Photo setups?

Can people post pics of WHERE they take their pics? I have this one: here and meh...I don't really love it. I'm not thrilled with the fabric backgrounds. I can never get all the wrinkles out of them. I had a DIY one awhile back that used poster board as the backdrop, and I think that gave me cleaner looking pictures.

Anyway...I'd love to see what everyone else is using. Especially those of you who take those STUNNING pictures! :)

Tagging along, I'd love to see what other people use for light boxes.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...n-construction

Flash is the way to go. Macro photography requires small apetures (big F/numbers think fractions) this provides greater depth of field. Flashes have far far more power than a continous light ever will. all serious studio work uses them.

I use this one-
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/tajezuhu.jpg

And this is my camera-
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/epatyhat.jpg

Lately since the sun came out though, most of my pictures have been outside with no tent.

I am buying this one when I get back:

http://www.amazon.com/MyStudio-Profe...I34Q9OF4EHFIHZ

I actually don't like taking photos on a pure white/black backgrounds anymore. I like something that has a little more in the composition. I take pictures around my house. On the coffee table, kitchen counter, with throw pillows and what not. :P

Seriously people, don't buy a light tent for snake photography. I have seen about 388447272663849 threads of "hey my new light tent just came!"

And then blurry, out of focus photos with a wrinkly backdrop.

This is one thing I've been meaning to do - is a tutorial for snake photography. If there is enough interest I will push to get it done.

My biggest advice in the meantime is to completely ditch the notion of a light tent and get a speedlite.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Seriously people, don't buy a light tent for snake photography. I have seen about 388447272663849 threads of "hey my new light tent just came!"

And then blurry, out of focus photos with a wrinkly backdrop.

This is one thing I've been meaning to do - is a tutorial for snake photography. If there is enough interest I will push to get it done.

My biggest advice in the meantime is to completely ditch the notion of a light tent and get a speedlite.

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What's a speed lite? Do elaborate! I always hated taking light tent pics... They never came out right.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

A speedlite is a flash.

Here is my new rig for macro shots and hand held. Off camera flash mount that can move all around the camera.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/yty9yje7.jpg

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0c7ded38.jpg

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/...ps78412e8b.jpg



For studio work I use Alien Bees with umbrellas and soft boxes.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/veze8ute.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/u6e4agyn.jpg

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6b682c6a.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/yvumuqam.jpg

Never used a light tent.

Hope that helps some.

Those are some GORGEOUS PICTURES.

I guess i do need one of those! :D

:o
Thanks!

This is what I use. The cat likes it because the lights are warm. I stopped using the lights and just use my camera flash.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...psef20c0a7.jpg


A few of my pictures. I like white backgrounds, it's my style so I'm sticking with it.
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps36b6b730.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps7677949e.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps84cbfcc0.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...pse819aef5.jpg

Yes, speedlite = flash. The thing I absolutely ADORE about Nikon is CLS - Creative Lighting System.

I can dial down the power of my pop-up flash to almost zero (or use it as fill), and use it to trigger a speedlite. You can place the speedlite anywhere so long as the light receiving sensor can detect the flash that triggers it. Typically this is very easy to do in small rooms.

Here are some of the photos I have shot with my method. I recently did a session for a friend using a piece of white melamine. It all went down inside his snake outbuilding, which is TINY. Next time I do "snake portraits" I will take a pull-back shot of the setup. You will laugh, I assure you :P I may even have a pullback of my friends shoot...I will have to have a boo through the archives.

Anyways, all these snakes belong to Michael Munro at Hidebox Pythons.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...25186184_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...77455243_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...21379026_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...54640814_n.jpg

These are all my snakes:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...11095728_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...06342144_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...37113366_n.jpg

The mirror shots are MUCH trickier, but all shot in the same basic way.

By the way, this is the equipment what I shoot snakes with 99% of the time - that's it, that's all:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...60350292_n.jpg

If you want to see more pics, go to my photography website: www.katiagphoto.com/squamishserpents/prints

Speedlites to be precise are small hand flashes that can attach to a accessory shoe on a camera top.

A flash is a Xeon tubed light that emits a short burst of intense light. A speedlite is a flash but a flash is not always a speed lite.

I use a small fleet of speedlites but also own dynalite and profoto flash units. Studio flashes offer the most control and absolute power. The light output is kinda stupid at times I can get F/256 @ 100 ISO with my dynalite and ring flash. If I ever needed it lol!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

True that, kitedemon!

Are there speedlites that are compatible with any camera? I have a couple micro four thirds cameras.

There must be - I don't see why not! I have no idea on that but I'm sure someone with more "equipment" knowledge will chime in.

Yes, the critical thing is fiddly. The trigger voltage the power running upon the bottom of the unit. I have one that is 600v and some Canon cameras are rated to only 6v. You MUST check the power out put of the flash and know the max allowable voltage of the camera past that it is all a matter of sticking them together. The mount is *mostly* universal. (sony some canons are an exception) The function of a TTL flash is camera specific and in some cases model specific. You can use a fully manual flash as the appication of a small 'studio' set up it is not hugely different.

I love vivitar 283/285s I have a number they usually sell new for 70$ and used for $25 or less. Watch them the trigger voltages range from 600V to 3v age depending. There is a tool that can protect the camera (safe sync) but they are expensive it is just as easy to check.

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html
http://dpanswers.com/content/genrc_flash_measuretv.php

I made my own DIY light tent out of PVC pipe, a sheet, binder clips, white poster board, and 2 daylight bulbs.


This isn't my set up, but my ghetto-rig looks exactly the same:

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/56/105...f80_z.jpg?zz=1

Some examples of my pictures:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ck_pewter8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...k_pewter12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ck_Pewter1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ps36f0d7b3.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

This is one thing I've been meaning to do - is a tutorial for snake photography. If there is enough interest I will push to get it done.

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i'm interested. lol what kind of lens do you usually use for the snakes? i know absolutely nothing about camera jargon (yet), but i will be taking a photography class or two in the upcoming semesters. savin my pennies for a dslr.

The point for a lot of folks to use a tent set up is so they can maximize what they can get out of a point and shoot. Not everyone wants to invest the time or money in a full camera set-up.

These pics were taken with my Sony point and shoot in a Ebay light tent. There is minimal post processing vis Pixelmator on a few.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1287.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps097ce3ef.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps047fd6e1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/843bb7a2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...IKE_MIRROR.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...CLOSE_7_27.jpg

Don't get me wrong, I plan to buy a nice camera set up for taking other kinds of pics, but if you are just taking pics of your snakes a light box and point and shoot can go a LONG way.