October 13, 2010
What you need to know about photography light reflectors
There are a number of different light reflectors used in photography. Each has its advantages and differences.
Silver-Black Umbrellas: These umbrellas enhance your camera's performance and are most often used for single-light portraits. They can also be used for large object product shots, still life work, and to brighten interiors and backgrounds. One caveat: they can create very bright highlights on faces. Overall, they create a soft, wrap-around lighting effect that's ideal for broadening and softening an image. Studiohut Silver/Black Double Flash 40"Collapsible Umbrellas feature a silver-lined interior surface with a black backing to deliver a soft, bounced light source. These umbrellas soften, broaden, and diminish the light output of any tungsten or flash light source, yet they can be used to add highlights to subjects, and slightly intensify light output.
Soft White Umbrellas: These umbrellas are ideal for indoor glamor or outdoor portrait photographs. Indoors, white umbrellas offer more versatility in that a portion of the light passes through and reflects off walls and the ceiling behind the umbrella, bouncing forward onto the subject. These umbrellas are often used for shooting groups of 4 or more people since they spread light over a lager area. They reduce shadows to produce an even, soft, low contrast light. Studiohut 43" Soft White Translucent Collapsible Lighting Umbrellas transmit approximately 50% light. They soften, broaden and diffuse the light output of any tungsten or studio flash source.
5-in-1 Reflectors: Ideal for wedding or glamor photography, these versatile reflectors can also be used as quick on-location backdrops for small product shots—like wedding rings, bouquets, shoes, or gifts. The white reflector will give you a crisp, clean, classic look. The black side is ideal for quick headshots. Use the gold if you want to warm skin tones. And silver to produce an edgy feel. Place the reflector about three to four feet behind the subject to diffuse the backdrop. Some photographers will shoot with a telephoto lens to give the backdrop smooth look. You can also use a small aperture setting to help diffuse the backdrop. Studiohut 32" 5-in-1 Multi Reflectors let you choose from five of today's most popular reflective surfaces. There's Gold to warm up skin tones; Silver for hard (non diffused) fill in; White for soft (diffused) fill in; Black to improve edge definition and 'shape'; and a Translucent White to diffuse direct light. The reflector folds down to just 8.5" in diameter and packs away neatly in an easy-to-carry bag.
Dual-Sided Oval Reflectors: Ideal for use on taller subjects and full body portraits—like wedding or glamor work, these reflectors have many uses. Since Gold reflects a yellow color and outdoor light in the shade tends to be blue, a gold reflector will add a yellow cast to your subject. Some photographers use gold for early morning and late evening shoots. A gold reflector puts a warm, healthy tone on your subject's skin. Gold can even convert your flash to a warm tone.
Ideal for product pictures, highly contrasted video, and black-and-white imagery, silver reflectors act more like a mirror and won't add a color cast. They simply reflect the light back onto the subject. If you're shooting outdoors, you'll mirror the blue sky, making the subject look cooler. A silver reflector will show the colors to be very saturated, almost wet. Skin tones will appear shiny and oiled down and tanned. Studiohut 40"x60" Double-Sided Silver/Gold Collapsible Oval Reflectors provide a Gold reflector to warm up skin tones and a Silver reflector for hard (non-diffused) highlight fill-in light. The reflector folds down for easy mobility in a convenient carry bag.
5-in-1 Reflectors: Ideal for wedding or glamor photography, these versatile reflectors can also be used as quick on-location backdrops for small product shots—like wedding rings, bouquets, shoes, or gifts. The white reflector will give you a crisp, clean, classic look. The black side is ideal for quick headshots. Use the gold if you want to warm skin tones. And silver to produce an edgy feel. Place the reflector about three to four feet behind the subject to diffuse the backdrop. Some photographers will shoot with a telephoto lens to give the backdrop smooth look. You can also use a small aperture setting to help diffuse the backdrop. Studiohut 32" 5-in-1 Multi Reflectors let you choose from five of today's most popular reflective surfaces. There's Gold to warm up skin tones; Silver for hard (non diffused) fill in; White for soft (diffused) fill in; Black to improve edge definition and 'shape'; and a Translucent White to diffuse direct light. The reflector folds down to just 8.5" in diameter and packs away neatly in an easy-to-carry bag.Dual-Sided Oval Reflectors: Ideal for use on taller subjects and full body portraits—like wedding or glamor work, these reflectors have many uses. Since Gold reflects a yellow color and outdoor light in the shade tends to be blue, a gold reflector will add a yellow cast to your subject. Some photographers use gold for early morning and late evening shoots. A gold reflector puts a warm, healthy tone on your subject's skin. Gold can even convert your flash to a warm tone.
