Photography Setups and Discussion

[Bass]

I've searched for an answer to this question but to no avail. I think that it'd be nice to have a healthy discussion on our photography setups when documenting a design, whether your own or your interpretation of one.

I came across by chance some "photo booth" setups that come with a tent-like chamber with lighting and camera positioning mechanisms on Amazon. I'm wondering if anyone uses this sort of thing, as I really did not know they existed until today.

I personally use the sunlight coming through a window and various textures, like a solid colored blanket or a grainy table, and while I think I get some great results, I guess you could say I'm open to suggestions in the photography department. I use a sort of hybrid between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR camera, and usually hold it with my own hands instead of using a tripod.

Here's an example of it when conditions are nice and sunny:

Easy Hummingbird by Bassjason1, on Flickr


So what are your photography setups? Any advice in regard to buying any extra equipment to aid in the search for the perfect picture? Example pictures welcome, too!

[Falcifer]

There is a thread on photography here.

I've sold my camera since then, but I've always meant to do an article on photographing origami.

I may start it anyway. It's just difficult to know where to start and how much to talk about; there's a lot to consider.

[Gerardo]

There is a thread on photography here.

I've sold my camera since then, but I've always meant to do an article on photographing origami.

I may start it anyway. It's just difficult to know where to start and how much to talk about; there's a lot to consider.

Would you consider posting the article in http://neorigami.com once it's ready? I've always wanted to find someone interested in making an article on this subject!

Here's an example of it when conditions are nice and sunny

Awesome photo!

I use a home-made light box with a desk lamp using a fluorsecent light bulb. I only use the tripod for taking photos for my photo-diagrams. I prefer very bright photos that allow people to appreciate every detail in each step

[Falcifer]

Would you consider posting the article in http://neorigami.com once it's ready? I've always wanted to find someone interested in making an article on this subject!

I will be trying to find somewhere to post it so that it's available to everyone. You'll be free to take it and post it wherever you like. Translate it, modify it, whatever you want.

I'll be sure to post a link when it's completed.

[origami_8]

Gerwin and I have a bought photo-studio containing 5 daylight lamps, several backgrounds, a suitcase to fit everything inside and a light tent that can be used optional:



The most important part when taking photos in my opinion is the light. Make sure to have lots of it (hence the 5 daylight lamps). You can obscure it with some kind of lightshield like for example a sheet of transparent paper. You can find several instructions on how to build your own lightbox on the internet with very cheap materials. A bent paper makes a good background. Make sure it has a good contrast to the model you want to make a picture of like a soft yellow if you want to take a photo of a green model or so. Don't place your camera too near to the model. Pictures will get blurry. Most cameras nowadays have a very good resolution. You can go away from the model and still it will be huge on the picture. You can always crop your picture afterwards. A good free software for cropping and resizing your pictures, as well as doing some other really useful things to them is Irfanview. If you have an option on your camera to make macro pictures, use it. Most often its sign is a flower.

[Pamdiragami]

I found this thread helpful when putting my own setup together. Here it is:


Photography setup by Diragami, on Flickr

I just cut some holes out of the sides of a cardboard box and taped some tracing paper over the holes, and bought two daylight lamps from amazon. I agree that the most important part is the lighting!

[OrigamiGeek]

hear is mine
http://myorigamipicts.weebly.com/upload ... 9_orig.jpg

[chesscuber98]

How do you suggest photographing a model made of homemade Tissue Foil? Whatever i do that horrible shine comes into the picture. It looks good in real life but it just ruins the photo.

[Swapnil Das]

I just cut some holes out of the sides of a cardboard box and taped some tracing paper over the holes, and bought two daylight lamps from amazon. I agree that the most important part is the lighting!

That's a really good idea! Thanks for the tip!

[easysid]

Lighthing is most important. No two ways about it. I made a lightbox out of PVC pipes, and it worked quite well, but it was a lot of hassle to arrange the whole thing for a shot or two. Now I take the photographs outdoors. Diffused daylight (cloud cover or part of the day) gives one of the best lighting IMHO. Downside is that the area needs to be open and quite large so that there is uniform light and you have to wait for the conditions. Rooftops work best.
These I took in the lightbox:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easysid/8508775201/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easysid/8508775175/

And these outdoors:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easysid/8663948081/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easysid/8683331118/

However the most annoying thing is not the lighting, its the camera. All the supposedly 'automated settings best for the environment' and 'track focus' always seems mess up the photographs.

[LeafPiece]

As everyone else has said, good lighting is really important. I hang one of the long fluorescent lamps in a closet, set posterboard on a shelf and curve it against the wall. Usually I will play with the exposure a little on the camera and then on the computer to fine tune a photo.

[chesscuber98]

Could somebody please help! Photographing Tissue Foil is nearly impossible without the shine coming up.
Any Tips?

[Razzmatazz]

Ummm. I always had a problem with shooting through glass, but I set my camera to red-eye flash and it fixed it. Maybe you can do similar? Maybe try tips for not getting flash reflections.

[ginshun]

Always have good lighting, use a tri-pod and never use a flash.

If your camera has a timer, use that to take the picture so that you are not touching the camera and wiggling it when the picture is being taken. If you don't have access to a tri-pod, set the camera on a stack of books or something similar.

Having enough lighting that you don't need a flash and keeping the camera absolutely still are the most important things.

[Edg]

I never seem to have enough light so I usually set the shutter speed very long(?) but of course, the slightest movement and it comes out all blurred, so I use a pile of stuff like books, boxes and odd socks (too change the angle of the shot, obviously!) Finding the timer on my camera has been a very helpful! Starting to think I should invest some time on a more permanent set up...
My biggest problem is the view on the camera screen seems to bear no resemblance to the view on the computer, so I take 20 shots, import them to the laptop then delete them one by one because they're too dark Still, thank god for digital...