DIY Video Studio Setup for Cheap

May 24, 2018 in General, Video, Recent Projects, Photography

Setting up a simple video or photography studio can be easy and you can use things you already have laying around. In this video, I’ll show you a small studio I set up at my church to record video. Here are some of the items I used to create the studio space:

White Backdrop (could be a sheet, table cloth or anything big enough to cover the background)
Black Backdrop (could be a sheet, blanket, etc. Used to block light and stop lights from bouncing.)
Cardboard boxes to block out windows
Moving blankets hung on the wall to prevent echo and deaden sound.
Lights

With a little creativity and using things you already have laying around, its easy to create a simple studio setup.

If you have any questions - please leave a comment below!

Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

FOLLOW ME:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayyadlovski/
Website: www.jasonyadlovski.com

My Photography Gear
My MAIN Camera:  http://amzn.to/2G9cvn6
MAIN Camera Battery Grip:  http://amzn.to/2rARJd2
My BACKUP Camera:  http://amzn.to/2F3qGcb
My Favorite Lens:  http://amzn.to/2BnsRF9
The Widest Lens I have:  http://amzn.to/2E2p6Ii
Wides Aperture Lens I have:  http://amzn.to/2rsFSxs
Good Kit Lens for Beginners:  http://amzn.to/2E3aXuu
My Flash: http://amzn.to/2DuUOfY
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box:  http://amzn.to/2BntjDl
GoPro Hero 5 Black:  http://amzn.to/2E4ZVF7
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery:  http://amzn.to/2Dtgx8a
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet:  http://amzn.to/2BnzW8K
My Camera Bag: http://amzn.to/2DxA1wG
Awesome Tripod:  http://amzn.to/2DSqvjD

Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: http://amzn.to/2rsH2ZQ
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2rr2Ul3

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: http://amzn.to/2BlOhCK
ScreenFlow: http://amzn.to/2Dua2SJ
iMovie

Computer Equipment
Macbook Pro:  http://amzn.to/2DvuPsW (I have a 2015, but this is the new version)
Drobo 5Dt:  http://amzn.to/2Dwt6Qk
Datacolor Spyder5PRO:  http://amzn.to/2BnQJbN
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Printer:   http://amzn.to/2G8LWib

Create Your Own Lightbox - a DIY Guide

January 15, 2015 in General, Recent Projects, Photography

Hi there! Have you ever wanted your own small studio for product photography? Creating a DIY I lightbox is easy and will give you the soft light you are looking for photographing products or smaller items.

Recently a friend asked if I would photograph his watch collection. I thought it would be great to create my own lightbox and see what kind of images I could come up with. Above, You can see some of the results I was able to achieve.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how I created my own lightbox in less than an hour and how you can easily create one too. I will also share the images I was able to produce using this simple light box.

Here is an image of the original lightbox setup I used to photograph the Steinhart watch. I decided to create a new, larger box using the steps that follow below.

Step 1

Find a box! Think about what you will try to photograph inside your light box. Do you need a large box or a small box? The orginal box I used to photograph the watch measured 16" wide x 12" high x16" deep. That size worked out well for a watch, but it would have been better if I had a larger box. This time I decided to use a box that was 21" wide x 18" high x 24" deep. Think about what will fit your needs and find something that works. The box I used came from Amazon.

Step 2

Gather some tools and supplies. Here are the things I used, all of which I had laying around the house. You don't need the exact same items, just things that will allow you to accomplish the same tasks. If you are using sharp objects or tools like I did, make sure you use them properly and safely! Safety is most important!

Straight Edge (Level)
Tape (Packaging Tape)
Tape measure or ruler
Scissors, Exacto blade, Carpenters knife or something similar for cutting the box and paper
Pen or Pencil
Tracing Paper or something similar that will soften light - for example waxed paper, a thin fabric, etc.
Posterboard - white and black so that you have options. I like the posterboard that has a slight shine on one side.
Binder clips (not shown here, but you will see a photo of them later).

Step 3

Decide what orientation you would like the box to be - vertical or horizontal. If you have a square box, it doesn't matter. The actual bottom of the box will become the back wall of your lightbox. Write 'Top' and 'Side' on your box so you know how the box will sit when it is finished.

Label the top and sides of your light box.

If you are using the top flaps of the box, tape them together securly

Step 4

We are going to cut out the top and sides of the box so that we can create a 'window' into the lightbox. These windows will then be covered with a material to diffuse the light. I decided to keep the top flaps of the box, so I started by taping them together with packaging tape. You may need a few pieces of tape to ensure the box is sturdy.

Once you have the sides taped together, measure and mark the box so we know where to cut the box. The measurements may vary based on the size of your box. The larger your box, the larger your 'window frames' need to be. You want the box to be sturdy and not fold over or fall down after you're finished.

Measure 2" in along the opening of the box

Due to the size of my box, I decided to measure in 1 1/2" in on each side and 2" along the front opening of the box. I made the front opening frame a little thicker because I thought it might need some additional support. After marking the various dimensions, use a marker to create a square on each side of the box. This is the line you will cut along as shown in the images below. The middle will be removed and the 'frame' around the edge will remain.

The 'Frame' on each edge remains and the middle is removed.

Safety first!  Becareful when it's time to cut. — Safety first! Becareful when it's time to cut.

Step 5

Now we are getting somewhere! It's starting to take shape and look like a Lightbox. You should have the top and sides cut out and be left with 'windows' looking into your lightbox.

