Thanks for the comments guys, I just got the photos back up and working. So it should all be good now.

-peng

great tutorial, peng.

Being a photographer as well, I hate seeing blurry pictures in poor lighting or just plain composed poorly.

This forum definitely needed this tutorial, and as such, I've stickied it.

-_-
 

thats a very good tutorial penguin, def. a sticky mang.
I've always wanted to know how to take good pics.

Wow, awesome tutorial
 

Penguin,

Thanks for this tutorial. Being a fairly good photographer (20 years) I cna tell you you did a great job at making light understandable for non photographers out there.

Would love to see more from you!

Jeff
QcWarzone

instead of fibercore couldent you use a white sheet tacked up to the wall then smooth it out

that works as well, but foamcore is sometimes easier to manage. It depends on what you want as the outcome that determines the tools you use.

I can't believe I just found this. Nice work, P.

Now, to get to work building a light box so my wife can shoot her jewelery.

Even better, get a roll of white seamless paper (or large sheet of bristol board, depending on the size of the product) from your local photo supply for not too much and set up a gently curved background behind the object. It'll provide a "white infinity" look if you light it properly.

Hunt for cold (daylight) fluorescents at surplus stores and dollar stores.

IE: 150w (43w) 5500k Fluorescent bulbs are 5.99$ at FactoryDirect.ca (college & spadina)
40w (13w) 5500k Fluorescent bulbs are 1.00$ at dollarama @ College Park (College & Yonge)

I home-built a few socket panels (arrays of sockets) and use these lights as soft lights to do Product Photography. In a pinch, you can also use a clamp-light and one of these bulbs close to the object to create a nice highlight.

As for everything said above, it's bang on. I've been a professional photographer for about 5 years now, and worked at a camera store for most of that, and this is awesomely helpful. On that note, the images seem to have dissappeared from the original sticky. Perhaps they should be hosted on ASC?

Best purchases for your camera:
- Faster lens (f/2.8 if possible, f/1.8 primes (non-zooms) are better)
- Monopod (for airsoft, a tripod is fairly useless due to the nature of the beast, but you can get a tripod + ball head from manfrotto for ~75$ depending on where you look.
- a camera based on a CMOS sensor. If you want the best action shots, you want a camera that can handle low light (high ISO) without being stupidly grainy. Examples of this: Canon Rebel XT, XTi, EOS 20D, 30D, 40D, Nikon D300 (Nikon D200 is a hybrid, decent low light, but NOT a CMOS sensor).

Great guide! Thank you!

im learning airsoft photography. this is very informative. thanks

Is there any way you [or anyone] could restore the pics that went with this tutorial?

+ 1

This thread is worth reviving. I have learned loads from just looking at the photos taken by members of this forum but I would love to see photographs of setups and such.

Got a question for infield photography. Anyone worried about getting shot while trying to take some action pics? Or worried about their camera equipment being hit? I'm sure even at a distance, someone may not see markings that would designate me as dear or a photographer.

I picked up a cheap lens just for in game photography. Its not the best but I don't worry about it getting shot. But I also use a UV filter on it as added protection as well. The body is strong enough to absorb most hits but I keep a wary eye out since I have been lit up several times while taking pics.

Edit:
Wear a bright orange vest or hat or something. Make yourself obvious.

hey guys, can i join the JOC Photojournalists Guild? i want some shots too .... :D

when is the next meet-up?