Reddit mentions: The best camera & photo lighting

No problem dude.

So first off I just want to go against your thought on only using an iPhone until you can get a professional camera. I really do think that you need the DSLR step in between the iPhone and the professional camera for many factors. Even though the app that you are using is very impressive, it still cannot match a DSLR. You even said it yourself, the camera sensor is way too small to use in anything but exceptional light. Secondly being able to tell the story not just the angle you have the camera, but in the lens choice is something that is awesome to do. With a single change in a lens you can make someone who is in an ally look like they are claustrophobic and trapped, to someone being alone in a large amount of space. So using lenses are a huge help in telling the story you want and being able to know that before using a professional camera is huge. I also want to point out one of the big and main differences why someone would want a professional cinematic camera. One of the main reasons is to have the capability to shoot in RAW which allows for awesome post production. I've used RAW many times before and it is awesome to adjust almost every aspect of the shot. Here is the thing though, you almost really don't need that unless you are really going to push the camera in post, or if you are doing a movie. Even without RAW a DSLR or mirrorless camera can achieve professional looking video without breaking the bank. Here a great video on professionals comparing 8bit vs 10bit which is essentially the difference between cinema cameras and mirrorless ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AekKwgvS5K0 ). This is a very interesting video and really shows how good mirrorless cameras are, and the small gap between the two. I know it's fun to say that you filmed a whole film on an iPhone. I've also used an iPhone and android phones to film really good looking video, but I knew what it can and can't do because I had used dslr and professional cameras. Without the knowledge I had there would've been wild problems that I couldn't fix in post, and even with all of my knowledge I had to change how I did things to get everything right. It was a great experience, but there is a time and place for everything.

Okay not that is out of the way I'll tackle the audio questions you had. So when I said that you can eliminate background noise while recording it wasn't necessarily in a software, rather in what you are doing while filming. The number one thing that you need to do is get the mic as close to the actor as possible. By doing this it eliminates most factors so you can have more flexibility in post. Secondly it is a good idea to have someone dedicated to being the audio engineer. Having to do both is exhausting and results in lukewarm audio and video. Third you need to get an app or some external device that allows for adjusting the gain. There should be multiple apps that can do this, however I would recommend a pre-amp. Here is a link to a great pre-amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LBS52YI/ref=psdc_11974581_t3_B007534LFK . It is a great deal for what it is, but it is still pretty pricey if you don't have much money or much income at all. This is a great tool because it will allow for any audio recorder, phone, or camera to accept xlr, quater inch, and normal aux connections and even providing two. You can also adjust the volume it is putting out so you can more easily adjust on the fly. Getting the right levels is essential for getting good audio in post. The next thing you can do is have some portable sound proofing. There are audio blankets that do a great job, but they are $60 for one. Not to say it isn't worth it, but it's a bit much if it's between getting that and a new mic. So instead I recommend getting a moving blanket. It isn't perfect, but you can get a huge amount of them for cheap and they do almost as good as the audio blanket. The way can use this is to cover up whatever is making the noise if you can. If you can't you can make a wall out of the blankets with light stands, or pretty much whatever you can attach them to. This will not only reduce echos from the actor, but it will also greatly reduce the amount of ambient noise that the mic is picking up. Seriously pick up some moving blankets, they are a great tool not just for audio, but you can use them to block out light, and actually move stuff. They are a really awesome tool. So by doing all of this it should reduce the amount of ambient noise that the mic picks up. Also for good shotgun mics, I am not a great resource for this but I do know a few good mics. Here are two that I know are good and that others say good things about. https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Advanced-Broadcast-Microphone-accessories/dp/B00N39J0LU/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503160247&sr=1-4&keywords=shotgun+mic https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-6550-Condenser-Shotgun-Microphone/dp/B002GYPS3M/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503160247&sr=1-5&keywords=shotgun+mic . If you want to know more there are a large amount of articles on good mics for cheap.

Next I just want to quickly mention that you should invest in some lights. No matter what it is a good idea to have them. Here is a link to a great budget light, https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503160499&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+light . It isn't the most exiting thing to buy, but it is well worth your money.

For the acting questions, it is hard to put to words what I experience. It's more of an instinct, and is different in every situation . However I know I would not be happy with that answer, so here is a link to an article that I think has some really good points. http://www.masteringfilm.com/tips-for-directing-actors/ . This isn't the guide lines for what you can do, but this is just a starting point for what you can do to direct actors better. There are many articles out there so pick and choose what you want. My only piece of advice that I could find words for is this, make your actors not act. You want them to be the character. So a good way to get this to happen is to have them write a back story for the character, it won't be incorporated in the film, but it will help them shape their decisions on how they act. It is really a great way to have the actor connect with the character. Also just tell the actor what they are doing. Don't be a dick about it, but let them know so they can change it. Don't be vague by saying "do that but happier" because no one really gets that. Instead say something like "Jim while you are saying that line could you have a bit of a smile and have a bit more hop in your step" something like that. That might've not been the best example, but you hopefully get the idea.

Okay I hope that answered all of your questions. Let me know if you have more.

So I feel like I have some advice to offer here. I work at a farmers market and the booth next to mine sells candles. I would say they make about $200-300 a day. I personally don't buy candles, but I'm obsessed with wax melts and know many other people who are as well. There's honestly a whole weird subculture around it and I've been known to spend $50-100 on them at a time when ordering online. I have three drawers full of wax melts and some of them are so sought after that there are selling and trading groups on Facebook.

The booth next to me at the farmers market sells their candles for $15 each or 3 for $35. Lots of people will really fall in love with two scents and then they can't help but spend another $5 to get a third. They do a great job of marketing. All the candles are just in clear, cylinder jars. They're not colorful, just white soy wax. They use cedar wicks. Their scents are really fun and unique and have cute names like Netflix and Chill, Gummy Bears etc. I feel like they have a variety of scents that appeal to people of all ages, but their branding is clean and basic enough to also appeal to anyone.

Looking at your page I don't even see what kind of wax you use. I don't know what your wicks are made of. I don't know if you're using essential oils, which you've blended into these fragrances or what your methods are for making these candles. I have to be honest, people care about these things A LOT. Hell, I've even heard people ask how soy wax is made. These people have all the answers to these questions and people really do want to know.

I'm not going to lie, I'm in my 30s and if I saw your candles I might not even stop to look because they look old fashion to me. They look craft mall/Americana/shabby chic at best. That's my cold hard truth to you. Also the scents seem to be mostly dupes of mainstream fragrances or just really basic stock fragrances. So they just don't seem special. Nothing on the website tells me why they're special. You don't even have like "your story" or anything on your page that I can find. Also your photos are grainy and dark and just not very appealing.

As for the wax melts, I know they're not the most exciting thing in the world, but some companies make them into that. My favorite wax melt company is The Bathing Garden. (www.thebathinggarden.com)
This is my last order from them. When I get these packages, it's like Christmas morning. They charge $3.75 for each clamshell. Everything is beautiful. The fragrances are limited edition and all beautifully crafted and blended. There are new themes and some fragrances are rereleased annually. Here's the kicker- they're so busy that the turn around time is SIX WEEKS. When I first heard this I thought what a horrific business model. I can't imagine waiting a month and a half to get an order from them. When I got that first order I about died. Everything was amazing. I've never smelled such smells. Since that first order I've almost always had an open order with them. I just got that order and I'm now waiting on another order I places maybe three weeks ago.

They do a fragrance of the month and it's hard for me to resist because its just there for the month and then it's gone. They describe their fragrances in great detail and give them fun names and create every clamshell into a work of art. It feels valuable when I get it. It feels and smells worth every penny.

I will honestly say their website kinda sucks and it's worse on mobile, but their stuff is so fabulous that word of mouth creates all the buzz they need.

Also my best friend makes perfume which she sells online. She custom blends her fragrances and they are released seasonally in themes. She offers sample packs and full size products. She is very successful even though people can't smell her items before spending money on them. Her descriptions are very through.

Start with better photos. That's super important. Get this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MjtgzbWTZ49MH

The weird backgrounds aren't doing your stuff any favors. Maybe include some props depending on the fragrances. I sell nail polish online, which I make. Sometimes props can be fun. You can see that this photo was taken in the lightbox and it's fun and bright.

I hope this wasn't too harsh and is at least some what helpful. I've been selling nail polish online for four years and did over 11k sales on etsy last year. I woke a full time job and most weeks I only have one solid day to work on my polish business. I would say that branding and unique offerings/names are at least 80% of why my business is successful. I make it all really personal and informational and entertaining to buy products from my shop. Which is what I want when I buy something online.

Hey, I'll try and answer as best I can, but others may have better or more accurate descriptions than me.

1. Many people will argue about this one, and I don't think there is really a right and wrong answer. You can make a great looking movie on an Iphone if you know what you are doing.
   
   But as for what makes a camera better? I would say control. The more functions you can control on a camera, the better. This is why DSLR filmmaking is so popular currently, because they have access to functions that many cameras don't have. Focus, Aperture, White Balance, Lens choices, etc. Being able to access all of these gives you more options as a filmmaker, which is what we all want, creative freedom, we all hate when we are limited by technology.
   
   Now many people talk about shooting Film vs Digital, or whether or not you are recording in RAW format for digital. A lot of this has to do with preference vs quality of camera.
   
   So I would say that a camera that is easy to control is the best. Hopefully I mostly answered that, if you want a more specific answer, just let me know and I'll try my best, otherwise hopefully someone else jumps back in here and describes it better.
   
   
2. This one is again up for debate. Here is what I think would be best. Get a camera first. Like many independent filmmakers, a DSLR might be the best option, I found a camera from Panasonic called the AG AF-100 that to me has been an amazing camera, and a few steps above the DSLR without costing that much more. But Canon and it's DSLR lineup is great! Grab a couple decent lenses with that too.
   
   I would recommend a small light kit, you can spend as much as you want on film lights, but don't feel ashamed to buy a few lights from Lowes or Home Depot. Lighting is a very important piece to making movies. I would also look into getting some reflectors, there are some really cheap ones on Amazon. I have found these to be helpful when shooting outdoors, since lower end lights are almost unnoticeable in the sun.
   
   Here is the one that many early filmmakers ignore, Audio. Grab a nice microphone and get some good sound with your video. The Rode NTG 2 is a pretty good mike. It's cheaper while still getting good sound. The ME 66 is a bit more expensive, but it's a hotter mike and gets better sound. Both are really good options. To go with your mike, if you have a little extra spending money, I would completely advise getting a Blimp. This Rode Blimp is great! If you want to shoot outdoors in the wind at all, this is the best option, otherwise you may have to re-record all the voice over in post.
   
   ~
   
   This post is getting a little long here, so I'll throw a summary at the end with a couple more items.
   
   Camera: Get a Camera, Lenses, Case, Tripod.
   
   Lighting: Get a couple Lamps, Reflectors, Filters, Light Stands.
   
   Audio: Get a Microphone, Boom, Blimp, XLR Cable, Recording Device, Headphones.
   
   There is always more, but these would be a good starting point. Not everything I recommended is needed to get started though.

I would purchase things that are relatively affordable (this tascam lav works great with auto levels and is totally worth the money) and rent things like lenses (and camera if you don't have something that's decent) that you'll definitely need but are a large upfront cost.

My essential gear would include:

• Camera (needs to be HD, but you don't need a $3k camera if you're just starting out.)
  
  
• Lenses- at least a wide and a decent zoom. For us, we just run a Canon 24-105 for most of the day (it's a beast of a lens and you can almost get away with only that) but it's also good to have something like a 70-200 so you can get closer shots if/when you're at the back of the ceremony. You can definitely rent these, and they're probably the best thing to rent starting out.
  
  
• Tripod and monopod. I would have a tripod just to be able to be locked down for the ceremony (sometimes it's exhausting trying to keep a monopod stable for a 30+ min ceremony) and run the monopod the rest of the day. Benro make a decently affordable monopod or you can go with this Manfrotto monopod. We have two of the Manfrottos and they are the best. I can't speak for the quality of the Benro because I haven't used their monopod, but they have a great warranty and great customer service on their stuff.
  
  
• A video light. You will absolutely need a light on your camera. I've been in ceremonies and receptions that seemed like they were barely candle lit. You will probably never run a light during a ceremony but you'll definitely need it during receptions. Luckily LED lights are cheap these days. Something like this light or even this little light will be fine starting out. I run that cheap little light with the included orange filter on it almost every wedding and it works great.
  
  
• Microphones. You should have one on camera mic (for ambient noise for the whole day) and one lav mic (for the groom during the ceremony).
  
  
• Audio recorder. I would definitely have this along with some different cables. You can buy cheap cables for now from Monoprice or something. A recorder like this tascam will probably be fine for now.
  
  I also want to add- DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BUY USED GEAR especially from Adorama or B&H as long as it's listed in good condition. Everything I've bought used from those companies (when listed in good condition) has felt brand new.
  
  As far as advertising- the only thing I've seen really work for people is showing up to those Bridal shows and handing out cards and just talking to people. Besides that it's just word of mouth. But you'll need work to show potential brides. If you have never shot a wedding, I would reach out to wedding coordinators on WeddingWire/The knot/ anywhere you can and offer your services for free for one wedding. We did this and it was how we got started. Now I probably messaged 30+ coordinators and only one responded, but we built a great relationship with her and got our first 5+ weddings that way. The way I worded it was basically "we'd like to film a wedding for someone who did not intend to have a videographer (i.e wasn't in their budget at all). We want them to be aware that this is our first wedding and we do know how it will turn out."
  
  Anyway, I'm really rambling here. Hope this info was helpful. We've been shooting weddings for the last 3 years- so long enough to know what we're talking about but short enough to remember how we started and what we did wrong.

yeah, i'd do that with any camera tbh and keep the in-camera audio as a back up, just because the pre-amps on consumer cameras tend to generate a lot of hiss.


if that's the case-- if you want sharper video and 60p for slow mo/a better camera for whenever you want to shoot stills, either the a6000 or its cheaper sibling the a5100 are great options. the a6000 is a little easier to use ergonomically because of its hotshoe and viewfinder, and only about $100 more. The a6000 doesnt have a mic jack, but there's a pretty decent shotgun stereo mic that sony makes that plugs directly into the hotshoe to work for about $100.

i'd also definitely recommend going for the native 50mm 1.8 or 35mm 1.8 with OSS in them-- they're not too pricey, especially used, and the stabilization and video AF in both are surprisingly decent.

Panasonic also has some really good options, namely, you can get a used GH2 or G6 for under $300, both of which do great video.



But I'm not going to recommend either of those. Instead, I'm going to recommend the EOS M. You can get one with the pancake 22mm f/2 kit lens for under $300, easily. Yes, it's soft 1080p, but:

>1: it has a mic jack and hotshoe, and with magic lantern, you get pre-amp control, audio levels, and focus peaking to fix its ergonomic failings


>2: its image quality in stills mode is excellent


>3: that leaves you with as much as $250 (even less!!!) for other lenses and or lights + mics + etc


>4: it's mirrorless, so you can adapt basically any mount for it


>5: its the canon menu system, so you're used to it, and if you're shooting for web, soft 1080p is ok-- basically all video on the web is upscaled 720 at best with Youtube's garbage compression & Vimeo's very wise move to default at 720p for streaming. More importantly, canon has great out-of-the-box skin tones, decent 3rd party options for flat profiles, and does skin tones better than anyone (though samsung comes close).