Ideal for product pictures, highly contrasted video, and black-and-white imagery, silver reflectors act more like a mirror and won't add a color cast. They simply reflect the light back onto the subject. If you're shooting outdoors, you'll mirror the blue sky, making the subject look cooler. A silver reflector will show the colors to be very saturated, almost wet. Skin tones will appear shiny and oiled down and tanned. Studiohut 40"x60" Double-Sided Silver/Gold Collapsible Oval Reflectors provide a Gold reflector to warm up skin tones and a Silver reflector for hard (non-diffused) highlight fill-in light. The reflector folds down for easy mobility in a convenient carry bag.
October 3, 2010
Focusing Rails and Bellows for Macro Photography
We’ve all seen photographs of breathtaking imagery from faraway places. But photographers who don’t have unlimited travel budgets can often produce equally amazing photos through the use of macro photography. All they have to do is find the beauty in the minutiae in locations that are close to them.
 |
| Macro Fold Bellow |
There are a host of macro lenses available on the market today. However, it can still be difficult to get the perfect macro shot. Even if you are just a millimeter off in your focus, you’ll end up with an image that’s blurry or distorted. That’s why it’s helpful to have some tools which can help position your macro lens to capture the perfect photo. StudioHut offers two such instruments: a macro fold bellows mount system and a 4-way macro focusing rail slider.
 |
| Macro Slider Rail |
The Studiohut Lens Macro Fold Bellows Mount System allows you to insert the bellows between the camera body and the lens. Then you can effortlessly adjust the distance between your lens and the object that you are trying to photograph. This system is designed to work with Canon EOS traditional film and digital SLR cameras.
The Studiohut 4-way Macro Focusing Rail Slider is adjustable in all four directions to help you smoothly position your camera at the exact spot for the ideal photo. The rails come with knobs to help lock down your camera firmly before you snap the picture. This system is compatible with most Nikon, Canon, Minolta, and Pentax cameras.
Both of these products work with ¼-inch screws and are sturdy and affordable. But they can be the difference between getting a subpar macro shot and an award-winning image.
September 24, 2010
Muslin and Canvas Backgrounds in Photography
The right background can add movement and emotion to your portrait photography, wedding portraits, and homecoming images.
StudioHut uniquely hand-painted seamless canvas (8ft x 16ft) and muslin (10ft x 12ft or 10x 20ft.) backgrounds come in various color combinations and modern prints. These backgrounds are thick materials that allow for a better effect than lighter weight cotton materials—especially when using flashes or fill lighting. If you want to avoid wrinkles, stick with canvas backgrounds.
When shooting on muslin, position your subject at least three feet in front of the drop to keep tiny wrinkles out of focus. If you're shooting on a high key backdrop, use ample light to keep the backdrop from looking grimy or dull. Remember, if you fail to properly light up a backdrop, it will look darker than it actually is—which, in some cases, may be ideal for artistic portraits.
Finally, don't evaluate a new backdrop in its rolled-up form. Open it up, hang it and look at it through your camera's lens to get a realistic impression of its appearance on film. Keep in mind that your lighting, subject and prop placement, as well as camera settings will affect the final appearance of the backdrop. Backdrops have also been known to change due to final lab color settings.
And remember to use stable background stands.
A waving background can cause all sorts of distractions. StudioHut aluminum background support stand systems are adjustable from 6ft to 10ft and hold muslin, paper and canvas backgrounds. Ideal for in-studio or on-location shoots, they combine sheer strength with portability and easy set-up. The use of sandbags can add stability when using heavier paper roll backgrounds.
