if what you cobbled together falls apart on set.
Sometimes a person can get away with cheep stuff & sometimes the shitty sync cords go out in the middle of a job.
I have learned that you don't HAVE to spend all the cash at once but you have a greater chance of screwing your self out of a job if what you cobbled together falls apart on set.
Big difference between "build quality" and mathematics.
I dont know, can you pick out the shots in my port and main page down with a milk jug flash vs a AB1600 in a softbox? a tupperware over your on camera hot shoe flash works just as well at a party or quiik gurilla shooting for the mags, than a 50.00 fong thing.
ImagesByEd wrote: Nice try, but MAJOR FAIL. OEM is OEM. Me thinks you are not in electronics - or clueless.
You're completely missing my point.
Cheap fixtures are cheap because they don't have the same parts in them as the expensive ones do. They produce light, but at inconsistent color temperatures, at clumsy rates, and with far less power efficiency.
As it relates to this thread, you absolutely can make do with cheaper equipment, and still create great images, but there is always a sacrifice of efficiency and control, which is something most artists desire. Given a choice, most of us want the most refined tool to do the job, and the pros want reliability over all.
if i am to follow the logic of this discussion, everyone except Ched is pretty much saying that a Polax watch you get on the corner from a guy going "Pst, buddy you wanna buy a watch?" will work exactly the same as the genuine Rolex ?
However, a homemade version may not be as easy to use, but if built right, it will still allow you to get the shot.
most of the well made name brand studio stands may or maynot have wheels... and most weight around 150 lbs... using the designs that most companies use with square tubing I can build one using 1/4'' thick 2" square tubing and with the same fittings they sell for the brand names build it for a fraction of what they want. There is no rocket science to a studio stand... based off of welding and materials used... there isn't a digital camera or film camera it won't hold. Your talking almost around a 1 ton bend point... hell hang the photographer, model and the camera on it
My 10 Favorite Nudes wrote: I've been in a multi-million dollar production studio and seen the owner use cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil as his headshot reflector.
And his light source was... not from Home Depot, I'm guessing.
Cheap fixtures are cheap because they don't have the same parts in them as the expensive ones do. They produce light, but at inconsistent color temperatures, at clumsy rates, and with far less power efficiency.
As it relates to this thread, you absolutely can make do with cheaper equipment, and still create great images, but there is always a sacrifice of efficiency and control, which is something most artists desire. Given a choice, most of us want the most refined tool to do the job, and the pros want reliability over all.
Spend your money. feel good. But you cannot change the laws of physics, math, ect. Light is light. Unless you are willing to provide mathematical proof that will change the world as we know it, you are talking shit; diarrhea of the mouth. Mathematical proof please?
Spend your money. feel good. But you cannot change the laws of physics, math, ect. Light is light. Unless you are willing to provide mathematical proof that will change the world as we know it, you are talking shit; diarrhea of the mouth. Mathematical proof please?
It is not the actual light it is how well it is controlled.
ImagesByEd wrote: Spend your money. feel good. But you cannot change the laws of physics, math, ect. Light is light. Unless you are willing to provide mathematical proof that will change the world as we know it, you are talking shit; diarrhea of the mouth. Mathematical proof please?
1) Read the site rules and adjust your attitude or you'll find yourself in the brig for a very long time.
2) I have no idea what you're asking me to prove. Everything I posted is technically correct.
Who cares. Use what you can or need to use to get the shot in your head.
Yes... stuff that is more expensive is GENERALLY better built with better components and better results ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL! That term means that when the ONLY thing different is the monolight or reflector or softbox or flashtube or sync cord or.... blah blah... the one that has attached an R&D line item on its price will give you a better result than the one you're holding together with duct tape and prayers.
If you can't afford expensive gear, don't buy it. This argument is silly.
