Photo tip

[Guest]

In this months Digital photo mag it has a special on still life. I am no photographer:anicam: or have a camera to do the things they do, but one tip was for lighting.

When using a lamp to light your subject get an old picture frame and place grease proof paper over it stick/staple it on then use it in front of the lamp to diffuse the light.

Not sure if its a ggod tip or no but I am going to give it a try, after I have finished chasing some of the ****** that think they dont need to pay the invoices we send:ranting2:

Strange people want you there in seconds when they have a rat running around ! but when it comes to paying the bill they wait months !

[stona]

Don't know a thing about photography,as you can probably tell, but both SWMBO and self run our own businesses and I feel your pain. I once had to sue a production company (who I obviously can't name,but they do a lot for channel 4) because they consistently "lost" my invoices for nine months. They paid up and wrote me a rude letter saying they wouldn't be working with me again, as if I'd want to work with them! Luckily they are the exception rather than the rule.

SWMBO works in a completely different sector and some of her clients are just as bad.She just received a payment that has owed since June last year. Of course she's already had to pay the VAT on it even though she hadn't been payed Grrrrr.

It's not much consolation but you are not alone.

Back to modelling now.

Cheers

Steve

[spanner570]

I'm a point and click merchant too, so I'll give this a go.

Yes, people are a strange breed. My son and I sell and fit tiles and also convert bathrooms ect. Our favourite, and it happens every Christmas, people contact us a few days before Christmas Day wanting their bathrooms altering and tiling..."Because we have family coming to stay and want it done before they come."

"Sorry madam, we are fully booked up and in any case, that doesn't give us enough time."

"Huh, I'll go elsewhere then, some service you're offering!"

They have all year to get it done, but no that's too easy. People, don't you love them!

People like this and getting money in.....all part of working for yourself I'm afraid. The funny part of it all is people think self employed people are all millionaires!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you are managing to get about a bit more now the weather seems to be easing up....at least here we have a thaw!

Ron

[yak face]

Strange people want you there in seconds when they have a rat running around ! but when it comes to paying the bill they wait months ! Hugh , you said on your website that you like to trap animals humanely where possible ?So next time someone wont pay for a rat removal , just go round their place and pop one or two back through the letter box!!!!!!!:yes: cheers tony

[Guest]

Tony

Thats not actually that far from the truth,Its a long story but we have a guy who owns A pub who was very rude to me and quite out of the blue for no reason threatened me :ranting2::bigmistake:

this was a while ago,

but elephants dont forget, when I get better I have a nice jar of live cockroaches which may find there way to his pub:granade:luckily we also get on very well with our environmental health dept

[yak face]

love it! dont get mad,get even.He He

[Guest]

Any form of diffuser has to be good for taking pictures. Using a diffuser 'softens' the light so that shadows are softer edged rather than sharp black areas. The problem is that simply diffusing a light source is not as simple as it sounds.

To be effective a diffuser has to be as big as possible. In portrait/fashion work, a popular light source is a 'Soft Box'. A soft box is a square cone, like a pyramid. The flash light source is at the sharp end with the flat base of the pyramid being made of a white diffusing material. These soft boxes range from a couple of feet square to six feet square. When light is shot through a diffuser, the diffuser becomes the light source. Given that to be effective, the light source has to be a large as possible, I would be looking at a frame of around A3 as a minimum and to keep a reasonable distance from the model. The light has to be far enough away from the diffuser to ensure that the whole diffuser surface is used or it will only be diffusing a small area of light passing through if the lamp is too close.

I have seen, and experimented with, small diffusers that fit over you 'on camera' flash gun usually a simple bit of white plastic. These do virtually nothing other than reduce the power of the flash as the diffuser is small and very close to the flash gun. In this case, the size of the light source is unchanged and so is the effect.

For models, the best diffusion is probably a small to medium light tent with lamps coming in from the top, sides, back and front. This will give the softest light possible but is probably not worth it unless you are doing catalogue shots. A simple home made light tent can be made from a large cube cardboard box. Remove the lid flaps from the box so it is open topped and turn the box over so that the open side is on the bottom. Mark a square on each remaining sides and top but not the back so that a couple of inches border is left and cut the squares out. You should be left with a box that is open at the bottom, frames for the front, top and two sides and a solid back. Cover the two sides and the top with tracing paper. get a sheet of thin card as wide as the box and long enough to run from the bottom front edge to the top rear with a curve as it goes up the back. Place your model on the curved background and place lamps one to each side and one from the top. Again, don't get the lamps too close or it will reduce the diffusion. Place your camera pointing in the open front and shoot away.

You can move the lamps around to get some detailing shadow, for example have the left light further away than the right lamp and you will get a bit of shading forming on the left side.

That is probably a rubbish description but it is getting late and I am tired lol. Any questions, as away.

[Guest]

Graham thats exactly what I have just completed before reading this post ! I was thinking about it last night and found a box in the shed and some grease proof in the kitchen cupboard :-)

[Guest]

I think that I've enough problems finding space to do the modelling, let alone building photo-booths! Mind you, that's good advice about the diffuser Graham as I'd come to the same conclusion regarding distance from the light-source, size of the diffuser etc last night. At the end of the day, there's just no substitute for a bright but not sunny day!

Patrick

[Guest]

You are dead right Patrick, the sun as a light source with clouds as a diffuser, it's as good as it gets lol.

Great stuff Hugh. I wasn't mind reading lol. Have a good play, it will certainly help.

[Guest]

had a mess about today with the box, this little casio exilim does not like taking macros! but here you go here are some quick snaps with and without the box. I have once again used ryans models cos I dont have enough of my own at the moment !

Varying results think I need to play a bit more !

[Guest]

I'm guessing that the 1st pic is without the box? And on that subject, I just thought I'd share something I found which might be good for people without much space....

Light Box / Light Tent Photo Gallery by Bill Huber at pbase.com

I'm going to give something like that a go!

Patrick

[Guest]

Yes thats right Patrick.

I suppose if you are serious about photography then something like this

NEW PHOTO STUDIO IN A BOX PORTABLE WEB LIGHT KIT on eBay (end time 08-Feb-10 11:50:18 GMT)

But I dont have the dosh and looking at some of the excellent photos taken on here without prob dont need it either, good for ebay selling though

just seen our good old friends maplins http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=229132&C=SO&U=strat15

[Guest]

I have one of these,but I don't use it that much. The light tent is one of those twist to fold into a small circular bag. This is a nice feature apart from when you take it out the small bag, it snaps open into a cube often removing facial features lol

You only get the tent, not the lights but any desk lamps will do.

Photo Studio 32? Light Tent Cube Soft Box Softbox 80cm on eBay (end time 13-Jan-10 16:26:19 GMT)