When shooting on muslin, position your subject at least three feet in front of the drop to keep tiny wrinkles out of focus. If you're shooting on a high key backdrop, use ample light to keep the backdrop from looking grimy or dull. Remember, if you fail to properly light up a backdrop, it will look darker than it actually is—which, in some cases, may be ideal for artistic portraits. And remember to use stable background stands.
A waving background can cause all sorts of distractions. StudioHut aluminum background support stand systems are adjustable from 6ft to 10ft and hold muslin, paper and canvas backgrounds. Ideal for in-studio or on-location shoots, they combine sheer strength with portability and easy set-up. The use of sandbags can add stability when using heavier paper roll backgrounds.
August 19, 2010
Advantages of C-stands in video and photo studios
"C" or Century Stands are multi-purpose stands that offer numerous advantages over traditional light stands to any photographer or videographer. These are grip tools as well as lighting stand apparatus. With their steel construction, C-stands support heavy weights and provide much needed stability in awkward or uneven shooting locations. A few advantages of C-stands include:
-- Steel construction provides support for heavy photographic and video studio equipment. This construction also makes them much more durable.
-- Adjustable stand legs heights allow for use in uneven surface areas, even on staircases.
-- Changeable leg positions allow for multiple stands to be grouped together
-- "Turtle" design of the C-stand base allows easier hanging of sandbags for added stability
C-stands are made up of 4 parts: the "turtle" shaped base, the stand, the grip head and finally the grip arm (with its own grip head). It is possible to buy the stands without the grip head and arm, a setup commonly used for studio lighting. When used with the grip head and arm, C-stands provide the support needed to hold photo video grip accessories such as reflectors, scrims and flags in addition to photography studio and video lighting.
-- Adjustable stand legs heights allow for use in uneven surface areas, even on staircases.
-- Changeable leg positions allow for multiple stands to be grouped together
-- "Turtle" design of the C-stand base allows easier hanging of sandbags for added stability
C-stands are made up of 4 parts: the "turtle" shaped base, the stand, the grip head and finally the grip arm (with its own grip head). It is possible to buy the stands without the grip head and arm, a setup commonly used for studio lighting. When used with the grip head and arm, C-stands provide the support needed to hold photo video grip accessories such as reflectors, scrims and flags in addition to photography studio and video lighting.
May 17, 2010
Studiohut's Timer Remote Control for Time Lapse Movies
Time-lapse photography allows the human eye to observe in mere seconds the blooming of a beautiful flower or the movement of clouds during a sunset. Have you ever watched a nature show and thought, how do they do that? Have you ever wished that you could somehow do it too? With Studiohut’s Timer Remote Control Shutter you can easily turn this wish into a reality.
A timer remote control is a simple device that gives a photographer a great deal of control over a camera’s shutter release. To create a time-lapse movie using a timer remote control, the shutter speed of the camera needs to be manipulated in one of two ways. First, the frame rate, or how often the shutter opens and closes, needs to be controlled. Next, you can control how long the shutter stays open for one frame using the long-exposure timer. For instance, when filming the progression of stars across the night sky individual frames need to have a long exposure in order to see them on film, and there needs to be long time lapses between frames to depict the speed of their travel.
The Studiohut Timer Remote Control provides the photographer with many settings such as those for a self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer as well as an exposure count. The timer can be set from 1 second to almost 100 hours, giving the photographer an enormous amount of control over the work he or she wishes to create. Since Studiohut offers timer remote controls for the most popular camera brands at very affordable prices, this is a great opportunity to begin producing your own time-lapse movies!
A timer remote control is a simple device that gives a photographer a great deal of control over a camera’s shutter release. To create a time-lapse movie using a timer remote control, the shutter speed of the camera needs to be manipulated in one of two ways. First, the frame rate, or how often the shutter opens and closes, needs to be controlled. Next, you can control how long the shutter stays open for one frame using the long-exposure timer. For instance, when filming the progression of stars across the night sky individual frames need to have a long exposure in order to see them on film, and there needs to be long time lapses between frames to depict the speed of their travel.
The Studiohut Timer Remote Control provides the photographer with many settings such as those for a self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer as well as an exposure count. The timer can be set from 1 second to almost 100 hours, giving the photographer an enormous amount of control over the work he or she wishes to create. Since Studiohut offers timer remote controls for the most popular camera brands at very affordable prices, this is a great opportunity to begin producing your own time-lapse movies!