>6: with the amazing 22mm pancake lens, you can literally fit it in your pocket, with a sharp, fast, wide lens. don't underestimate that. I'll never, ever be getting rid of my EOS M for that very reason.

if you're willing to chance it with a no-return ebay listing, this is an insane deal for it at $200: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EOS-M-18-0-MP-Digital-Camera-Black-Kit-w-EF-M-STM-22mm-Lens-Extras-/301852333911?hash=item4647cd1757:g:xmcAAOSwUV9WntSq


edit: here's a listing that does offer returns and isnt expiring in 25 minutes: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EOS-M-18-0-MP-Digital-Camera-w-EF-M-STM-22mm-Lens-SN401090-Near-Mint/252261698510?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150604093004%26meid%3D9cc556ced6ae4eb2988415606b2afa1e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D321987815557&rt=nc


Edit 2:

If you go with the eos M + 22mm at $250, that leaves you with:


-$125 for a solid ravelli video tripod (less if you search CL or ebay)


-this Takstar mic for $30-- it's 90% as good as a Rode/AT, and its actually easier to work with in post (which you'll need to do with in-camera audio) http://www.amazon.com/Takstar-SGC-598-Recording-Microphone-Camcorder/dp/B00E1D2LTA

-this 50mm f/1.8 manual focus lens for approx. $30 http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANON-LENS-EX-50-MM-1-1-8-/262261014275?hash=item3d0ff97f03:g:oHMAAOSwNSxVdKLd (requires a cheap adapter for an additional $16: http://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-AEMFD-Mirror-Camera-Adapter/dp/B00ACYTWFI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1453854045&sr=8-2&keywords=ef-m+fd)

this LED camera light for $30: http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854327&sr=8-3&keywords=led+camera+light

This hotshoe extender for $12: http://www.amazon.com/Movo-HVA20-Heavy-Duty-Accessory-Microphones/dp/B00HTWF7MS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854366&sr=8-11-spons&keywords=hotshoe+extender&psc=1

and finally, this cold-shoe grip + extender, for using this tiny camera on the go with a mic for $30:
http://www.amazon.com/Movo-SVH6-Stabilizing-Extender-Olympus/dp/B00YQD94RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854193&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=cold+shoe&psc=1

This is a little over $500, so you could drop 1 or 2 of the accessories, but this will do way more for you for your money.

Yeah, the amazon kits, for the most part, are just junk, and the stuff you do really want is bad quality. It's substantially better to get stuff as you get more experience.

For a camera, I definitely think that you are good with a t6i or t7i. I agree with the other poster to make sure that you get an "i" because they have the swivel screen that makes life so much easier. After a quick check, you could get this referbed t6i for about $500 which is not bad. Don't worry about it coming with a kit lens, sometimes those lenses can be useful, and for the most part, since it is an "amateur" camera, they are hard to find body only. So you should be good there.

I'm not entirely sure what the "tutorial" mode is, but really do read up on the exposure triangle. It's not super difficult (there are TONS of great graphics that help explain it), and it will make your photos/videos SO much better because you will be in control, and more aware of the capabilities and limitations of your camera than if you shoot in a mode that's not manual.

Also a few quick notes about filming with DSLRs that you aren't going to see if you just look at photography sources. One, try your darnest to always shoot ISO 100 when filming. Bumping the ISO in pictures is fine because the grain is either not recognizable or is easy to remove in photos, but it is SUPER noticeable and hard to remove in video. This is because the grain changes every frame, effectively animating it. The other thing is that if you shoot higher than 60 fps, you might end up wanting to add motion blur or something because the video might look a little odd. On the contrary, for photos you'll probably want to shoot more like 200 so that handshake doesn't introduce motion blur.

The other thing that is SUPER IMPORTANT for video and just like "nice to have" for photos is a good memory card that has a high write speed. This is the one that I personally use. If the memory card doesn't have a high write speed, then your camera will just stop recording because the write speed of the memory card can't keep up with the data coming from the camera.

Also, side note, there are tons of articles that will say that canons can't shoot more than 12 minutes of video at a time because it exceeds the 4gb file size (which it can't go past due to stupid copyright laws. I don't get it either). This isn't entirely true. All the canons that I have dealt with (everything from a t3i to 70D) record fine past the 12 minute mark, just when they get done recording it will split it into 4gb files. Only one canon have I ever seen ALWAYS shut done at the 12 minute mark no matter what, so I suspect it was just broken. However, even with my own trusted camera that I have never had problems recording more than 12 minutes has recently stopped at about 30mins (my guess had to do write speeds), so just always be aware.

As far as lighting kits go, this one is pretty good for a beginer. Most people do a basic 3 point lighting which is probably fine enough for what you want to do. So with that in mind, and since you want to do green screen, you might want to get 2 of those kits. The key to doing green screen is to have a really well- and evenly- lit screen. TBH you really don't need to get a green screen kit unless you just want to. All it really is, is just a large piece of fabric anchored in such a way so that there are no wrinkles. Of course, the kits are nicer, but you may want to see if you can DIY that part.

As for a tripod, this one is probably fine for what you want to do. Just keep in mind that if you continue to do more in video/photography you will probably need to get a better one later on. I personally have one like this that I use like as a back-up, so they aren't a complete waste of money.

Hopefully this helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Photography is sort of a secret passion of mine. I don't really talk about it with my friends very often, but it feels really awesome to take pictures. I really like landscape and nature photography- it's so cool to be able to capture the awesomeness that is the earth! But I think I would really like to start getting into portrait photography. I'd really like to take portraits IN nature- how cool would that be?!?!

I feel really comfortable and at ease when I'm working on my photography. I'll be honest, I'm not that good yet, but I definitely have composition down! That's what got me into taking photos in the first place! I just have to keep improving at working with my camera and learning how to use it.

These reflectors would be so amazing to receive! They would be the PERFECT tool to help me start my progress on nature portraits! I love how you can change the mood and tone of your photos slightly with these. This would be such an amazing tool to have!

Thank you so, soooo much for hosting this contest! You're definitely doing it right! ;D

I usually don't use those items to clean my machine. But I am sort of strict when it comes to using the laptop. Like I never use it while eating etc. ThinkPads are fingerprint magnets. It doesn't take much effort to get it all greasy. I usually clean my machine once a week with a micro fibre cloth and some lens cleaning liquid, like the ones you use to wipe off TVs and such. And it seems to have worked well for me. I've seen people use those materials that you mentioned to clean their ThinkPads but I don't know much about them since I never used them. One thing I suppose you need to be careful about the X1E is the Carbon Fibre weave on the top panel. Refrain from using anything like a "magic eraser" unless you are 100% sure that it will not do any harm. But having a good personal hygiene helps to not go to extreme to clean your laptop. My slight OCD regarding having clean hands does help in that regard. :-)


For the calibration you need a Display Calibration hardware product like X-Rite or Spyder X. In combination with those hardware and the supporting software, you can colour correct your panels. I bought mine in Australia and they provide the option to have it calibrated directly from the factory. Although, not sure why that is even an "option". For a laptop this expensive it should come calibrated by default for everyone who picks the 4K screen. Also, what is the point of supplying one of the best panel on the market with your laptop where it is not properly colour corrected. Doesn't do justice to this beautiful screen. Anyway, that is just my thought. If you want I can give you the profile file on mine and you can try it out on yours to see if it makes any difference or not. But usually panel profiles differ for every panel, so better to have it calibrated individually. Also, professionals recommend that you calibrate your display every few months. I am thinking about buying one on eBay during Christmas sales, it is a one time investment and just might be worth it over a long period of time. Now all that remains is convincing my other half why I need a toy that I'll only use 3 or 4 times a year. For me, that is the toughest part in this whole "calibration" issue. ;-) .


Hope you enjoy your X1E for years to come. Cheers.

I recently picked up almost everything on this list so I can give you an honest opinion and I'm a vfx artist trying to get out there and shoot my own content.

The fisheye....we never use it. We shot a prom and that was the only time we used it, and that was for b-roll because the kids loved it.

Definitely pick up the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It's such a great lens! I almost use if for everything I do, but it's also good to have a wide angle lens. I currently use one of my buddy's which is a Canon 17mm-85mm.

Nodal Ninja I haven't seen before, but looks great.

Video tripod is good, I use a Manfrotto 502 but it's way more expensive, so this looks like a decent alternative. Also, the quick release plates are awesome. You'll eventually want to pick up tonnes of these. I used 2 yesterday to put on both the bottom of my new slider, as well as the top. I have one on my cage as well.

You can probably do without the Shoulder Rig for now. You may consider using the Kamerar Tank 2 cage with rail system to hook up the Kamerar Follow Focus. I found that once I got my Tank, I just disassembled the shoulder rig and never used it since. The Glidecam is something that I've been considering as my next purchase. Check out my thread asking about the glidecam.

Definitely grab the NTG-2 and possibly a Zoom H4N. The sound quality is fantastic. You need an XLR cable, windshield, boompole, and a shock mount.

Kamerar's Follow Focus is solid. It gets a little cramped using a smaller lens, the follow focus, and a matte box though. You have to tinker with teeth to learn how you need to set it up properly so that the teeth don't slip.

The Matte Box, while nice to look at, hasn't proven it's worth to me. I shoot with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and because the lens is so short, the matte box does very little to block out light. I just got the new "donut" in the mail yesterday so maybe that will help, but I wouldn't advise getting it when you can spend that money on something else.

And the backpack is pretty awesome, definitely worth picking up. If you travel to shoots I would recommend the Pelican 1510 to store all your stuff in.

I would also recommend grabbing a couple LED lights and the batteries and charger. These things are a life saver. I'll be picking up a third this week.

I hope this helped you out a bit. Like I said I was in a similar situation to you a couple months ago, but everything's coming together now. If you have any more specific questions about any of this, let me know. Take care.

You've gotten some good advice here, but there are some basics you may be missing.

> I used a Canon DSLR for one sketch and the quality was cool and all but the audio was awful...

That's because these camera generally have noisy preamplifiers and automatic gain control (and because you probably used the camera's internal microphone). Those are the three worst things that can happen to your soundtrack. You can fix them by buying a camera with better preamps, and/or using manual gain control and/or by getting an external mic and putting it on a boom closer to your subject/talent.

> ...it did a cool thing where something was in focus and things in the background were sort of blurry but I don't know if that's something all cameras do or a special feature...

That was because DSLRs have relatively large sensors (much larger than your cell phone). There is a complex optical explanation for this, but, suffice it to say, the larger the sensor, the easier it is to get the "blurry background" effect - also called "shallow depth of field" or "shallow DOF".

All of that said, you can put a nice little studio together with a $1000 budget:

Camera and Support

• [Panasonic G7 - $597.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106BG35S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0106BG35S&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Amazon Basics Video Tripod w Fluid Head - $74.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEH7VG8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CEH7VG8&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) - I own the Ravelli AVTP Professional - which has the same fluid head as this tripod - and it pans and tilts very smoothly
  
  Sound
  
  
• [Rode VideoMic Studio Boom Kit - $199] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ISKJJ5Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00ISKJJ5Q&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) ([Here] (http://wistia.com/library/choosing-a-microphone) is why you need a boom)
  
  Studio Lighting and Backdrop:
  
  
• [LimoStudio 3 light continuous lighting kit - $49.50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005FHZ2SI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  For background, you might want to consider green photographic paper instead of stands, crossbars and unwieldy sheets of muslin, as seen in [this video from Wistia] (http://wistia.com/learning/diy-office-video-studio):
  
  
• [Savage 9' x 36' background paper for chromakey - $66.80] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B782NO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000B782NO&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Duck Tape - chromakey green - $4.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TOL43M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002TOL43M&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  For less than $1000, you'll be able to produce well-lit 4K content with decent sound and a stable image with smooth pans and tilts.
  
  You will also have a basic chromakey studio with which to add special effects.
  
  Here are some examples of what this camera can do:
  
  Narrative
  
  
• [Stars] (https://vimeo.com/137538379)
  
  Documentary
  
  
• [Fotograf Anna Ejemo] (https://vimeo.com/141640603)
  
  
• [Indianapolis 500 in 4K] (http://vimeo.com/130565657)
  
  Travel/Nature
  
  
• [Bahamas] (https://vimeo.com/136657243)
  
  
• [Away From The City ~ Panasonic G7 [4K] 42.5mm F1.7] (http://vimeo.com/132028570)
  
  Timelapse
  
  
• [Clouds Time-lapse] (https://vimeo.com/139023972)
  
  Timelapse and Slow Motion
  
  
• [Oostende Koerse 2015] (https://vimeo.com/138394549) (shot with its big brother, the Panasonic GH4)
  
  And here are a few examples from YouTube (please watch at 2160p and your monitor's highest resolution):
  
  
• [Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm F0.95 Lens - Examples on a Panasonic G7 [4K]] (https://youtu.be/zLIc0n9K8Pk)
  
  
• [LUMIX DMC-G7 Sample Video in 4K by Colin Witherill] (https://youtu.be/fZllpp_y8Is)
  
  
• [Panasonic Lumix G7 / G70 Launch - 4K - 4KPhoto Modes] (http://vimeo.com/128536456) (shot in photo/video mode - each frame is an 8MP still photo)
  
  It's a pretty good still camera too: https://www.flickr.com/groups/panasonic-lumix-g7/pool/
  
  In my view, this is the best still/video, large sensor interchangeable lens camera you can buy below $1000 and a very good value for your money.
  
  Hope this is helpful, good luck with your skits and best of the holidays!
  
  

Absolutely! I'm gonna leave it here so anyone scrolling by can see it, but I'll also DM you and the other person who asked for it so you don't have to check back in the thread.

NEEWER 2-Pack 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Digital Camera / Camcorder Video Light, LED Light for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic,SONY, Samsung and Olympus Digital SLR Cameras https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07438JXM7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cIS2Ab7JHAYCT

(Despite some reviews claiming the battery life is poor or the output is low, I've had nothing but great experiences with these panels. With the batteries I use, I can do a surprising amount of shooting before the batteries die out. Not only that, I only have two batteries. So the fact that it is often enough for what I do is astonishing. Also, the output is just fine. In fact, bright enough at max output that it hurts your eyes without a softbox. With the softbox it is perfectly bright for most occasions. If you need brighter, look into the Neewer CN-216 or CN-304. Just be ready to warn people about their brightness.)

Neewer 5.9x6.7 inches/15x17 centimeters Camera Collapsible Diffuser Mini Softbox for CN-160, CN-126 and CN-216 LED Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXCGA28/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CQS2AbBYSF5KE

(It has gone up a bit in price since I bought the two that I own, but it still offers excellent performance for the price. These are specifically made for the CN-160 panels. They diffuse light excellently, but at a minor cost. They are a bit of a pain in the ass to place onto the panel. At that price, though, you can't complain too much. You should be careful with them, as some have said that they don't take kindly to being handled roughly. My advise: take your time and do it carefully.)

