Do you have a photo spot?

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internetchick

Beauty Blogger
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I don't have anywhere in particular where I take my photos. I use either printer paper or poster board as a backdrop depending on how big the item is. What I need to figure out is the best lighting/area for taking self portraits. I am much better at taking product photos than face photos.

 
I always take my photos in the bathroom. It has those nice huge vanity bulbs all around and I get the best lighting. I do most of my makeup looks at night or else I'd do it beside my bedroom window with natural lighting.

 
Thanks to your Point and Shoot guide, I went out and looked for better ways to get lighting on products as well. I found a DIY on a tent light since the lighting around my apt is not that great!

I spent this evening making one! It cost a whopping $5 and truth be told, I had a lot of fun making it. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />Layla (my cat) even approves of it.   :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
They are pretty easy right? :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Glad I could help. I used really bright (I think 100 watt) bulbs for mine, but they can get hot so be careful.

 
Originally Posted by internetchick /img/forum/go_quote.gif

They are pretty easy right? :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Glad I could help. I used really bright (I think 100 watt) bulbs for mine, but they can get hot so be careful.
I'm going with the daylight continous bulbs. Lots of light, little heat. I was concerned if I was having a bad photo day, I'd end up melting something. LOL

 
I generally just use printer paper as an infinity backdrop, but I did make a teeny lightbox (DIY for the win!) for product photos. 

I'm currently in a crime scene photography class so Im learning all the details on aperture and lighting that I never understood. I think my photos get better and better every week. Little does my professor know that Im using my new knowledge for beauty photos! hah

My major tip for any of you is that the light itself is not the important part it is the color that the light gives off that matters. Auto White Balance does not work well! It is best if you have the option to manually set your white balance for each photo session. Don't wait for post-editing filters! You will immediately seen on your screen a dramatic increase in correct coloring. 

AWB only works if there is a massive amount of white in the photo to help it gauge how to filter the light correctly. But, cameras in general are set to want to compensate a photo to grey. Grey is the standard! Which is why our white backgrounds always come out dark, etc. 

And another tip. I could never get awesome nail photos until I learned what aperture and f/stops were. You want a narrow f/stop (so the highest number on your camera f/8, f/11, f/22 if you have an SLR) to allow the camera to be able to correctly focus every inch of the photo. Now all my nails are properly in focus and you can see details!

 
snllama that is great info! I didn't know that tip about doing nails.

Pancua, I have heard those tripods are good. I am thinking of getting one.

 
Originally Posted by internetchick /img/forum/go_quote.gif

snllama that is great info! I didn't know that tip about doing nails.

glad to help! If you ever have problems with getting really good focus, just narrow the f/stop. And if you want to blur out everything but your center focus point a very wide f/stop (f/2.8) will do the trick :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I usually just take them on the kitchen counter, since I mostly shoot products. I don't take the best photos, I get a lot of shadows. I really should put more effort into this.

 
I use my computer desk or a coffee table with off-white wall behind it. It works find as long as I do it in the afternoon, as lighting seems to be optimal at that time. Since I usually work Monday through Friday, this mean I can only take pictures on weekends... boo

 

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