Step 6

The next thing that needs to be done is to cover the inside of the 'frames' with white. This can be accomplished in several different ways. The best way would be to paint your box white on the inside. Due to time and not having white paint laying around my house, I decided to use white poster board paper to cover the areas of the box that needed to be covered. The picture below shows where the box needs to be covered up.

Cover the inside of the 'frame' with white.  Paint it white if you have the paint laying around. — Cover the inside of the 'frame' with white. Paint it white if you have the paint laying around.

Notice the darker band across the face of the watch

You might be thinking - Why does the inside of the box need to be covered in white? When I made my first lightbox, I found that I could see reflections of the box frame on reflective objects I was photographing. This was because the box was not reflecting the light in the same way that the 'window' panels were. Therefore, it caused dark reflections. If you look on the face of the watch in the picture, you can see there is a darker band across the middle of it. This is actually the 'frame' of the lightbox. Since it didn't reflect as much light, it caused a darker spot in the reflection.

Step 7

After adding white paper or painting the inside of the lightbox, the next step is to add the diffusion material to cover the openings in the box. For this I used a 12" roll of white trace paper. You can find trace paper at any art supply store. I started by taping one side to the box and wrapping the trace paper around the box, adding tape at the corners of the box.

Step 8

Next we need to create a way to hold the seamless background in place. I used white and black poster board as my seamless background. To hold the poster board in place I used 2 small binder clips that you can pickup at an office supply store.

On the top of the box, you need to create a small opening for the binder clip to go into. Measure over a few inches from the edge of the box and make the hole. The exact location doesn't really matter, just remember you will have one clip on each side. The images below show the hole for the binder clip and how the clip should fit.

Create a small opening that the binder clip can fit into.

Clip should attach to back and inside of the box.

View of clips inside the light box.  The poster board will be clipped here. — View of clips inside the light box. The poster board will be clipped here.

Step 9

After the clips are installed, measure and cut the poster board to fit the inside with of the box. The length should be slightly more than the height plus the depth of the box. The poster board should attached to the box using the binder clips, then hang down and bend but not crease into laying flat along the bottom of the box. This will allow for the 'seamless' background look. The poster board I had was little short, so I needed to get a larger piece. You want it to be one piece so there are no seams that need to be removed in post production.

Step 9

The lightbox is complete! The next important thing is to determine how you want to light your box. There are lots of different options - off camera flashes, strobes, desktop lights, lamps, workshop lights, etc. I decided to use 3 desk lights and in each light I used a 19w, 5000K florescent lightbulb. You should put one light on each side and one above the box. This should give you nice, even, soft light to work with. You can always move the lights forward and back to help get the look you want.

Step 10

Take some pictures! The lightbox is complete, now you just need to find some items to photograph. I would also recommend using a tripod for your camera so you don't have to worry about shutter speeds. Use your lowest ISO setting and an aperture that works for the image you are trying to capture. It takes some practice, but this simple setup will help you capture some great images! Below are a few images I captured in the lightbox, just to try it out.

Gloomy Morning Photographs

May 05, 2014 in Recent Projects, General

Foggy, wet, a little cool outside. May not seem like ideal conditions to get out and shoot some photos, but I bet if you venture out you will find some interesting things. That's exactly what I did late last week. It was a cool, damp, foggy morning here in New Jersey. As I looked at the fog in the morning light, I thought that there has to be some interesting images I could create. So I ventured out in search of some interesting things to take pictures of.

Below are a few of the images I captured during my 1 hour or so of being out and about. All of the images are taking with the Canon 60D using an 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS lens. Images were imported into Adobe Lightroom for cataloging and post processing. Some of the images were then also brought into onOne's Perfect Effects for finishing touches.

How often do you take photographs when the weather is less than ideal?

Recent Projects - Photographing Joely Rae

April 29, 2014 in Recent Projects, Children, Photography

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph Joely Rae who is about to turn one in May. Joely is a sweet little girl who did an excellent job during our photoshoot! I always enjoy photographing children because you never know what is going to happen. Children also keep you on your toes. Sometimes you get amazingly funny faces and other times you get tears. Regardless of what happens, I'm there to capture moments from our time together and I enjoy every minute of it.

Here are a few tips I find useful to keep in mind when photographing children.

Go with the flow! With children being unpredictable at times, you never know what will happen. Have a plan, but be ready to change directions at any moment.
Use a fast shutter speed. You want to be sure to freeze the moment. Some children are quite fast, so make sure you use a faster shutter speed. Bump up you ISO if you need to.
Focus on the eyes! Yes, the eyes say it all. When photographing people make sure the eyes are tack sharp
Talk and work with the parents. Set expectations so the parents know what you are thinking and how you plan to capture the images. Ask the parents if they had any particular props they want to use or if they have seen photos somewhere else that they like.
Have fun!

Images shot with Canon 60D using the Canon 17mm - 55mm F2.8 USM and the Canon 50mm F1.4 USM — Images shot with Canon 60D using the Canon 17mm - 55mm F2.8 USM and the Canon 50mm F1.4 USM

Here is some technical information about this shoot for those who are interested:

All of the images were taken with the Canon 60D using both the Canon 17mm - 55mm F2.8 USM and the Canon 50mm F1.4 USM.
Images were taken around 3:00 pm using available light. There was a pretty good cloud cover with the sun only shining through occasionally.
Images were brought into and developed in Adobe Lightroom.
The composite image above was created in Adobe Photoshop CC.