Neewer 2 Pieces 2600mAh Li-ion Replacement Battery with Charger for Sony NPF550/570/530, Fit for Sony HandyCams, Neewer CN-160 CN-216 LED Light, Neewer 759 74K 760 Feelworld 759 74K 760 Field Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDC47YM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gVS2Ab3RDJ319

(Outside of another tiny price increase, there's not much to say about these. They do the job incredibly well for what I put them through. However, NP F550 type batteries aren't meant to last incredibly long shoots. If you do long shoots, invest in a few more batteries and consoder using the larger capacity NP F750 type batteries.)

Fovitec StudioPRO - 2x 7'6" Classic Light Stand Kit - [Classic][For Photo and Video][Includes Carrying Bag] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNZJLG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_j0S2AbBBPVA2J

(These light stands have served me well. But, as with all cheaper gear, they won't withstand care that is too rough. They've handled plenty with me, but I recommend you try to take care of them. Other than that, they're just light stands.)

Bonus:

Neewer 12 x 12-Inches Pack of 8 Transparent Color Correction Lighting Gel Filter in 8 Different Colors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CCIKB5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_f3S2Ab6ZCYTAD

(Some cheap color gels. Get the job done.)

Of course I must include: This is all cheaper starter gear. It is not meant to replace the more expensive light kits that are much more durable, do much more and produce much better results. But restriction breeds creativity. And a passionate, new content creator with a creative eye will make the best of what they have. If you are a starting filmmaker, videographer or photographer, by all means, use this setup. Once you're ready to move onto better, more costly equipment, though, don't hesitate.

u/pastramiswissrye is totally right in that lights, sound, lenses, and media are all more important than the best camera.

My personal favorite camera in that price range is the Panasonic G7 and a good 12-35 lens. The G7 is like the little brother to the GH4 as it does 4k and just is missing some of the more pro features and is $600 for the camera. The lens is another $600 but you could just use the kit lens and upgrade your lens later.

Continuing with what Pastrami said, you should have good audio, lights, and media storage, in addition to the camera and lens. For audio, the rode videomic pro is a good all-around shotgun mic that you can put on a boom pole for good short film on location sound, however you will need someone to help hold your boom pole.

For lights, a good reflector will help you use the sun as a light when shooting outside on location for a short film. If you are in a studio, this four socket CFL light kit will go a long way to help. I personally use one of them and they are great for the price. Just pop in four cfl bulbs and you are good to go. If you would prefer LED lights which are smaller and don't heat up as much, but are pricer, you can get this LED studio light kit.

On the media storage side of things, you are going to want to pick up a few of these 64GB U3 SD cards for use with your G7 or any other new camera you get. Especially if you plan on shooting in 4K.

If you are going to shoot in 4K, your file sizes are going to go way up and you are definitely going to need to get more hard drive space on your computer. You may even have to upgrade your computer to handle 4K video editing. It all depends on what you have and what you want to do.

On the editing side, I personally use Final Cut Pro X on my Mac. It is $300 but a great piece of editing software, used by pros. If you are on a mac but don't want to spend money, just use iMovie, it will probably do what you need it to do unless you edit in 4K. On the windows side, some people use sony vegas, some people use AVID, some people use premiere pro, there is a bunch of them out there and you kind of just have to choose one. (I have never used any of them)

Like he said, there is no canon r6i. I assume you mean T6i, but you still need to do some more research. I hope this helps!

First, let me preface this by saying that I'm fairly new to the video arena myself (coming from event photography), so take my comments with a grain of salt:

1. As has already been mentioned, the footage is definitely very shaky. Buy or make yourself a shoulder rig - this can be done for as little as $40-50 and an afternoon of building. If you want to buy something that looks über professional, I would seriously recommend GiniRigs. (More on that below.) If you can't afford one or it isn't a big financial priority right now, google "DIY DSLR shoulder rig" or go take a look at DIYPhotography.net, which is a great resource even if you aren't particularly handy.
   
2. Your focus isn't locking in very well. Racking focus from out to in looks great, but racking it slightly too far and then having to come back looks amateurish. Also, there are a number of shots that just aren't in focus at all. Given how sharp some of the focus is, it looks out of place.
   
3. I agree that with AssMolasses (and now I'm sure THAT comment is going to bite me in the ass in search results later) in that your brightly-lit kitchen looks great... with one exception: the flame of your stove. I want to see those flames! Unfortunately, they're being washed out by the white stove surface. Plan exposure to enhance whatever your subject is. It doesn't have to match 100% - just make sure it doesn't look mismatched, either.
   
4. Keep an eye on subject movement. A number of the objects with which you're interacting shake and jitter during shots. (For example, turning on the sink water, grabbing the kettle, etc.) It clearly isn't the camera - that's nice and stable (tripod) when this occurs. But you're jolting the objects a little, which makes the entire thing look less smooth. Slow down just a little. Take a look at coffee commercials that involve people actually making the coffee - movement is often slowed down a bit. Think about how you would be moving if you were just waking up and it was lazy Sunday morning. Don't think about being rushed to get out of the house, or about how you'd feel once you drank the coffee - imagine that you have set aside your entire day just for the process of making and enjoying the coffee, and move accordingly.
   
   Shoulder rigs
   
   Ignore the rest of this post if you aren't interested in buying a shoulder rig - the remainder is commentary on which rig I bought, why I bought it, what's on it, and how I put it together.
   
   I would recommend GiniRigs. The following will sound a bit like a plug, but I really do think they're a great value for the money. As far as I can tell, they're basically copying some of the more popular designs out there at a fraction of the cost, but better quality than I'd expect from, for example, a cheaper Chinese knockoff.
   
   I recently bought a shoulder rig and slider package from GiniRigs for just over $500 that looks like something from Zacuto, but for a quarter of the price. The package included their Advanced Extreme 17 rig and their G8 Slider for $499 (the slider was essentially free), and I also added an extra 1.6g kg counterweight for 60% off. Shipping was $30, which is kind of insane considering I ordered the kit on a Friday and got it on Monday - from Korea. It's worth noting that the kit also came with a follow focus that GiniRigs normally sells for around $300. This follow focus appears to be modeled very closely after Cinevate's "Durus" follow focus (which goes for $1,400), and it is really similar to it. My total, out-the-door cost including shipping was $668.40 for all of the above.
   
   Build quality was generally very good, though one particular thumb knob was a little sticky. (Note: your thumbs will be sore for days after you first build, teardown, and re-build your rig. Don't worry - it gets better, kind of like learning to play the guitar.) The really cool thing about their rigs is that they aren't really "rigs" per se - they're a collection of parts that, once assembled, make a rig - kind of like Legos or an Erector Set. The Advanced Extreme 17 rig has enough parts to make around a half-dozen different rigs, ranging from a simple single-handle shoulder-rig to a full-blown, double-handled, counterweighted rig with a cage around 7/8 the diameter of the camera. (Buy an extra body arm if you want 100% coverage.)
   
   About which rig to build: I built something roughly akin to what you see in the photo, with a couple of modifications due to counter-weighting a particularly heavy camera kit: a Nikon D800 with either the 14-24 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, or 70-200 f/2.8, plus a Sennheiser ME 66/K6 in a Rode Blimp (sometimes in the housing, sometimes using a Rycote Softie) connected to a Tascam DR-100 (which is about to be replaced by a Zoom H6, and a Neewer 160-LED video light. However, with all of that gear, even a 1.2 kg + 1.6 kg counterweight on an extra-long pair of 15mm shoulder bars isn't sufficient to counterbalance it. I don't find myself using the cage for much more than the top handle, so I'll probably be removing it to conserve weight and be (slightly) less prominent.
   
   Here is a decent video review that helped me make my buying decision. This is very close to the rig I purchased - GiniRigs seems to regularly revise the specific parts that come with their rigs. Speaking of prominence, listen to the reviewer's commentary at 4:23 on the rig grabbing attention when he was shooting an event - this can be a factor.
   
   One note about making sure you're actually buying GiniRigs from the right folks: apparently GiniRigs has an impostor who is buying and reselling their gear and pretending to be them. They told me that they were mid-lawsuit about a month ago, and that the Facebook Profile as well as http://ginirigs.com/ (which seems to have gone down - maybe they won the lawsuit?) was by the impostor. For "real" products with an actual warranty, buy from GiniRigs-USA.com or, if you're in the UK, GiniRigs.co.uk.

Please excuse the length, I love making lists.

Video Production

Green Screen

Bounce

Tripod

Books

Dining with Dr Who

Writing movies for fun and profit This is a great book. I have it, absolutely hysterical.

Writing

Ink quill

TARDIS Deluxe Journal

Travel

Street Signs

Flags

Eiffel Tower Chocolate Mold

Little Window Beach

17th century world map

Watercolor World Map

Universal world wide adapter plug

Hidden pocket wallet



Science!

Liquid Gold Plating Kit

Molecular Gastronomy Kit

This one also works for gardening:
Moons and Blooms lunar calender

Inflatable earth with glow in the dark cities

Galilea Moon Phase Calendar and Clock

Glow in the dark lunar calender!

Art

Sunprint Kit

Scrapper tool set

Fantasy!

LOTR inspired necklace

Another LOTR inspired necklace

Dragon necklace

Dragon JEwerly box

These/this are/is a book, but Mercedes Lackey is a FANTASTIC fantasy writer. I'd start with the Mage Winds trilogy or Mage Wars series.

Outdoors

Portal-able Speakers If you want to listen to relaxing music (or just music) while reading or chilling outside, this is the perfect speaker. It goes pretty loud, my bro has one, I steal if to make my showers musical.

Solar power LED Water proof color changing globes

Ball lanterns!


Math

Math clock

Mental Math

Pi ice cube shape tray

Mini Abacus pendant keychain

And it was delicious

Math jokes

Math/science ice cube tray


Rubik's Cube office thingy

Abacus-they have these in all colors and shapes and what have you.

Spirituality

Wasn't quite sure what you're looking for, but these things are pretty relaxing and some of them are used in meditation or for relaxation/de-stress so I figured I could put 'em here.

[LED mini waterfall)(http://www.amazon.com/Mirrored-Waterfall-Light-Show-Fountain/dp/B008Q3GH1O/ref=pd_sim_hpc_17)

Zen reflection bonzai tree with a little pond

Candle and water fountain

Five tier illuminated fountain

Other random fun things!

DR Who Projector clock

Sherlock season one Dunno but I feel you might like this show.

Giant Nail polish set


Nail art brushes

LED faucet water glow thing

Alright! I think I'll stop there before this becomes a novel xD

> do you guys think the AW will go any lower than 849.99 (price on microcenter)?

Watch /r/buildapcsales. This monitor gets posted almost weekly. $849.99 is fairly common, but we've seen a few posts in the last month or so where it's gone a little lower. Here's a few recent but expired examples:

• [$799.99 2 weeks ago via Newegg] (https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/9thwf2/monitor_dell_alienware_aw3418dw_34_curved_1440p/)
  
• [$799 3 weeks ago via Google Express] (https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/9rq1uq/monitor_alienware_aw3418dw_799_20_off_with_coupon/)
  
• [$829 about a month ago via Amazon] (https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/9jjqco/monitor_dell_alienware_aw3418dw_829_25_3440x1440p/)
  
• [$829 about a month ago via Best Buy] (https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/9jb39z/monitor_aw3418dw_829_bestbuy/)
  
  I personally think that Black Friday through Cyber Monday will see this thing hit $799 again, possibly $779 for a new record low. Here's hoping!
  
  Dell online will also price match most national retailers and etailers. I got Dell to price match Microcenter since there is no MC near me (I think they sold it online too, but Dell's online returns are as easy as Amazon).
  
  > , but wondering if colorimeters usually go on sale— especially with Black friday coming up
  
  Prices fluctuate, but I haven't noticed any big sales recently. As per my other post, here's the 3 to watch out for and their current Amazon prices.
  
  
• [Datacolor Spyder5EXPRESS - $129.00] (https://smile.amazon.com/Datacolor-Spyder5EXPRESS-Designed-Hobbyist-Photographers/dp/B00UBSL2TO)
  
• [X-Rite ColorMunki Display - $151.92] (https://smile.amazon.com/X-Rite-ColorMunki-CMUNDIS-Accuracy-Calibration/dp/B0055MBQOM)
  
• [X-Rite i1Display Pro - $244.77] (https://smile.amazon.com/X-Rite-i1Display-Pro-Display-Calibration/dp/B0055MBQOW)
  
  Checking CCC for the price history on those, here's what I'm seeing.
  
  
• The Spyder hit $79.99 last black Friday, and again around Christmas. It typically goes for $120-$130. The current price is near the high. I'd wait.
  
• The ColorMunki hit $89.95 around the holidays last year, and typically goes for $150-$170. Aside from those big sales, the current price is fairly decent.
  
• The i1Display Pro hit $159 during the holidays last year. It typically goes for $205-$260, and the current price is near the high end.
  
  If you have to buy today, the ColorMunki is the best value when compared to the other options, and compared to historical prices. If you can wait until the holidays, they all should hit some fairly low prices. I'd still recommend the ColorMunki as I feel it's the best consumer home-use colorimeter, but some like to splurge for the i1DisplayPro as it's a better long term option for multi-device calibration due to the better build quality, durability, and faster sensor.

I have a canon t3i, budget is $400 and am upgrading my tech for beauty videos. I need new lights, focus remote control, new battery, sd card, 2 lenses. Zoom and wide.

I know this is a photo thread but hear me out and share input.

UPDATE:
I never specified that I'm focusing on video. I guess I assumed it was self explanatory with the info I went on to ask about pertaining to video.

Q's:

How much film time will this sd give me? Google says 2 hours, but maybe someone here knows better.
https://www.amazon.com/SCT-Digital-Ultimate-Extreme-S-F32-RT/dp/B007XVPI4C/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518712664&sr=1-4&keywords=canon+t3i+sd+card

Are these lights worth it?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9RH4HM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3VAHM8ODBLF0H&psc=1

I currently have these https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Umbrella-Continuous-LimoStudio/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518712989&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=limo+studip+lights

They heat up and take up too much space in my little square room and dont light enough or evenly even with my ring light in front of me.

What zoom and wide lens can I use, to zoom into face sitting 4+ feet away from tripod. I currently have the canon 50mm lens.

What wide lens can I buy? My kit lens is still too close to me even zoomed out.

Budget friendly lenses for my crop sensor.

What my videos look like now, I need to update, get a nice bokeh when zoomed into face, even lighting, and nice wide shot to use for intro and outro of videos.

https://youtu.be/TlbrPApdIyE

Any other tips on saving money, improving my videos, etc, I'm open to learning. Thank you.

