Hello Steemians!
This is my second time posting photos of cannabis on Steemit -- so I wanted to show my homemade photo studio I used for my first post. I'm also going to show how I set up my next permanent location for my future shots in under $20.
Okay, so -- I'm using this homemade studio for weed -- but the same principles apply to most close up camera set ups. It's all about knowing what you want from your photo and manipulating your environment to get the desired effect.
I'm using a few simple techniques together to get a different style or effect that I think looks good. That's a huge part of any kind of photography -- its subjective -- it's super easy for anyone to see a picture and dismiss it. (Even the fact that I'm using weed as my subject will turn some people away from this tutorial -- but that's okay!)
The point is -- I'm writing this to show you how I use lighting and the subject to get what I think is a pretty cool picture in hopes that it's easy to understand so you can apply this to any close up shoot.
Here are a few pictures from my last shoot:
The pictures above show Black Widow: a light, fluffy, sativa dominant strain that was the hardest of the two strains to shoot. I used a white background to focus the attention to the flower, but made sure to fill as much of my frame with the subject.
In the three photos above is The Doctor: another sativa dominant strain. Dense, bright with orange hairs and mostly a uniform shape with a nice trim. In these photos I used my glass jars of herb on top of a white piece of paper as a backdrop -- this let me play around more with the light and create an interesting background that didn't take away from my subject because of a similar colour pallet.
And here are a few wide shots of my rinky-dink setup:
I made this set up in less than ten-minutes with things I had within arms reach -- most people wouldn't notice because I knew how I wanted to control that small area to get the pictures I wanted. I also got lucky with my desk lamps that double perfectly as photography lighting equipment because of their soft light. I'm bringing this up to prove my point: If you have basic knowledge you can take high quality photos on a shoestring budget.
All right -- I showed you behind the curtain, now let's actually build a set up.
STEP 1: SUPPLIES
1 large sheet of white bristol board
3 - 4 desk lamps with consistent brightness (dimmer is a plus)
(Optional) background objects ex: glass jars, string lights, objects related to subject
The bristol board I'm using for my mini studio cost fifty cents at my local dollar store. The desk lamps I bought were $3.50 each at the same store. They plug into my laptop with USB and have a dimmer setting that lets me control shadows easily. Glass jars can also be picked up at a dollar store for only $1 or $2 dollars. You can get a great effect by filling them with things from nature and staging them in the background.
STEP 2: CREATING YOUR SPACE
A mini photography studio is just that -- mini. Your space really doesn't need to take up much room. I'll be making mine next to my laptop on a table. Make your space a little clutter free so you won't have to move things out of your way to get a shot.
As you can see in the above picture -- it doesn't take much to lay out the white bristol board and watch the mini studio take shape.
The next steps are straight forward: tape down the white board, set up your lights to reduce shadows and add a pedestal for more depth ( if you want like I did.)
STEP 3: PLAY AROUND AND PRACTICE!
This tutorial is just a quick guide to help you take quality photos -- There is still an entire world of photography techniques and camera settings that also have a huge impact on every single photo you take. In my future photo shoots I'll also show what I'm doing with my camera, lighting and subjects!
I'll leave you with a few more photos I took tonight with my brand new rinky-dink set up:
Thanks so much for reading -- I am by no means a professional photographer! I have learned techniques and skills through the years and I want to share what I know through @theroachmedia on Steemit. I would also like to have discussions with other photographers and continue to learn more!
If you have anything at all you'd like to say -- Just a leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as I can!
Thanks for reading,
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Hello there @theroachmedia!
I find your post very informative and handy especially that I am also into photography. I agree it is important to create a little space provided for our photoshoots. You have just given me idea that it can be done without spending too much. It did not occured to me that you can create alternatives or DIY photo studio.. i just love it!!
Thank you so much for sharing to us your techniques and skills. I am truly grateful. I hope i could find more hacks such as this..
Cheers! ❤
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Hello there @maquemali!
I really can't thank you enough for saying all of those nice things about my article! Honestly, you are the kind of person I wrote this article for! It's great that I can help other photographers take their best pictures and save some money!
It's all about thinking about what you want and using what you can to replicate a professional effect! Thanks so much for commenting -- I'll definitely be making more photography DIY articles, photoshoots and other life hacks I have picked up through the years!
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You are most welcome. .
Im just as grateful that i had bumped into your post. Truly, it had given me some thoughts that we can showcase beautiful shots at a lesser cost. That was really a brilliant idea.
And I am looking forward to more hacks from you.. hehe
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You are far too kind! I will for sure keep your comments in mind when I write future articles so I can write more like this that will help people in the Steemit community!
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Oh that was nothing.. i just wanted to appreciate great articles such as this!
I do hope you write more of what you love doing. In return a lot of people will come to like it too..
Keep the inspiration going! ❤
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Congratulations @theroachmedia!
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Sativa for a good peple) i like this post!
I ask you to continue to do this.
more and more people are discovering the amazing properties of cannabis, both medical and spiritual!
I myself constantly practice meditation under the influence of cannabis, and this helped me cope with depression!
Thank you so much for the feedback! I definitely plan on making more posts like in the future -- they are actually fun to write.
I really want to start meditation myself -- I think with a good herb I can pull it off!
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Hi theroachmedia,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Wow! That is amazing -- I'll be making more DIY articles and photoshoots very soon -- thanks so much for the interest and upvotes for my post, it means a lot for someone like me just starting out on Steemit!
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lol......is that really how a weed looks like. I have never seen some before though.....XD
But i really love your clicks in their and in your quest to help many like me to make a simple small studio of our own for photographer. Its really amazing in there and i loved it. Keep the sharing spirit up
Hi there!
Yup, that is trimmed flower right before it is grinded and smoked --although different strains have different shapes and colours! I live in Canada so where it is now legal so we see all kinds of weed lol.
Thank you so much for the kind words and interest in my article; I'll definitely be making more photography posts that help people take the best pictures they can -- I think my next photoshoot will be with food.
I'm also starting to work on other kinds of cheap DIY projects -- Thanks again for commenting!
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Oooo I see. And you are humbly welcome
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Love it! It shows that you don't need any fancy equipment to take cool shots. And I also like your 'models' :) They are beautiful! Do you use it only to smoke or do you prepare some tinctures/oils as well?
Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your curie vote!
Thank you very much! I was hoping other people would benefit from this DIY approach and I couldn't be happier that you enjoyed it!
The "models" are definitely easy to work with! Lol
I've just started trying my hand at concentrates so I've made a little oil -- but mostly I've been smoking it and making edibles!
Thanks again -- I hope you check out some of my future photography articles!
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Nice vote! And definitely love it man that's a killer post!
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