April 13, 2010
Shape up your photo studio with Professional Studio Equipment
Are you planning to create your own photo studio? Setting up your own professional studio can seem highly overwhelming, but with proper knowledge and support it can be a great delight.
Photography and lighting go hand in hand. To be a great photographer you need to be a student of light. You need to understand how light works, how light effects the camera and the subject. How the studio interacts with light. Once you understand the rules you can then begin pushing the limits and even sometimes breaking the rules.
If you are beginning from scratch, here is a list of the essential items you need to start with:
• Continuous Light Kits
• Photography Background Stands
• Studio Umbrellas
• Studio Backdrop Kit
Buying Continuous Lighting Kits is highly important when you first start out; we are offering a basic kit for studio lighting setup, the 250W Continuous Lighting Single Photo Studio Floodlight Kit. An ideal answer to low-cost studio lighting kits that provides an output of 250 Watts of continuous lighting. Compact in size, this Continuous Light Kit makes a great light to use for background or special effects lighting.
The perk of using continuous lighting is that you have exact control over the appearance of the photograph before you click it. The main light provides the strongest output of light by adding depth to shadows; the fill light helps to reduce and soften unwanted shadows; and the background light helps to ensure your subject will not fade into the backdrop. Increasing the distance between the subject and the backdrop adds more dimension to the photograph. Also, subtle positional changes of the lighting kits can enhance studio lighting.
Apart from continuous lighting the Studio Lighting Kit offers either a soft white umbrella or a silver/black umbrella and large variety of backdrops.
These Studio Umbrellas are light modifiers that allow you to control the light source and help you produce a much more appealing image. If you are taking photographs of products, Studio umbrellas help to ensure your item is evenly lit. Most photographers have a standard white backdrop; white background guarantees a professional look no matter where your studio is. A 10' X 20' Solid White Muslin Photo Video Backdrop is a perfect item for someone creating a first home photo studio.
This beginning set-up of Professional Photography Equipment is a great foundation for any photo studio. As you begin to grow more comfortable with the equipment, you can experiment with how many lights you use and where you put them to achieve the lighting effect you want.
Photography and lighting go hand in hand. To be a great photographer you need to be a student of light. You need to understand how light works, how light effects the camera and the subject. How the studio interacts with light. Once you understand the rules you can then begin pushing the limits and even sometimes breaking the rules.
If you are beginning from scratch, here is a list of the essential items you need to start with:
• Continuous Light Kits
• Photography Background Stands
• Studio Umbrellas
• Studio Backdrop Kit
Buying Continuous Lighting Kits is highly important when you first start out; we are offering a basic kit for studio lighting setup, the 250W Continuous Lighting Single Photo Studio Floodlight Kit. An ideal answer to low-cost studio lighting kits that provides an output of 250 Watts of continuous lighting. Compact in size, this Continuous Light Kit makes a great light to use for background or special effects lighting.
The perk of using continuous lighting is that you have exact control over the appearance of the photograph before you click it. The main light provides the strongest output of light by adding depth to shadows; the fill light helps to reduce and soften unwanted shadows; and the background light helps to ensure your subject will not fade into the backdrop. Increasing the distance between the subject and the backdrop adds more dimension to the photograph. Also, subtle positional changes of the lighting kits can enhance studio lighting.
Apart from continuous lighting the Studio Lighting Kit offers either a soft white umbrella or a silver/black umbrella and large variety of backdrops.
These Studio Umbrellas are light modifiers that allow you to control the light source and help you produce a much more appealing image. If you are taking photographs of products, Studio umbrellas help to ensure your item is evenly lit. Most photographers have a standard white backdrop; white background guarantees a professional look no matter where your studio is. A 10' X 20' Solid White Muslin Photo Video Backdrop is a perfect item for someone creating a first home photo studio.
This beginning set-up of Professional Photography Equipment is a great foundation for any photo studio. As you begin to grow more comfortable with the equipment, you can experiment with how many lights you use and where you put them to achieve the lighting effect you want.