I would really like to have a nice blurry background like here for intros and outros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dd_MQf6-dY&list=PLv8BKE_eGqqosNUuj2eDCh4Ynsh6M1HwD&index=2

Get yourself a box resizer and a good razor knife. Sometimes a half an ounce or less can make the difference between $5 shipping and $7+, and you will also save packaging material by not having to stuff half of a box with packing paper or bubble wrap.

Box Resizer tool On Amazon $16.99 - Free Shipping

DONT BUY BUBBLE WRAP LOCALLY AT THE STORE. GET IT ON AMAZON.

I almost never pay more than $27 for 700ft of bubblewrap. I used to spend more than that on 250ft when I was buying it at Lowe's or Staples.

Bubblewrap on Amazon for $25.88 with free shipping

Keep an eye out for something like this at thrift stores, you can find them ALL THE TIME, usually for around $5 - $7, and they are GREAT for mounting your rolls of bubble wrap on to save space and make dispensing it easy.

Clothes rack with bar

For taking photos, I use something like this setup. I place the backdrop stand behind a dresser and drape the fabric backdrop over the top of it and tuck it into my top drawer for a seamless background that I can also lean items against since it's tucked in.

Backdrop + Stand Kit $36.90 on Amazon. Free Shipping

Photography Lighting Kit $52.10 On Amazon - Free Shipping

I don't have a whole lot of experience with the built in flash as when I used it I didn't have much luck with it. It isn't very powerful but I have seen youtube videos showing how you can use it some what effectively. If you are using the kit lens you can use it straight on but if you have a longer lens, such as a Sigma 16mm, the barrel of the lens is so long that it gets in the way of the flash make the built in flash unusable unless you point it upwards and bounce it off the ceiling or such (again i'll refer you to youtube for more research on that). If you are looking for a cheap alternative to the built in flash I highly recommend a cheap $30 flash off Amazon (maybe even cheaper with the Amazon Day deals going on right now) and a cheap LED light for photography for extra light. I personally have this flash (for $30.99) and this LED light (for $34.59).

​

There are a few scenarios in which I use these lights.

1. If I am indoors and there is some ambient light I will typically just use the flash on the a6000 which I then mount the a6000 on a tripod. It is great for group photos as I am still able to hit my focus, use a low ISO (typically 100), and not have to use f1.4 or f2. Typically your lens will be sharper around that F4-6 range in my experience.
   
   ​
   
   
2. If the room you are shooting in has no good natural light source or poor lighting and you want to use an ISO of 100 and etc I will use the LED light as my main light source. I find a constant light source gives my camera the ability to find the proper focus as the a6000 seems to have trouble finding focus when it is very dark. So if your camera can't hit the proper focus a flash won't really help all that much. Nobody wants a well lit photo that is out of focus.
   
   ​
   
   
3. Then you can also use them in combo. You can use the LED light as a constant light source and flash if you wish.
   
   ​
   
   I will say if I am taking photos of animals or people I never use the LED light as the constant light source can be overwhelmingly bright on the eyes where as the flash is just a quick, well, flash of light. So shooting stills might be best to use an LED light of sorts in your scenario. Again this is my experience of a hobbyist photographer AND if you want to do it on a small budget, by no means am I a professional and I always recommend people to do their own research on how to use their camera properly as there is great videos and guides out there from known professionals.

You're biggest problem will not be the microphone, but what you're recording your audio onto. I found out really quick that the audio recording of a DSLR, regardless of microphone, is terrible in quality and with plenty of static noise. I use a Tascam DR-05 to record audio, in combination with either a RODE VideoMic or a lavalier (there are some really cheap ones that do an ok job for low budget productions). The Tascam DR-05 also has a pretty good mic built in , so you could probably start with just that. Remember to record the audio with your Tascam (or recorder) AND with your camera, so that you can easily sync them in post. Always remember to record a minute of silence in the room BEFORE filming so that you can have a room tone (or world tone, if outdoors) sample that can be for adding a more natural ambient sound for portions you may silence in the video.

I would also recommend you pick up:

a three point lighting kit for indoor shooting (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-Lighting-Hairlight-Softbox-9004SB2/dp/B0047FHOWG/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430338&sr=1-4&keywords=three+point+lighting+kit),

a variable ND filter for outdoor shooting (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/58mm-Variable-NDX-Fader-Filter/dp/B00QVOQWM4/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430377&sr=1-7&keywords=variable+ND+filter)

a reflector, for bouncing off light outdoors... (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430475&sr=1-1&keywords=reflector)

Extra batteries of course.

You'll find these tools useful for getting higher quality audio and picture, there are lots and lots of tutorials on YouTube that will help you learn very quickly how to use your equipment. On a final note, I don't think the Rebel SL1 was a good choice of camera. If I had to pick a Rebel camera for video, and was limited in buget, I would have gone for a Rebel T4i or T5i, in combination with magic lantern. Another important thing to remember, is make sure your SD is AT LEAST class 10 (I recommend Sandisk Extreme pro 95/mbps 32 or 64gb), and NEVER use a mini sd card with an adapter (I've had bad experiences with this).

Best of luck to you, and happy filming!

That's pretty limited space for a green screen, but two simple umbrella lamps (at about 45-60' angles L & R) would probably suffice. If you have the space and can put one on either side of your computer table, that would probably work. You can get them fairly cheaply on Amazon.

Something like this (just an example): http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462284480&sr=8-1&keywords=umbrella+studio+light

A top light can be very helpful, but it's more difficult to pull off in the average home environment. A ceiling lamp should suffice. A small back-light is nice too, and some studio lighting kits come with them. Might not be realistic with 1-2' behind you though.

There are lots of professional lighting tip videos on youtube, etc. I only have one lamp (umbrella-type) in use on my streaming setup at the moment, but I learned a lot about professional studio lighting just from watching videos. Good luck!

Edit: If you would like to see what one lamp looks like in a typical home environment, go ahead and spend 30 seconds on one of my VODs. What you'll see is:

1 x run of the mill umbrella studio light with a somewhat expensive 1950 lumen 6000K daylight bulb (LED) - placement is about a meter to my front-right, at about 45'.

1 x normal ceiling lamp w/ 2 x 13w soft-white bulbs (LED) - located about 4 feet rear-right at about 45'.

My lighting solution is acceptable IMO, but is in no way "professional" (my space restrictions make a full lighting solution impossible). However, you can see what even a single light diffusing umbrella with a very good bulb can do to help.

(Not the original commenter, but I thought I could help out a bit)

1. Audio clipping is when the audio is recorded too loud for the microphone to process it correctly. (Like if you were to yell into a mic as loud as you can, it would sound really distorted.) To fix this, you can turn down the gain on your mics a bit until it peaks (the loudest point your audio reaches) at around -7dB.
   
   
2. A reflector is a great, cheap tool you can use to fill out the lighting in your shot. I'd suggest looking up videos about three-point lighting to learn about good lighting practices.
   
   
3. Your shots could definitely have been framed better (where the subject is in the shot). The "headroom" principle is especially noteworthy here. The idea is your subject's head should have enough room in front of it, so he doesn't look like he's staring at a wall. It also could have been raised up higher in the frame. You can also work on the different kinds of shots you incorporate, whether they be establishing shots, closeups, etc. In this case, it seems you only used side shots of each character, making the film as a whole a little boring.
   
   
4. The thing about comedy is it's all about timing. The biggest thing that I noticed was the reeeeallly long shot of the character going "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." It didn't really add anything in the first place and it being drawn out just made it worse. So yes, snappier dialogue and just better pacing (another key word to look up) in general.
   
   
   I'm sorry if I come off as mean or anything. I'm really just trying to help you become as good a filmmaker as you can be. Don't be discouraged and I urge you to just keep making films (practice practice practice).
   
   Let me know if you have any questions.

I agree about the background, but it was my only option since my house is so dark! It's funny because just this morning I ordered this kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like I can't get much detail from my pics, and figured getting a solid background would improve things tons, as well as less distracting. Plus i can't for the life of me get a good pic of a solid black or white garment outside.

I use my galaxy s4. I know other sellers use their cell phones as well, and I personally don't intend to change that. I don't feel like getting a nice expensive camera isn't in the cards for me at the moment. Plus it's super convenient for me to use my phone.

Hi /u/griel1o1 - it's taken me several years and a lot of trial and error - but I have put together a little studio that works. Using what I've learned, you can put together a complete production studio for less than $1000. Here is what I recommend [Referral Links]:

CAMERA:

• [Panasonic DMC-G6 camera with kit lens - $710] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=201073493366&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg). This is the best value for money large sensor, interchangeable lens camera with a video-capable viewfinder, hours of continuous recording and a mic jack below $1000. Links below the equipment list show what this camera can do. DSLRs such as the Canon T2i/T3i/T4i/T5i have viewfinders that go blank when you switch to video mode (blocked by the mirror, which is useless for filmmaking). This forces you to use the LCD for composition and focus - which can be a chalenge outdoors, where the LCD can be washed out by bright sunlight. Many Canon shooters buy expensive LCD viewfinders or Electronic Viewfinders (EVFs) to shoot outdoors. The G6, on the other hand, has a built-in EVF - so outdoor shooting is not a problem.
  
  DSLRs are also limited to 12-30 minutes of continuous recording before they have to be restarted. The G6 can record for hours continuously, without interruption. This can be very helpful for long interviews and speeches.
  
  This camera is also compatible with power zoom lenses, when you can afford them. There are no affordable power zoom lenses for low-end Canon DSLRs.
  
  SUPPORT:
  
  
• [Ravelli AVTP Professional Tripod - $130] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00139W0XM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00139W0XM&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). I own this tripod, and it is professional quality, with a 75mm bowl - which allows you to level the camera without adjusting the legs. A huge time saver.
  
  AUDIO:
  
  
• [2 Rode Smart Lavs to plug into iPhones - $120] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=181244511796&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg) With the [free Rode Rec LE App] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/r-de-rec-le/id590021166?mt=8), you can plug these mics into iPhones, sync the audio tracks in the editing suite, and have a pro quality recording solution without buying an external recorder.
  
  
• [SmartLav to camera adapter - $17] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L6C8PNU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00L6C8PNU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). For shots where you need to plug one of the lavs directly into the camera.
  
  LIGHTING:
  
  
• [LimoStudio 3 point Umbrella Lighting Kit - $50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FHZ2SI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  TOTAL STUDIO COST:
  
  $1027
  
  Here is the image quality this camera can produce:
  
  Documentary:
  
  http://vimeo.com/97274302
  
  http://vimeo.com/73561266
  
  http://vimeo.com/87978429
  
  http://vimeo.com/78507820
  
  Narrative:
  
  http://vimeo.com/78037118
  
  http://vimeo.com/81339712
  
  Music Video:
  
  http://vimeo.com/88584840
  
  http://vimeo.com/84436275
  
  Slow Motion/Sport:
  
  http://vimeo.com/76503135
  
  Travel Video:
  
  http://vimeo.com/88543042
  
  http://vimeo.com/86145944 (shot with a power zoom lens)
  
  Compared to the $3000 Canon 5D Mark III: http://vimeo.com/82318903
  
  There are many more examples on the Panasonic G6 channel I moderate over on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/groups/dmcg6
  
  It's a pretty good still camera too:
  
  https://www.flickr.com/groups/lumix-g6/pool/
  
  https://www.flickr.com/groups/2217639@N20/
  
  Hope this is helpful and saves you some time and money!
  
  Bill
  

Trying to set up to take photographs of my watercolor paintings to produce digital copies that I can make prints from. I am open to buying stuff if I need to, but if possible would like to use what I already have. My main concerns are accurate colors, even lighting and of course a sharp image without distortion. Will be editing in Adobe Photoshop. I am by no means a good photographer, but I am a bit familiar with manual settings. Both my brother and dad were into photography at some point, so I have access to some gear.

I have:

Nikon D7100

50mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.4 G

35mm f/1.8 G

85mm f/3.5 G ED macro

4 tripods

3500K light bulbs

A wall to attach paintings to


My current plan is to use the 50mm f/1.4 lens on a tripod about 3ft away from the wall - or at a distance where the painting fills most of the viewfinder. I put two 3500k lights on tripods and will have one on both sides ideally at a 45 degree angle (or less?). Will be shooting raw and at iso 100 - that's about the extent of my plan but I am trying to do more research for the best set up.

My questions are: Would some sort of color balance or grey card help? I am not exactly familiar with how something like this works but I've seen them mentioned in a few places online - it seems expensive but accurate colors is important to me.

Should I get something to diffuse the lights? I am almost just considering getting something like this if that would be sufficient.

Any critique of my plan or other tips on photographing artwork would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

At this price point, don't go with a DSLR. The T6 isn't going to be that good. Instead, I recommend getting 4 things:

1. A Canon VIXIA HF R800. This is a good camcorder that can record at 1080p 60 frames per second. This does split the files after a certain recording limit, but that limit happens to be 12 hours, so you're fine.
   
   
2. I recommend you also add B-roll footage, where you show off a product using smooth footage of it. This adds interest to your videos, and improves your audio retention and such. You could start with a Magnus VT-300.
   
   
3. You need good audio, I can't stress that enough. To get started, use a portable audio recorder. The best option for around $100 is the Zoom H1. This will record all your audio and has built in microphones. You can plug it directly into the camera from there, or sync in post, whichever is easier for you. Don't plan on using the audio from camera mics. Even high end cameras aren't meant to use the built in mics for high quality audio.
   
   
4. Last you need some lights. A good all-rounder to get started is the Viltrox L116T. They have adjustable brightness and color temperature + they can be powered by a power adapter or batteries, both of which you need to get separately.

Two things to think about. Those stands will be great for a lot of things, but they're light and bendy, which means they're useless in ANY wind, and they're not going to like any modifiers heavier than those umbrellas. That's not saying DON'T get them - I have two in the trunk because days when they're sufficient, they're perfect.

If I get out a soft box, or have any wind (or break out my 7' translucent umbrella) I'm very glad I've got something heavier. I carry two of these for those moments - https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Stainless-centimeters-Monolight-Photographic/dp/B074NY47J6/

And... make sure you really want umbrellas. To be honest, the difference in actual light quality that comes out of different modifiers of the same size is negligible enough to be ignored. See them side by side and you might know which is an umbrella and which is a softbox... MAYBE... but just see one or the other and all you'll care about is whether there was enough light and the source was big enough. BUT... softboxes have one big advantage - the fact that they're less obnoxious to people standing BEHIND them. If you think you'll throw them up around a dance floor or ceremony ever... it can be nice to direct the light where you want it and not send the rest flying off other directions. A couple of these would be fine - https://www.amazon.com/Godox-Umbrella-Reflector-Carrying-Speedlight/dp/B0132I34K4/

THe kit you've got listed is perfectly adequate! I'm not saying anything's wrong with it and I started with essentially the same, but those are the two things I'm most glad I've added going forward - heavier stands and softboxes!

Here is another picture of the sensor itself:

http://imgur.com/VJgtyLj

Here is the gear that I used:

Light Stands (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNZJLG4/) - These things are great. Very easy to setup, very small base (can be expanded if you want, but the sensors are light and they seem very stable).

Mini Ball Heads (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M07M9D4) - Make for easier adjustment and greater tilting.

