Another opportunity to share something back to the community via http://www.diyphotography.net/howitookit2012 :)
So … space is a premium? Especially when sometimes you feel like working from home … and the wife has clear rules about the amount of “photography stuff” you can bring home?
Small DIY studio – one of many versions available – this one is geared toward 360 Photography and small product shots.
Things to be accomplished:
- Must be easy to store/ assembly and disassembly
- Must be sturdy enough to allow a strobe to be mounted directly on the frame
- Must be modular – if I want only one “wall” then that must be possible
So, after considering my needs and checking various “storing” places, my base ended up being 55×70 and 110cm high.
List of things needed:
Plywood
Wood dowels (I choose wood for rigidity and convenience but I am sure that there are plastic pipes just as rigid) and PVC pipe fittings – you will have to get matching diameters – is best to mix and match on the spot in the store
Small metal furniture (table) legs (IKEA :) (the inner diameter of the tube must be a bit smaller than the diameter of the dowels)
White and black material and a selection of colored ones
So basically you start by screwing the base from the small furniture legs in the 4 corners of the plywood, remove the plastic ends from the legs and fit inside 4 dowels (you end-up with 4 “spears” that can be used for other various necessities).
There are 3 way PVC pipe fittings that can be used directly … for some reason I couldn’t find any so I had to improvise a bit.
Screw in the legs and connect the sides … you have your “light box”
The fabric that covers the sides has simple ribbons/tapes sewn on it in order to attach it to the poles
The top can be covered directly with fabric and the gravity will keep it in place.
Now … what can you house in such a setup?
A multiplication station?
Well … let’s add 2 mirrors and a black glass, one bottle, one martini glass , a slice of “sun” and see what can we do with it!
First … let’s brush up our mathematical knowledge a bit here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_wedge
It will be required when will try to cut out a slice from a plastic sphere at the desired angle.
Varying the angle between the mirrors will get you as many reflections as you want.
Your problem is … the other reflections – the ones you don’t want … so you get rid of them by light-proofing the “box”
It takes a bit of trial and error when it comes to the positioning of the light source (one strobe will suffice) and you will have to remove in post-processing some stray reflections and the image of your camera. (Careful placement will minimize the work later)
The camera will be placed inside or, depending on the size of the setup/camera, you can cut out a hole in the covering fabric.
Word of advice – Buy if you can find/afford mirrors with the reflective layer on the front of the glass, not on the back of it – it will eliminate the double reflections.
And … clean the mirrors and the black glass very well before you start shooting – be extra careful with the dust – inside every little speck will be perfectly visible!!
Decide wisely what to put in the middle – that item will center and unify the composition!
So … this is how you get more from little … in photography!
PS: the blue version was not “cleaned up” … you see? I speak from experience … clean the setup before hand! :D
:)
