Photo fun for 200 baht or less

[FracturedRabbit]

I often find small things about the house or when out walking that I would like to photograph; but how to do it?

You could just put the object of your photographic intention on the floor or a table and take a shot; but it may not look very interesting and fails to isolate and highlight the subject.

For example, I found a dying flower in my fish pond. I liked the shape and the colours; but taking a shot in the pond was not very interesting. So I picked the flower and laid it on my kitchen table; boring. Floor? Also boring.

The solution was a trip to the stationery shop for a sheet of black paper and some sticky stuff known variously as Blu Tack or Patafix, stick anything to anything and then peel it of without damage.

Place the paper on a table next to a window and then lay the paper against a wall, securing to the wall with the sticky stuff.

S1011920 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

I put the flower in a bit of plastic, secured with more sticky stuff, put the camera on some books to give a steady shot, and produced a reasonable photo:

S1011906 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

There is some light reflection off the paper and the light on the flower is not perfect; but it only took five minutes to set up and the results were better than the table/floor alternatives.

While you are at the stationery shop, buy some white paper as well; good for showing off the results of your cooking:

P9020016 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

or a camera:

P1200133 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

Another option, put the paper on some thick card, cut out a hole, and then place a light source under the object you want to photograph. Works well with sea shells:

whorl1 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

P1070957-Edit.jpg by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

Tips:

Use a cardboard box rather than a wall to stick the upright part of the paper; then you can move the table around to obtain different lighting effects from the window.

Set your camera on a delay ( say 2 seconds) to ensure you don't get blur from pressing the shutter.

Shoot at the lowest ISO for the best image quality.

Want to sell things on Ebay; you can produce elegant product shots using this method. Then when you have sold your stuff, you can use the proceeds to buy more camera gear. This is a good thing (or so I tell my wife).

Depending on your camera, using the black background may give you images that are too bright as the camera tries to expose for the dark background; and using the white background may give you under exposed images. Take lots of shots and dial in exposure compensation until you get the exposure you want.

Look around your house/condo/garden/balcony/street/beach; there are loads of things that you can plop on a piece of paper and try photographing!

Most of all, have fun!

[Goompa]

You don't do Karaoke do you ?

[FracturedRabbit]

No, neither do I understand the relevance on the question!

[Tywais]

Great topic FR.

One thing I have kept putting off and looked into many times is a DIY light tent/box. Lot of YouTube DIY tents/boxes one can look at.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

[Goompa]

Sorry FracturedRabbit ,

With more relevance to your post I would just like to say that is Photographers like you who have the insight and creativity that we hackers do not.

I was not meaning to offend just in some obscure reference to the fact that with the skills and mindsight that you have in composition , maybe on the off-chance you could ....

Well foot in the mouth is not appetising at the moment .

[FracturedRabbit]

Well, I did write "My Way", but I prefer not to talk about it; or sing it.

[krisb]

I like the light reflection off the black paper. Kind of gives it a misty look or dark water look.

Well done and keep posting them!

[MJP]

Quality, Rabbit. Just quality!

Outta likes, need unlimited likes.

As a building project sometime in the future I'm tempted to build a small studio in the back here. Lights 'n all. Bit like Dad's garden shed retreat but with fewer rakes and shovels . . . but more hoes.

[FracturedRabbit]

Great topic FR.

One thing I have kept putting off and looked into many times is a DIY light tent/box. Lot of YouTube DIY tents/boxes one can look at.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

Light boxes and product stands and tripods and studio lights and even twelve metres of white cloth... http://www.pattayadays.com/2011/09/i-hate-balls/

But I I wanted to keep it simple so forum members could see you can do things with very little extra equipment.

[Tywais]

Staying in line of your 'simple' equipment how's this? Had a roll of Christmas wrapping paper and set it up on my dresser white side up (tried the patterned gold side, looked like crap). Used long exposure (live view on the EM-1) room lights off and a led flashlight as a light brush on a dried rose. Not outstanding but rather happy with it for a rushed first attempt. Not light painting in the purist sense, which is something I really want to do some time, but similar in that I moved the light over it as I watched it on the LCD screen and sort of painted it.

[FracturedRabbit]

Staying in line of your 'simple' equipment how's this? Had a roll of Christmas wrapping paper and set it up on my dresser white side up (tried the patterned gold side, looked like crap). Used long exposure (live view on the EM-1) room lights off and a led flashlight as a light brush on a dried rose. Not outstanding but rather happy with it for a rushed first attempt. Not light painting in the purist sense, which is something I really want to do some time, but similar in that I moved the light over it as I watched it on the LCD screen and sort of painted it.

Good stuff. Perhaps some other forum members will have a go?

[sunshine51]

Along with the under 200B cyclorama's (that's what those backdrops are called)

here's something I've decided to try out...a PVC camera stabilisation rig for DSLR

video shooting. Granted it's not a 3 axis brushless gimbled jobber that costs around

$4K....but I definitely see some possibilities. here are 2 links you may want to check

and then...perhaps buld one yourself! This is gonna be my today project....

http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2010/07/make-camera-stabilizer-rig-for-under-5.html

This link is for a rig that may cost around 3K baht but I reckon it can be made

cheaper....

http://nofilmschool.com/2012/07/build-diy-dslr-camera-stabilizer-shelf-parts-10/