USB Cables (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C7SA21U/ - 10 ft, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C7S2FRE/ - 6 ft) - Passive were fine for the two sensors at that length.

Very happy to get these off my desk and higher up. I need to get my third sensor setup as well because the angle that they are pointing makes it tough to detect at the back of my play space (it's about 6 x 9).

Overall very happy with the setup and all the advice I received from this board. This is a really great community.

So ill focus on three things: Audio, lighting and general video stability ect.

First off Audio.
Audio makes up alot of the video and if it sucks its bad. The built in mics on phones are pretty good but the rode video mic me will add value
I dont think this is the first and most important thing and you should look at some alternatives wich are cheaper. Just buy something because if youre going to be further away from the phone the sound will often suck. Heres a good video on this topic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5M3Zn8h27c

next up lighting, think about your current setup, will you be able to film at night, wdo you have enough light? If you have alot of space id recommend a softbox kit from amazon. You get 2 sopftboxes for usually around 50bucks wich will give you soft even light.If you dont have enough space/budet look for led video lights on amazon. neewer has something called like 160 or whatever.Its just a big thing with lots of leds and it gets super bright(https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487198195&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+led)
You might need something to hold up the light but books will also do the job.

As for general I think theres 2 things. One either a gorilla pod or tripod, think about your situation. Will a gorilla pod get high enough?Again books will do the job fine but it can be annoying. A regular tripod will be comfortable to use but might not work for you. And last is some app that lets you change settings, I think theres one called filmicpro just look up some video shoting apps. Mainly you want it to turn off auto focus exposure ect so theres no weird jumping around focus/exposure.

Good luck with your channel, I think an app that lets you turn off autofocus and exposure is very important and depending on your situation you should invest in lights or audio. Or maybe even both.

Have fun with your eating!

To add to what /u/bard108 said - the preview you seen on the back of the camera's LCD screen is a JPG that the camera processes on it's own according to whatever picture style you've got the camera set to.

jpg vs raw

If you are shooting in JPG mode only, then the files coming from the camera should look pretty close to that on screen preview when you pull them off of the memory card, however if you are working in RAW mode you need to actually use a raw converter (Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW, Capture One, etc) to get the colors where you want them to be.

white balance
In a few of your images on your website, it appears that you are either using the wrong white balance setting, or you are shooting with auto-white balance and the camera is guessing wrong.

Here's an article about setting custom white balance with Nikon cameras: Setting White Balance

If you are shooting RAW, I recommend getting a pocket sized grey card and keeping it in your kit. Take one photo for each different lighting scenario, with the grey card near the center of the frame and then when you bring your photo in to your RAW processor you use the white balance dropper tool on the grey card to get a neutralized white balance.

Neutral white balance might not be where you want to live (some images feel better if they are warmer or cooler) but it's a starting point for your decision making.

color space

If you ARE shooting in JPG mode, pay attention to which color space your camera is using. Generally you'll have the option to use sRGB or Adobe1998.

Adobe1998 is better if you plan to do editing on the JPG once it leaves the camera, but if you want to just upload the images to flickr (or wherever) without doing any edits whatsoever then sRGB is a better choice.

Anything you want to upload to the web needs to be saved in the sRGB color space because most modern web browsers only really understand that colorspace. If you upload something in Adobe1998 or ProPhoto by accident you'll usually get a weird color cast. ie sometimes skin tones look greenish which is no bueno.

(I will say it doesn't look like this is your problem here though)

calibration

Now... lets talk about that iMac, and color calibration.

Most displays are not calibrated out of the box. The ones that are will cost upwards of $1500 (on the low end) just for the monitor... so what i'm saying is you are almost definitely working on a computer that doesn't have a calibrated display.

That means what you see on the screen will almost never be a close representation of what you will get if you make a print of the photos you're working on.

You actually need a device to calibrate your display, called a colorimeter. The process is pretty simple actually.

You need to set your display at the brightness you prefer working at, and make sure your mac is set to not automatically adjust display brightness because otherwise you'll never be able to realy know what the image's exposure looks like.

Once you've done that, you can run the calibration software process (which is 99% automated and not complex) about once every 2 weeks just to keep things in line.


TL;DR The images you posted to flickr just look as though you need to bump the saturation slider in photoshop/ACR just a bit honestly - but tread lightly. A little goes a long way.

You definitely have a lot of work to do in terms of learning post production and managing colors, but I definitely recommend that you do your best to start by having a calibrated display, and managing your camera's white balance setting - otherwise most of your time spent editing will be for naught.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I09WHLW x 2 - Speedlights - $56

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U - Wireless Trigger - $19

https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4 - Light Stands - $29

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY - x2 - Cold Shoe - $22

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0132I34K4 - Octobox - $23

https://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Premium-Shoot-Through-Translucent-Umbrella/dp/B005ODKMOC - Shoot though umbrella - $14

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW - 5 in 1 reflector - $20

That brings you for a full starting light setup that can be used for headshots and starting boudoir for $183. And you even have flexablity in there to use a 1 light setup with reflector or use 2 lights. You would want a few sandbags to keep the gear stable, but I am not including those in the price.

Now for a background setup

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=psdc_3444601_t1_B00MTF6ZVC

Is a good basic stand but hard to fit under your budget with the above lighting gear.

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Studio-Collapsible-Backdrop-1-8x2-8m/dp/B00UWL02PU is also an okay starting backdrop, Grey can be turned into white or black. I will warn you that you will need a fabric steamer to get the lines out, but that is pretty much the same however you go with cloth. Another more expensive choice is to go with seamless paper, I love working with paper, but it is an ongoing expense to use it.

Now if you are going to make this her studio all the time, they make http://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32-sq-ft-96-in-x-48-in-Hardboard-Thrifty-White-Tile-Board-HDDPTW48/205995949 that you can use to make a great background. Or to me the better option if you are going to use a room as a full time studio, paint the walls, put down hardwood or laminate, and you have a great studio setup.

Quite a few actually aren't too bad. Yeah, you can tell they were taken with a phone or low resolution camera, but they do give plenty of detail.

Free route to improve photos: North facing light. Use light from the window/s facing North! It's the most diffused (in this hemisphere lol) and therefore best natural light that won't make things glow or end up as grainy (which outside of being a phone camera, is a lighting issue)... also wiping off the camera part with a soft cloth before shooting. Fingerprints, dust, stuff gets on the surface and can make things hazy and not focus right

Cheapest route: this will help with light diffusion. You will need two lights, one at each side, and cheap little desk lamps like this will do well and allow you to move the light angel as you need. These work well too, you know, whichever is cheaper and easier to get. I know places like Home Depot have the clamp lights, but I'm not sure the price, here I think the small ones are $8 which isn't bad.

Next cheapest: phone upgrade or point and shoot camera! Nothing fancy, not sure how you'd get for close ups because I haven't used a point and shoot in years. I know there's silly attachments for phones that you can add telephoto lenses to or probably macro if they have those now. I've only seen iphone stuff so far though, not sure if it'll work with others

Most expensive route: DSLR + macro lens (or filters, because filters are cheaper lol)

You need three things:

1. Manfrotto super clamp. The Kupo Convi Clamp works too and is cheaper.
   
2. Manfrotto magic arm. There are cheaper variations, but this thing is going to support your expensive gear. I don't skimp here.
   
3. Safety cables
   
   I don't remember if the Alien Bees have an obvious place for the safety cable to attach (my Einsteins didn't). If there isn't a place you can get 120lb. strength zip ties from a local hardware store and run one through the umbrella holder on the strobe to make a loop and then safety cable around that zip tie.
   
   Clamp to pole, use the magic arm to attach the light to the arm, and safety cable in case it comes loose.
   
   This is very similar to lighting for basketball arenas. A friend of mine, Joel, has a great blog entry on how to set up a similar system for indoor sports.
   
   Don't forget to come back and share photos of how it works out!

I find this light to be very effective, not to mention pretty cheap, and I like that it has a few different "temperatures" of light and has more than enough flexibility for me to get it in just the right spot.

​

I also rely heavily on this head magnifier as my vision isn't what it once was. It's super cheap and works great.

​

I find that Army Painter brushes work really well and cost much less than most of the other brushes I like. I particularly like their detail brushes. I don't think I could paint eyes without my beloved "The Psycho" brush.

​

I love this light box. Also very cheap (noticing a trend, I'm always looking for a deal, lol). These acrylic display boards fit nicely inside the light box and give photos a cool, polished look.

Thank you! This photo was taken in natural light, but I also have these umbrella lamps , which honestly changed my world since I don’t have to stress about daylight anymore. For food, you generally want to light from one side to best highlight texture and to keep things from going flat. I position one lamp to the side of my food, and the second lamp on the same side but angled slightly behind the food. Then I position a reflector opposite the lamps to help brighten shadows. You’ll need to play a bit to see what works best for different foods and set-ups (I find white-on-white desserts the most challenging), but that’s the gist of it.

I’m a former art director so also adore post-processing. My favorite program is a Photoshop plugin called Topaz Labs. If you use their filters with a very light touch, they can really bring a ton of life back into photos.

I would ask for gift cards, i.e. Amazon and B&H, or money. You can save these up and get nicer equipment or build your own rigs. But a nice Tripod can make a huge difference. But honestly, it all depends on what you film. Such as me, I often shoot on locations so lenses with a faster aperture do more than a set of studio lights. Here are my recommendations for basic stuff to ask for Christmas:

CN-160 LEDs - about $30 (http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/) and of course some NP-F970 Batteries go along well for about another $22 (http://www.amazon.com/Halcyon-Replacement-NEX-EA50UH-DCR-VX2100-HDR-FX1000/dp/B008X9L6ZS/)

Extra batteries - The off-brand batteries work well. I have two and they are great

Extra Memory Cards - I highly reccommend Lexar as my SanDisks don't work insanely well anymore.

Stabilizer Rigs - The Mantis Rig Is A Great Rig for everything (especially starting) and is only $33 (http://www.amazon.com/Mantis-Folding-Rig-Fotodiox-Transformable/dp/B00AUKBV7G) Or if you want to get a glidecam-style I suggest the Laing P-4S stabilizer which is like $275 and includes a bag and weights (http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Release-Plate-Laing-Stabilizer/dp/B00G3TCYQK/)

And My Best Piece of Lighting Equipment - A Reflector which you can get for like $20. (http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-Inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/) There's plenty of different sizes, too.

I feel bad because the things were more expensive than I remember.

Here is the green screen $17.99

and here is the stand $34.99

The green screen requires some kind of stand. Its kind of a massive screen, but I was able to fold it around to fit the size I need and I use it for photography as well. For the stand I didn't even fold the legs out. I just propped them against the wall and used a little sticky tack. If you have more time than money you could get some pvc pipe and make a similar stand for probably less, but I liked this one because it is pretty nice and it is adjustable.

The lamp you linked is not it exactly, but seems like the updated version of what I have. The most important thing is just having the right amount of lumens for the distance away from you. There are conversion charts for when they only give the wattage of the lamp. The lamps I have don't have any temperature control, but I think you can do that on the OBS side. They are just natural white as far as I can tell.

If you're not going to be doing an equipment take down every day then I would go with something like what I have, but if you have to do clean up then a collapsable screen might be worth the extra money.

Less related to the build itself, but in a budget like this, I thought I'd point it out. For photo editing, you're gonna want a monitor with good color gamut. The previously advised PG279Q will work pretty good.

More importantly than having a good monitor is having an accurate monitor. With a $3000 budget, please at the very least spare the $90 for this colorimeter to make sure the colors are accurate. Your wife may or may not already be aware of this, but regardless, make sure this gets done!

Trying to build a simple, large overhead rig for work for under $300 to do creative, top-down shots. We have a Canon EOS 7D and a 28-135mm lens that we will probably replace because it has an issue with the zoom sliding down at anything more than a 30 degree tilt.

I think I've come up with a pretty bare bones rig that will work. But since I usually just shoot by hand or tripod and don't have much experience with studio equipment, I was hoping someone could check to make sure this would work.

• Ravelli ABSL Backdrop Stand Kit (13' x 15')
  
• Manfrotto 035RL Super Clamp
  
• Manfrotto 494RC2 Ball Head w/ Quick Release
  
• AmazonBasics Wireless Remote
  
  Was hoping if someone could tell me if this seems okay. Could anyone recommend an affordable lens that would be good for shooting from about 8' - 10'? Furthermore, is there a somewhat inexpensive method for routing shots to a Macbook for review while shooting?
  
  EDIT: It looks like the best way to route shots is a 15' USB cable and to route into a software, so that should be pretty straightforward.

Thanks again, your responses, as consistently demonstrated, carry weight.

1. My PC only has one hdmi port. I'm guessing here, I'll need to purchase a hdmi splitter? - if that's the correct term Basically, the splitter will be a minibox itself with several input/output hdmi ports. This way I can get that other hdmi cable from the pc to my tv. Hoping amazon.com got my back here.
   
   
2. Smart regarding 3D printed enclosure, please report back when you manage to set it up. I am definitely intrigued. Those links are wonderful. Thanks. The second retractable you linked looks real good, the heavy duty in the title is what attracts me. Gives me sense of security for the cables. I might have to get a larger ring to add less friction as the cables pass through and from it.
   
   Regarding ceiling, I live in an apartment, don't want to drill holes up there. I'll look for alternate methods of setting it up and share my discovery here with you guys. Maybe what I find can facilitate mobile as well. Quick thought came to mind. If find a sturdy enough lightstand upto 9-10 feet with some kind of hangover pole think traffic light main pole protruding out the sidewalk, and the pole attached to it hovering over the street, holding up the lights Something like that. Attach one of those heavy duty retractable's onto it.
   
   I use these light stands for my vive motion trackers. I'm thinking something along these lines with the attached pole hovering from the top extending outwards: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNZJLG4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

most important for gh2 is lens adaptors / lenses. anything so you don't have to shoot with the extremely limited m4/3 lens selections. I'd go with old school nikon primes. thats the cheapest way to cinema look. I have since invested in more expensive canon zoom lenses, but that is for long term investment, because honestly I don't see m4/3 as having much shelf life in terms of video. I really think panasonic made a mistake with the format. they just got lucky that hackers made the gh2 so awesome. so yea, for more expensive glass, I'd say its smarter to invest in s35 or full frame.

Audio. I use a zoom H4n for my dslr recording. I have an me-66 for shotgun stuff, and sennheiser g2 kits for wireless (with the me-2 mic). i usually just do wireless for most things. does the job great.

Shoulder rig, anything really will do. I recommend you don't be seduced by the zacuto stuff, if only because equally functional rigs can be had for 1/10th the cost. I got a $200 indie systems rig on ebay, then DIY'ed a counter balance for it. works great.

other. may want an on camera light, depending on what you're shooting. there's a light on amazon thats only 34 dollars. its cheap, but again, does the job, for 1/10th the litepanels equivalent. (I have the litepanels micro, purchased for $300, equally cheaply constructed and not nearly as bright.) I would definitely have bought this cheap one if it existed at the time.

I would suggest that you try it yourself if you have a DSLR (maybe even try it with your smartphone camera if you don't have a DSLR). It takes time, but it can save a lot of money. Unless you go to somewhere like Fiverr, even the cheapest photographers you will find IRL will charge hundreds. Seriously professional ones like to charge thousands. Here's an outline if you're interested:

1. Firstly, get a white backdrop of some kind. When you white out the background in post, you want your reflections on the product to match.
   
2. It's important to use manual settings with product photography; otherwise, you will get unnecessarily noisy images (your auto mode on your DSLR expects you to be shooting handheld, not on a tripod, so it uses a relatively fast shutter speed and thus high ISO and low f/stop). Set your aperture to something like f11 to f18, ISO 100, and adjust shutter speed to expose slightly brighter than your metering tells you to.
   
3. Then white out your photos in Photoshop or, if you don't want to invest in Photoshop, something like Affinity Photo works just as well. Remember to up the contrast by using levels after you're done.
   
4. If you want to take it up a notch, then you're going to need to focus more on getting the lighting right. I recommend getting at least three light stands with color-balanced light bulbs, around 5500 K. There are combos on Amazon that could give you everything you need. (not an affiliate link)
   
   If you're not interesting in going DIY for this because you don't have a camera or the time, DM me; I've been doing product photography for about 4 years and Photoshop for 8. I have a Fiverr listing you may be interested in, but I won't link to here since I know the subreddit rules. If you're not interested, no worries.
   
   Product Photography is a huge category on Fiverr, I suggest you look around. If it's not an extremely valuable one-of-a-kind item for Etsy or something, then it makes sense to bet about $10 + the price of your item, instead of immediately going to a full-fledged product photographer and spending hundreds.

Im new to the game as well, but so far these are the things I have picked up for my G6:

first, i bought a G6 kit that came with some handy stuff

I have also purchased

A slightly better tripod

A flood light

Battery pack for said light

Variable ND Fader for filming out doors

Rode shotgun Mic

Zoom H1

Lav mic to go with the H1

Headphones to listen for levels

Triple Mount Hot Shoe

Backpack to hold everything

This is just a fun lens, and its cheap the 50mm means its a 100mm equivelent, so its for really tight portraits, but the low aperture is good for low/light and for a very shallow field depth. When I am able to use it, this lens produces the most popular results when i post them online.

new strap cause the one that comes with the G6 sucks!

What i want to get:

A bigger zoom lens I am mostly interested in videography(weddings etc), and this would be good for back of the house shots)

The M 3/4's "nifty fifty"

I haven't tried regular vanity lighting but this set from amazon is awesome for videos and makeup application. They are pretty cheap in comparison to other similar lighting. My friend has them and I recommended to a other redditor who loves them too! Hope this helps!

Welcome back, I hope everything is great! You rock!!!

I would love to get me some sweet reflector or a pretty scarf! Up to you.. I am at work at the moment and I could say that
Redditing at work is AWESOME

LEDs are cheap, efficient, safer, and run off of batteries. But nothing beats the output, cost, and beauty of tungsten.

LED panels are great for interviews but are limiting for narrative work. If you are on a budget, I'd look seriously into picking up a used Lowel Light Kit like one of these off of ebay or craigslist. Maybe even call your local rental houses and see if they'll sell you an old kit... they were quite common but are not as popular anymore due to the convenience of LEDs.

Also, these lights work best when paired to these dimmers for full control.

For a scene like this, I'd use the Totas to bounce off the ceiling to raise my room's ambience. Then I'd use the Rifa as my key with the 250 watt Pro as my hair light. I'd use a bounce for fill, like this reflector.

I decided to hang onto my Lowel lights even though I upgraded to high end LED panels, and I use them pretty frequently. They are a lot more work, but they are cheap, and many DPs still use tungsten over LEDs because of their beauty.

Wow.. This is the very first informative comment I ever got. thank you so much for that. I will see if I can increase the lightning.. Cos the light's I bought were super cheap stuff of Amazon. This one. Also I'm not expert on Camera or Lighting (film making) etc.. I just learned all that in past few months when he wanted to do these videos. So learning about stuff while working at real job. About his bullet points... he does not have any script, As English is my second language + I want to keep it original as he like's it, I don't correct him. He just prepares himself before i start recording. Its all Natural. no script :) . Intro with PS CS6 and Editing of videos with Premier pro. (Learned for him, seeing tutorials on YouTube and Sub reddits here). About the camera: I wanted something small which I can carry in my pocket if necessary + I wanted DSLR Quality.. (never a big fan of Large cameras) So I went with Canon EOS-M2 and most of the time (Almost all the time) I use EF-M 22mm f/2 STM Lens No filters, MIC is This one And Still don't know about the Temperature of the lights... (Now i have learn about that :) let me know if you any more questions about camera or anything else. Once again... Thank you so so much for the feed back. It really helps. have a great day. EDIT: Recently I Started using CineStyle Format and their LUT to color Grade.

You need something with a lot of zoom range, and the ability to slow motion down dramatically, without jumpy frames. The cheapest way to do this is with a DSLR.

Canon cameras do 60 frames per second, but only at 720p (which might be fine for what you're trying to do).

The GH3 can do 60 frames at 1080p, which is great, but you're going to blow your entire budget on the camera alone.

My recommendation is a t4i, and a kit lens, and an additional zoom. The low speed of the lens (meaning not good in low light) shouldn't be a problem if you're filming out on the golf course during the day.

I think the most important purchase you're going to make is a tripod that can let you get VERY low to the ground. I recommend the Manfrotto 055xPROB, sold here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UMX7FI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yKzTrb1FF869D

If you don't want to futz with separate audio systems, get a Juicedlink box, mount it under your camera, and run your lavalier mic into it.

Also, you must invest in a light-reflector. They are very cheap, and will make your videos look a thousand times better, by filling in the strong shadows that the sun makes. Seriously there is no reason for not buying one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_YMzTrb0GDSEDR

Follow my advice. All this stuff will keep you under-budget, and gives you some expandability if you're happy with it. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Good luck!

Thanks so much!

I picked up a 2x2x2 Amazon Basics lightbox (https://amzn.to/2p0kTSh) awhile ago. It's a bit overkill for the smaller models but amazing for larger kits. It folds down quite nicely too.

I used a Sony A7 to take the shots / Lightroom for some minor edits.

Hope that helps. I'll share the full team soon too :)

For a starter set, I went with yongnuo speed lights and cheap stands and umbrellas from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015ZALVI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1453912336&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=yongnuo+560+iv&dpPl=1&dpID=51z85GnO1DL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005FHZ2SI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1453912456&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=light+stands+for+photography&dpPl=1&dpID=51fq2%2ByrrcL&ref=plSrch

I bought the flash and trigger separate but since found this deal for two speed lights and the trigger, saves you a few bucks. They are quite good for the price. Keep in mind they are manual flashes

Also, there is a "frequently bought together" suggestion with the speed lights. You'll need the hot shoe adaptor to put onto the stands if you plan to do it that way. The little diffusers are helpful when I don't have an umbrella and can't bounce the flash off a wall or ceiling.

The stands are pretty cheap. But for the price I can't complain. The only real issue I have is if you are outside you will probably need something to hold them down as they are pretty light.

Hope that helps get you started.

Seems like a decent kit, a tad expensive maybe for what you actually get though, but I'd invest in some grippage either way so you can shape the light. While softboxes do provide nice large, soft sources, they result in a lot of spill. Maybe get a couple sets of these and rig them with these if you can with extra stands. If you can get your hands on some duvetyne and blackwrap you could also probably make some DIY solid flags and barn doors. Basically, to make it look good, you'll want to sculpt the light, not just turn them on and point them in the right direction.

If you do end up using that kit, also be weary of using the provided fluorescent globes as they'll probably have a green shift to them. Easy to correct this if they're your only light source with a FLT filter for your lens but if you're going to be competing with daylight you should have some minus/plus green gel on hand to match them. As far as I know, those kinds of fluorescent globes can't be dimmed (if they are they start flickering) so if you want to be able to control the light output that way you should use incandescent (if you can find any) or halogen globes, some hand squeezers (dimmers) and some CTB/CTO gel in various strengths.

/u/tokuturfey - this is what I suggest also.

Ring lights give you great light with or without a soft box. Here's a great review/tutorial on what you can achieve with a 3 point ring light setup using the Diva Ring Light: http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_diva_ring.html

The great thing about the F&V ring light (unlike the Diva) is that it can be either battery or AC powered - and it is much smaller and easier to set up.

I have both the Diva and the F&V (as pictured [here] (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jrqsQtPN3TU/U1sjz3-jwnI/AAAAAAAAIt4/k2WveyQeO4o/w724-h543-no/P1120732.JPG)), and will buy the smaller F&V lights from now on.

You can get three [F&V ring lights with soft boxes for $269.99 each at Adorama] (http://www.adorama.com/FVSBBRLR300.html?KBID=66297).

Three ring lights, with 3 stands ([2 for $22] (http://amzn.to/1vjJXtl) and a [single for $15] (http://amzn.to/1tlfUDo)), 3 [$10 Sony FP-batteries] (http://amzn.to/1vjKvQ1) and an [$18.50 dual battery charger] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=111315155908&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg) will give you a great 3 point lighting setup for less than $900.

Good luck!

There are a lot in this photo that is great, but you don't want to know what you've done right, correct? Maybe that's how I am :P

Things to consider.

1. The left side is higher than the right. Straighten the photo oh-so-little. There is a slope that is off-putting.
   
   
2. Either go fully silhouette or bring out some lighting in your face. You have great natural lighting, get a reflector and bounce some of that light towards yourself.
   
   
3. Idea: Try bracketing the photo a few stops.
   
   Otherwise, great shot. Keep shoot! I'd love to see more of your work.
   
   Cheers.

I've been meaning to write up a guide for this...

If you Google around for cheap light kits, you'll see a lot of "clamp light" builds. I recommend skipping those. Knockoff LED panels have gotten good enough that I think you're better off buying them instead. The clamp lights, to me, are more pieces and trouble to set up, tear down, and travel with than they're worth and they look extremely amateur, which is a problem if you're doing corporate work.

Before you begin, the key to remember is that the smaller the frame, the more cheaply it can be lit. Shoot tight to make your cheap lighting go further and look better.

First, use the sun. Position your subject as if the sun is your key - around to the side a bit so you get some light wrapping. Then bring in your popup light modifier and stand and set it up to diffuse the sun. This almost always looks great and is very cheap and easy to set up.

Next, get a bucket of CN160s and some knockoff Sony NP batteries. Shoot a few of them through your diffusion ring to get a bright enough key, then bounce the rest of them off of white foamcore to get nice fill lights and to fill in the room.

$200 or so will get you pretty well set up - less depending on how many LED panels you want. It's hardly the BEST kit, but it's an excellent, effective, and compact CHEAP kit.

Plain background (doesn't need to be white, but that's super generic and easy), good lighting. Natural light is great, but it can also limit the amount of time daily that you can take good pictures during. And a couple of decent lights aren't really that expensive.

It can be as simple as a large sheet of white tagboard and a couple of lights. I personally just use my phone as a camera and a cheap/small lighting setup I found on Amazon. Here's a photo I've taken with my low-tech setup.

Hey there, this weekend I'm going to be taking pictures and my brother-in-law and his fiancee's wedding shower. They didn't ask me to do this but they are ok with me doing it. Really, I'm not interested in the shower but I have to go so I thought it would be a good time to use my new gear (its all new to me basically, just getting in to photography). And if I'm going to take pics, I want them to turn out at least decent. The last thing I want is to take pics and then not be able to share them because they came out terrible.

Anyways, I was wondering if somebody could give me some ideas on how I could utilize my equipment, especially my flashes (never used those before). The room is a "community" room in an apartment building. Its rectangle-shaped room with entrance doors on opposite corners. I think the lighting are chandelier type things with CFL bulbs, I don't remember right off hand.

Nikon D7200 (probably getting a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 tomorrow, I already have a Nikon 50mm f/1.8)
These stands: https://www.amazon.com/Fovitec-Photography-Reflectors-Modifiers-Collapsible/dp/B00HNZJLG4/
Two of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075F3G6J3/
Two of these: https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN685-System-Wireless-Speedlite/dp/B01EFUHRPQ/
One of these: https://www.amazon.com/YN622N-TX-Wireless-Controller-Transmitter-Function/dp/B00NJGMICU/

Any help would be super appreciated!!!

What's the budget ballpark? You're probably not going to get a reliable system that takes good product shots and is wireless super cheap.

What quality do you need to photos? Are they for advertising, where you need a super clear shot that looks professional? Or you just need to catalog the parts and image quality isn't that high of a consideration?

For parts that small you're going to want a macro lens. Also spend some money on a light box, the pictures will look much more professional if you use that.

In my experience, wireless tethering isn't that great. At least the system's that I've tried. If it has to be wireless, look into something like a CamRanger. I'd recommend going wired and using CaptureOne instead though.

Rough ballpark...

• Used DSLR body. You don't need anything special here. You can probably get something that will work fine for $100-$200.
  
• Used macro lens. You can probably get something for a few hundred here too.
  
• Light box. $40-a few hundred, depending on the size you need. Get one with lights.
  
  If you can get by without needing the pictures directly on the computer automatically, that's all you'll need. Otherwise you'll need tethering software (I suggest CaptureOne, $300 once or $20/month). If you need it wirelessly, I think a CamRanger ($200) would work, but am not certain.
  
  The camera gear I listed is bottom of the barrel and old, but should work just fine for what you're needing, assuming you buy something used that is in good shape. KEH has an excellent reputation for selling used gear that is honestly marked as far as condition.

I started with a similar cheap kit to this: http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI?ie=UTF8&keywords=light%20kit&qid=1462400627&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

I still use it to this day from time to time although with softboxes. Anything from cowboystudio (or similar names that en with studio, limostudio, fancystudio) will do fine for starting. They are cheap made but I grew my kit from there. Changed the bulbs for more powerful ones. Put a 1 bulb to 4 bulb adapter. Bought a couple led panels, better stands etc.

Buy one or two 5 in 1 reflectors with c stands and clips.

If you want a better kit (your budget seems to allow it) I would get individual lights and build a kit. I'm a big fan of led. I always shoot raw so as long as my lights have the same color temps I'm usually fine.

Hope that helps.

Those DIY florescent kits can get you into trouble. Sometimes they don't run at the appropriate refresh rate and they'll create a banding effect on certain colors. The inverter dillema always makes field shooting a little tricky. If you've got a couple HMIs, (Frenels, Cans, spots, or whatever you call em in your neck of the woods). It might be worth it to rent a generator since this piece doesn't appear dependent on Foley.

If you need the flat face light look amazon sells these cheap LED's that are great in pinch [Amazon Link] (http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409497084&sr=8-1&keywords=led+camera+light)

I used one on a shot I did a while back I qued it up. It's just the bathroom shot so you can stop playing after you get an idea of what we did with the lights. You'll notice a color shift in the middle to try and change the feel of the scene (Adjustment in post) but basically the light has a pretty good effect as long as you remain within 5 feet of your target. Also works as nice fill on extreme closeups.

Good luck on the re-shoot, I look forward to seeing your results.

$20 for a stack of cut acrylic? You've got to do a much better job at explaining the value proposition here. Especially when the average person is not going to have any idea what it is you're selling.

Also - pictures, pictures, pictures. The average person will spend 5 seconds on your website tops, read 1 sentence (the heading), look at the pics, and leave. Your pictures look like they were taken in your backyard in the dark. Go buy:

• One of these pop up studios: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Shooting-Diffusion-Backdrops-Photography/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1474099811&sr=1-1&keywords=pop+up+photo+booth
  
  
• 3 of these clamp lamps: https://www.amazon.com/Woods-8-5-Inch-Reflector-150-Watt-6-Foot/dp/B000HHQ94C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474099983&sr=8-1&keywords=Clamp+Light+with+Grip+work+light+reflector
  
  
• And a pack of these daylight bulbs: https://www.amazon.com/EcoSmart-5000K-Spiral-Daylight-4-Pack/dp/B0042UN1U0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474100072&sr=8-3&keywords=daylight+bulb
  
  
• And download paint.net (or torrent photoshop) to edit your photos. You want amazon style photos - big, bright, clear, no/white background, and great detail.
  
  Also, work on your shopify website. Spend a few hours - its not hard to modify an existing theme to look good. You need some color and a more clean layout. The site does not look professional. Why would a customer trust you if your store front looks amateur? They'll leave before they even look at your products.
  
  If you believe in this niche, great. Make the website slick, get good pictures, think about why YOU would purchase these and write up some good copy, and then go drum up some business by participating in a related forum / subreddit / listserv / whatever. Is this actually a problem people need solving? You'll find out.
  
  P.S. I know those blacklight photos look cool and all, but do your customers actually care? Are you going to use this product under blacklight? If not, you're probably turning off anyone older than highschool age.
  
  P.P.S. Stop referring to yourself as cardistry-cards in the copy. The hyphen isn't doing you any favors. Shorten to CC or Cardistry if you're even going to do the 3rd person thing.

Another vote for a Canon Vixia. You can get them refurbished for as low as $130 from B&H. We use them at a little community station I'm involved with as loaner/newbie cameras. They'll take a good picture (no, it's not going to match a GH5, but you can just set it up and hit record), are the only entry-level camcorders with a mic input, and the codec edits fairly well even on a modest system.

You will want decent light - "practical light" (IE - overhead lights, lamps, etc) can be enough, but these little LED panels are cheap and bright enough for sit-down interviews where you can place the light a little closer to the person. https://www.amazon.com/VILTROX-L116T-3300K-5600K-Temperature-Brightness/dp/B07D8TTFSR/

You might want to pick up one of those and an inexpensive light stand, you'll need/want a couple of SD cards (I'd recommend 64gb w/ the Vixia, it'll hold hours of interviews and is at a good price/capacity point). Get two, and an external hard drive - a 2tb drive is about $50-60 now. As soon as you get home copy the video to the external hard drive.

You'll want a decent tripod, you might be able to get away with a cheap tripod for this project, but spending a few bucks more gives you something that will hold up. This is still a cheap tripod, and it's heavy, but it's a good one, reasonably smooth pan and tilt and the one we have has stood up to 3 years of abuse by volunteers. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1240923-REG/davis_sanford_provista7518b_provista_7518b_tripod_with.html?sts=pi&pim=Y

​

A lavalier mic can be useful. One thing to note, the Vixia does not provide "plug in power" to mics, so you need to look for dynamic mics that truly don't need power or battery powered condenser mics.

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This very well may have been my friends, as we usually extend our sessions after the sun goes down.

We have a couple of these headlamps. Cheap, and super bright. They have a zoom function so you can concentrate the light as needed:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QAAZY00?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

Then we use these as floodlights. Not super durable, but very bright and cheap, and the brightness is adjustable via dial.

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=pd_bxgy_421_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BFHGB0K90J2N6SASFDM

http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Replacement-NP-F550-Digital-Battery/dp/B0007Q9PWQ/ref=pd_sim_421_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51DW8ndgtKL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1QD2ST71K4MTG47GN6J7

http://www.amazon.com/niceEshop-NP-FM50-Np-f330-Np-f550-Np-f570/dp/B000OPB4U6/ref=pd_bxgy_421_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BFHGB0K90J2N6SASFDM

Two is enough to light up anything but really big problems. We combine those with the headlamps and have been able to light up things like High Plains Drifter enough to get good video in the middle of the night.

Trust me, this is what you want. Most of the people who have climbed with us end up asking me later what lights we were using so they can buy some for themselves.

I'm actually the husband from this shindig, but I would suggest making sure it has good lighting. Most likely the venue won't have a perfectly lit spot for a selfie booth all ready to go (honestly some places might, but check/make some preparations) I work in production so I set up a pair of 500 watt photo floods with some 45" umbrellas on a pair of C stands (any stands will do I just had these on hand) if you can snag some cheaper stands on amazon this is a really quick easy way to get pro looking light where you want it. There's also tons of ready to go kits on Amazon like this, but I can't really vouch for any of them specifically.

You may want to chat with your DJ/photographer and ask if they have any of this equipment and would be willing to rent it. If you don't see yourself using it again or don't want to be the ones to set up/take it down.

Ideally a soft box or umbrella kit are the best because they diffuse the light making it look soft and 'natural' rather than harsh. AngelPawz linked an excellent kit, but personally I only use a single umbrella from this kit and it works well enough for me.

Another thing to consider is 'back lighting' your green screen. Set up a light behind yourself that evenly lights your green screen while not being on cam and you're all set. Even lighting on the green screen is the most important factor of a nice chroma key.

As for the Krakens the easiest alternative is using a blue bedsheet instead of a green one. Any color background can be chroma keyed out but green and blue are the best as they don't naturally occur in human skin.

So a few months ago, I gave myself a budget of $5000 for everything I’d need to be a One Man Video Army. Besides an empty Lowell hard case and a pair of headphones, I had nothing in the picture above before commencing the buying spree. The grand total ended up coming to around $5500 or so but I’m pretty stoked to have stuck fairly close to my initial budget.

Here's a detailed list of everything in the picture above:

ITEM | WHAT I PAID | COST NEW | LINK TO BUY NEW

-- | :-- | :-- | :--
Panasonic GH5 w/Rode Videomic Pro, 2 SD cards and batteries|$1,000.00|$1,500.00|B&H
Lumix 12-35mm 2.8|$550.00|$900.00|Amazon
Mitakon 25mm 0.95 Prime|$300.00|$350.00|B&H
Sigma 50-100mm 1.8|$750.00|$1,100.00|B&H
Tokina 11-16 2.8|$250.00|$400.00|B&H
Viltrox EF-M2 Speedbooster|$150.00|$200.00|B&H
Manfrotto 502 Video Tripod|$400.00|$400.00|B&H
Tripod Bag|$25.00|$25.00|Amazon
Panasonic XLR Adapter|$300.00|$400.00|Amazon
Sennheiser Wireless Mic System|$450.00|$600.00|Amazon
LowePro Camera Bag|$75.00|$75.00|B&H
Neewer 3-Light LED 660 Kit w/Fovitec stands|$350.00|$350.00|Amazon
Kessler Slider w/tripod head|$400.00|$900.00|B&H
Hoya 43mm Filter Kit|$35.00|$35.00|Amazon
Hoya 58mm Filter Kit|$40.00|$40.00|Amazon
Feelworld F570 Monitor|$200.00|$200.00|Amazon
Zoom H6 Recorder|$250.00|$400.00|B&H
Neewer 5-in-1 Reflector|$20.00|$20.00|Amazonn

Given my budget, there really wasn’t much debate over what camera would best suit my needs. I’m doing a lot of paid corporate and event video work, but I also shoot films and documentaries. So the GH5 made the most sense given its quality, versatility, and value. I can transport and operate all of this stuff without the need for additional crew, which is especially nice when a client doesn’t want to pay for that.

I’ve shot a few films and several paid gigs with this set already and it’s working out well so far. Happy to answer any questions over why I chose one thing over the other. We all have our preferences with equipment :)

Definitely this. Even learning to bounce flash can dramatically improve the quality of your photos. Some of my favorite photos that I've taken have been in large part due to the lighting used. A few yongnuo flash units, umbrellas, stands, and triggers and you can really get into some lights for cheap. They won't support high speed sync, ETTL, flash groupings, or anything like that which means you're setting everything manually. What better way to learn, though! For under 300 bucks you can get a 3 flash setup and start taking some really great photos. If bounce is your thing you can get the Yongnuo 565 which puts out tons of power and does a great bounce (was the sole flash in that second photo). The only thing I wish it has was high speed sync.

I use my phone. I've had a couple of high end Panasonic and Canon DSLRs, but I switched to just using my phone a while back. The higher end models have a "pro" mode that will let you adjust just about everything. Most of my pictures come out super clear with an almost invisible background.

If you want to stick with your camera and just need more light different light boxes could help or maybe a light ring. Good deals on Amazon and eBay.

You could also just take pictures in natural light if that is at all possible.

I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy S8+ and I was using these lights https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8GpaBbWCXSDTK until a few days ago when I found this kit in a Goodwill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GWH7VE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GJpaBbG4K66S8

>flash: try a godox tt685 ($110)

On a $200 total budget, I'd actually say a $65 TT600 is a better option, which will let you get a decent air-cushioned lightstand, or two flashes for the price of the TT685. :)

I would highly recommend the TT685 over the TT600, though, if you think you want to use the flash for both on and off-camera flash, since TTL is very useful for event run'n'gun.

>trigger... x1t ($45)

But $60 X2T or $70 XPro would be much much nicer. Again, another reason the TT600 might not be a bad place to start.

>lightstand: just get some cheap amazon one ($15)

No, I'd say look for a $40 cheap one that's air-cushioned. Slammed lights down on my fingers too many times with the super-cheapies. :)

>try try an umbrella soft box thing ($26)

Those slit-through the bottom octas don't tilt much at all. You want one that attaches to a speedring. It'll be more expensive ($45). So, actually, starting with a convertible umbrella ($20-25) might be a better first choice.

>speedlight holder thing that holds an umbrella]

Or, instead of an umbrella swivel, get an S-type bracket ($20) which can be used to hold the speedlight closer to the center of an umbrella, as well as attach Bowen S speedringed modifiers bayonet to the face of it.

A compact umbrella swivel, though can be a lot smaller in your lighting bag. The issue is whether the modifier you want to use works with one. The S-Bracket is more general purpose that way.

I do this as my job. Some things you could work on:

1. You need better equipment. Im not sure what youre filming on but if you would like to take this at all seriously you'd be better suited buying a setup. Something like a t3i, 10-22mm lens, 50mm lens, and this light: http://www.amazon.ca/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394350978&sr=8-1&keywords=camera+light
   
   
2. Your timing is off- it is extremely important that you match up the song with the video perfectly.
   
   
3. Dont film people dancing in empty spaces.
   
   
4. Steady your hand/learn proper panning techniques.
   
   If it's just fan footage none of this is really important.

If you're looking for some cheap video lighting to help brighten up a shot I would recommend searching on Amazon for LED panels. They can range from small and cheap to bigger, brighter, and much more expensive. I would search around and try and find something that's in your price range. They can certainly be useful to help add some light in an interview setting or you can use them mounted on top of your camera if you're shooting an event in the dark like a wedding reception or a nightclub.

I'd honestly still go to the pros for this one, or at least cheap ambitious student film makers. Local high schoolers even. As a working freelancer/producer, I've had inquiries for "DIY"/mobile studios for clients to setup up themselves and they've botched every single one of them.

If your clients are seriously that hellbent on saving costs and time, then I like Hybrid's suggestions for tech. On top of that, I would add an LED panel for keylighting and this handy tutorial by Realm Pictures for setup.

But honestly, from my experience, this much knowledge/tech will baffle the non-savvy so really feel your way out on this and try to steer them towards finding help. Hopefully a solution is found! GL!

I bought the X-Rite i1 device for both TV and monitor calibration on everything at home. Will need a PC that you can connect to use it via HDMI. Even though it's designed for PCs + software use by automatically adjusting the Windows color profile, it will at least let you do a full white image color calibration + backlight + contrast with included software for TVs. You could also grab it and check out return policy if it doesn't meet your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-i1Display-Pro-Display-Calibration/dp/B0055MBQOW

Old write-up I did with my experience here - bottom line with TVs or anything not permanently using a PC, the included software is limited but it will let you do backlight/contrast/full white color temp:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/5y7sn9/spyder_color_calibration_for_tv/

If you check it out, also google HCFR and guides, freeware software for calibration. There's some deeper level stuff there that I did not do, but i did test it and it works.

I did all 5 TVs and 5 monitors in my house and they are all nicely consistent on color temp and brightness. Good luck! :)

A photo tent like this one will do quite a bit :D And it's also really great no matter what to keep drafts off your prints and protect the printer from dust.
Personally I prefer the shower curtain tent because it's easier to access the printer, but to make that you need PVC pipes, magnets and a sewing machine. Alternatively, a real enclosure like a box of plexiglass or something will be even better. You can even put accoustic foam on the "walls" to further dampen it :D


Start with the feet though - you can print those out right now, and PLA is perfectly fine :D

I would say not bad for your first job. The first thing is the audio, do your best to never use audio that isn't a Lav mic or a shotgun/boom mic very close the subject. If you're forced to use the Zoom, buy a dirt cheap XLR mic to plug into like this one XLR Mic.

Also wouldn't hurt to invest in a dirt cheap light panel like this one Light Panel and stand as well which you can get on Amazon for less than 50 bucks. The shots looked under lit and could have benefited from a different background, a window is never a good idea and didn't really fit the subject matter. Maybe shooting them in a lab setting would have been better since it's relative to the subject. You want to create a feel or mood when you create a video and the more you can put them in a medical environment, the more legit they will seem.

Lastly, the shot of the person working in the lab never fully racked into focus, focus is critical with big clients and every shot has to have a crisp focus.

Hope I wasn't too harsh, it beats the first videos I ever created by a mile. Good Luck.

The colors and tones are very nice!!

Overall I think positioning the model in a manner that increased the amount of light on their face would be beneficial. A typical roll of thumb for portraits as well is trying to prevent things from doing through the models head. The background here while nice and blurry is still distracting and doesn't particularly add anything to it. If the background isn't adding meaning to the picture itself then it should be used to help compose the image. Here you could have potentially used the background to frame the model.

The pose itself seems a little awkward, if I had to put words to it I'd say that your model looks disembodied due to the tight framing cutting them off (there's a reason headshots are typically centered!).

All in all the edit is great!! The background lighting works very well, and if you'd like to add some light on to the subjects face in a back lit situation look into using a reflector or even a cheap flash with a softbox modifier!

Buy a reflector and bring a friend! Hold it high and shine the sun back onto one side of there face =) Lighting is what makes a photo amazing, this is an easy way to create great lighting =) If you buy a reflector also try to shoot somewhere in the shade and not in direct sunlight.

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-Inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414167413&sr=8-1&keywords=reflector

This is the easiest thing in photography for you to do once you know exactly how to go about it,especially now with digital cameras. There are no moving subjects, no strobes necessary and not really a ton of expensive gear either. Take a look at this: This was about 5 minutes of shooting followed by 30 minutes of post, if it's setup correctly it's really that easy.

You have two main problems, both related to light. The camera doesn't know what it is seeing and your computer(monitor) doesn't know how to output it for you. So that is WB on the camera side and monitor profiling on the computer side. Let's focus on WB in camera for now.

You mentioned you are using a piece of paper for custom WB, is it possible that you are now photographing using the flash with this WB? If so, this could cause the effect you mentioned.

I guess in theory you could use a piece of white paper as an RGB neutral source, but the value of this color is very high - it makes more sense to use a gray card as some people have mentioned. This will do two things - help set your exposure as well as give you a neutral color target, similar to your white sheet but lower in value.

If you want to do it on the cheap and easy, get a set of continuous lights. One problem with the normal lighting you have is that it will most likely be different colors, e.g. tungsten bulbs, fluorescents, daylight &c. Another is that the light will most likely be pretty hard, diffuse is the way to go with this. These are great! Cheap and excellent for what you want to do. You should use them alone, without any other lighting. They are somewhere right around ~5500K, so you could even set your WB to flash mode and they'd be pretty close to on. You can shoot in RAW as mentioned below, but using the camera LCD is one more route to color-related insanity. If you do this, you have the problem as mentioned above related to monitor profiling *2. If possible, shoot in RAW, then look at the histogram of the image, either on the back of the camera or at individual channels in software. If the white balance is set incorrectly, in your neutral card you'll see clear color skew where your channels expose at different levels(R higher than G higher than B, for example). Here's a lifted example:

You'll also need to deal with reflection of your light source in your image, this is easily managed by placing the lights outside of the family of relevant direct angles, good article here:

This might seems like a big pain, but it isn't.

Yes, thank you that helps alot! I was looking abround some more and found these things

phone cage with 2 lenses

light - and maybe the charger/softbox combo

And a mic

Total price would be around $200 so I can work with that. And yes I will just have to show them the ropes a bit on how to get the best possible video.

Thanks so much for your help!

The 3 factors I've noticed that make the biggest marginal improvement in a video are:

1. Good lighting - Set it up near a window, or place some lamps around you if you don't have a lighting set-up (they can run pretty cheap). Depending on what type of videos you are doing, you want most of your face to be completely visible, with no harsh brightness or shadows.
   
2. Audio Quality - Nothing turns me away from a video faster than when the speaker sounds like he is speaking into a can that is flying through a wind tunnel. More likely than not, built-in camera microphones are rubbish, It's just the way it is. It is much better to record with a separate microphone connected to a laptop or something. In a pinch, I've found that I can download a high-quality sound recorder on my phone, and place it in my front pocket (mic up) to achieve a sort of portable sound recorder that doesn't need to be plugged in. (Make sure its the high-quality app like Smart Voice Recorder with the 48kHz option selected, or you are doing no better).
   
3. Eliminating filler - Ever sat down to watch a video, then been presented a 45 second intro with crappy zoomed-in blurry footage from an anime? Never do this. If I don't know who you are, and I have to sit past a 10 second intro, I will likely lose interest. Don't bore us, get to the chorus. I have started introducing the video, doing any flashy intro stuff, and beginning the premise of the video within 7-8 seconds. Unless you live an exceptional life and people want to creepily get into your mind, nobody wants to listen to you drone on about nothing while talking into a camera (thats what Let's Plays are for, huehuehue).
   
   I love talking about this stuff, so if you have any more questions, let me know!

Also, I don't love that light box. It provides light but it isn't a surface itself that looks good in photographs, hence the white fabric on the bottom. Have the light box sides in the background works...if the corners/edges aren't in the photos, because they look super tacky. I would be willing to buy another, bigger and better light box, but I doubt that make sense as I would still be left with my issue for bigger items like tops and dresses. This is that lightbox, just fyi: Neewer 24x24 inch/60x60 cm Photo... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKGGICC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Zoom isnt a bad investment, but you might be right. Honestly, don't go gear nuts. Even with the advice i gave above which i think is a way to spend two grand thats not what id do. Id use what I already owned and find some other people and beg borrow and steal as much as i could. Spend that 2 grand on a actual movie, and try and put every dollar on the screen.

I totally get the concept of wanting to have gear for multiple shoots. But I think you will learn a lot from just jumping right in. Shoot a short for 50 bucks with your friends over a weekend. then shoot another for a hundred bucks, and build on that. After that use all you learned with the rest of the dough to make something longer. I know it sounds crazy, but you can do it if you budget and write the script around things you already own and have access to.

More than anything a project you believe in will last longer than any piece of gear.

But if you are dying to buy something start with some simple paper lanterns mixed with a reflector you can get some good looking stuff, great soft light, and you learn some basic lighting skills. You will still need a few stands. But you can get away with a lot with these because they are light. Use practical lamps and natural light to fill out your scenes.

http://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Lantern-Cord-Off-Switch/dp/B007RPRYF0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452219709&sr=8-2&keywords=china+balls

http://www.amazon.com/White-Chinese-Japanese-Lantern-Diameter/dp/B0026XVQ3Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452219709&sr=8-1&keywords=china+balls

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452219787&sr=8-1&keywords=reflector

Natural, diffused light (a cloudy day) is best.

Do you have a tripod (essential).

Are you using the default camera app or something like Camera Awesome?

Something like this is really good: LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349

Although the lights are probably too yellow. Instead just use your painting lamp(s).

I am trying to do a complete carry-on ultra-lightweight interview kit. So I'm an old guy, and not a big guy. But I wanted something I could single-handedly carry on a plane, on a bus, in a cab, as a pedestrian. It should be no more than two cases and I should be able to carry them in one hand while carrying a personal bag in the other. It had to be everything needed for talking head interviews including lights, camera and sound. That means my setup is much more restrictive than yours, but it works. This effort is based on doing quite a few films in Europe using only what I could carry.

Nothing I could find really made it easy. The biggest problem has been powering options, so I made the decision that it had to be small fixtures that could be used close to the subject with reasonable running time. Everything had to be battery-powered no cables or outboard power supplies were needed.

I bring 3 lights and 3 stands. This light is a fairly soft key, adjustable, 18-watts, built-in rechargeable battery. Then I have three of these very small point-source lights, (also with built-in batteries and they come with a variety of gels). One of these is used as a backlight, another for possible light for a background. Add these for mounting one or two of these Lowel umbrellas. These turn the point-lights into a nice, soft fill. Each of these lights will run 60 minutes or more at full power, much longer if reduced. Also, running time can be extended with a couple of these. I can get nice exposure and shallow depth-of-field at ISO 400 or 800. (Double or quadruple operating time at ISO 1600.)

Amazon has this light case that is checkable and can hold this lightweight Velbon tripod with a fluid head plus three or even four of these Neewer stands plus some gels and a small roll of gaffer tape.

My camera case is a small older one with a Nikon label. It holds my Panasonic GH4 or GH5 with 12-60mm lens plus 3 batteries and a USB-powered charger. There's also room for all the lights, an iPad, and a 4-port USB charger, which charges everything.

And...(are you ready for this?) the sound is in this kit, too. The secret here is the PicoGear PicoMic dual wireless mic system. This thing really does what it claims: two wireless mics with good range and run all day and the whole system goes in your pocket, plus the bonus of no body pack or cables to hide.

I'd appreciate your comments.

The camera is not your problem, your lighting is. All cameras, especially inexpensive small sensor ones will be grainy in dim indoor light because they need to crank the ISO to brighten the image. ISO is the light sensitivity of the sensor. High ISO will make the image brighter, but at the cost of quality. A gopro will not help you. You need a lighting kit.

These work well for the price: http://amzn.com/B003WLY24O

I use upgraded bulbs: http://amzn.com/B00BISL11U

If your camera has manual ISO set it to 160 or 200 for your best quality image, and use artificial lights to increase brightness as desired.

You can learn more at /r/videography

Here you go

According to CCC, it's actually at a fairly low price point right now. I got mine for $100 on sale from b&h I think? But that was a particularly good price. Prime day is coming up so it's possible to see more of a sale but the current price is pretty good.

You don't need to get the more expensive X-Rite i1Display Pro. It's largely the same as the colormunki but has a few more "pro" features built in that you'll never use and it can calibrate faster. You'll do it only once every 6 months after the initial setup so the extra money isn't worth it unless you do color work and need to calibrate often. I would also avoid datacolor's spyder calibrators in favor of the x-rite's.

It really is just one of those amazing tools that you can buy and just have forever and it will earn its value back over and over.

Great shot!! Product photography is 80% lighting. A few basic tricks if you dont want to invest too much:

1- A basic reflector kit (silver, gold, diffusor) will set you back about 30$ and can really help up your photography game. Alternatively, a 2x3 piece of glossy carboard, set like a dome over your watch, can act as a ghetto reflector and give you very nice results.

2- A LED panel such as this one lets you adjust both the intensity and the warmth of the light, which comes in handy when you want to match it with a secondary source of light.

3- You probably already know this, but RAW + Lightroom are your best friends if you’re shooting with a DSLR

I haven't calibrated yet, but I did use TFT Central's ICC profile and settings which was an improvement. I have this colorimeter on order and will do a proper calibration once it arrives.

I prefer a slightly brighter screen too and have set a 50% brightness. I'm in a dimly lit room so that's pretty bright relative to ambient light.

I find the Alienware image quality good answer comparable to other Dell monitors I've owned including my current second display, a UP3017.

I'm using the"normal" pixel response setting, but haven't tried anything higher. I've been sensitive to noticing overshoot on previous monitors so I haven't tried any other levels yet.

Great thread and thanks for sharing! I'm ordering some of what you listed.. :)

Here is what I have already purchased and am using:

Mini tripods for the base stations as I haven't set them up permanently yet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006I1KQQI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wireless headset so I don't have to deal with the audio cable:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZC3S72I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Active HDMI cable as I'm running off my PC from the bedroom in my livingroom:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186DNFLI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Active USB 2.0 cable again as I'm running off my PC from the bedroom in my livingroom:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PLLA9U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also just ordered a set of 7' tripods for mounting the base stations:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNZJLG4/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The 50mm prime lens is a nice ADDITION to your kit. I would not purchase a 50mm lens as your only/first lens because you are then forced into moving your camera closer/far away from your subject as you can not zoom to set up shots.

The 600D is good for what it is and you don't have many other options for under 1000$. Most 600D's come with an 18-55mm lens, I purchased a used 600D with a 18-135mm lens which I recommend over the 18-55mm. Of course, it is slightly more expensive, but glass isn't a bad investment because should you upgrade your body, you still have your lenses.

Tripod: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/243272-REG/Davis_Sanford_PROVISTA7518B_Provista_7518_Tripod_w_FM18.html

Several other redditors have recommended this tripod, and I own one as well. Stands up to about 6 feet tall, fluid pans and tilts, quick and easy to set up/break down. Best bang for the dollar.

Audio: Zoom H4N is the recorder you would want, but unfortunately, I think everything you are looking for is tough to get under 1000$. Since you are doing interviews I would recommend 1-2 wireless lavaliers.

If you are working by yourself, maybe a RODE Videomic PRO. It's a shotgun mic, but operates through 3.5mm rather than XLR, so it can mount on your cameras shoe and plug directly in replacing your camera audio. There's a kit you can get with the VMP that comes with a dead cat, boom pole, and extension cable. If you buy a Zoom H1, you can record to that and boom from wherever regardless of your camera. However, the Zoom H1 doesn't take XLR input.

The kit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/RODE-VideoMic-Pro-Microphone-Booming-Kit-1-Boom-Deadcat-and-25-Cable-/160879124199?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Microphones&hash=item2575249ee7

Zoom h1: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/699403-REG/Zoom_H1_H1_Ultra_Portable_Digital_Audio.html

Lighting: There are a lot of guide's out there for DIY light kits. I would look into that, you should be able to build a 3 point light kit for under 100$ from your local hardware store. Also, for 25$ this LED light is great, however it is not a substitute for 3 point lighting.

LED: http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411574797&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+160+led+cn-160

I used the tape that I used to hang my curtains (much heavier than the vive sensors), but it's really hard to get it to feel secure because of the small amount you can actually apply to both the sensor and the wall while it's plugged in. My final solution has been these: https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4

They are definitely high enough, and if you buy the little ball adjuster thing that is the most commonly purchased item with those stands you'll be set. They are safe and secure and ive never had a tracking (or line of site between the two sensors) issue like I was having using the curtain tape.

Terrible translation on my part but I think the proper English term is reflector. Something like this.

It's great for the following (and I quote from their site):

1 Translucent surface for softening

2 Silver for the contrast you look for

3 Gold for warm tone and health

4 White to fill the shadow

5 Black to block out stray light

It's probably one of the most versatile products you can buy for such little money. Translucent is great for days with hard edged shadows. Gold gives you sunshine. Black can create shadows when there are none. (removing light is also shaping light)

Can do nothing but recommend it to you

1. workflow's like shooting video on dslrs. outputs h.264 files that i convert to apple prores for editing. averaging a bitrate of 20-30 mbit/s but i've read it's capable of up to 80 mbit/s. idk how to answer your colorspace question.
   
2. having the ability to capture and make visible slomo has trumped any resolution frustrations, and i haven't worked professionally in filmmaking so have not had to consider client demands. won't mind shooting high-speed in 1080p or more though;)
   
3. dynamic range isn't bad imo. i've been able to bring out more details in post with color correction. no custom profiles yet but the edgertronic team's been good with firmware updates so maybe that's something they can add one day: http://wiki.edgertronic.com/index.php/Software_releases#Anticipated_features
   
4. light sensitivity's pretty good, i used 2-3 of these led lights for my interiors: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TJ6JH6
   
5. this may depend mainly on your lens. everything i've shot so far has been with the 50mm f1.8 lens that comes with the camera.

So I only know a few of these.

1. I'm not sure. I only use hdmi to hdmi
   
   
2. If you don't want to cause too much damage, my best suggestion would be to get 2 tripods with heads that can angle downward. In my own room I had to re-position the lighthouses multiple times, which meant multiple holes in the walls.
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNZJLG4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012FTXOW4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   Are just the tripods I use now.
   
   
3. 2m x 2m is enough for roomscale, however I don't know if I would consider it a decent roomscale experience, I myself run a 3.8m x 3m space and I even feel like that is pretty small. I also cleared out all the furniture possibly blocking lighthouses, so idk about that.
   
   
4. Your computer monitor/TV will always display the view that you see as well, even if a game does not open a separate window, steam VR has a setting to 'show mirror' so other people can see what you see.
   
   Other than that, hope you get the answers you want. Cheers! (The Vive is awesome though!)

I use the colormonki by xrite, love it and made a huge difference when I used to print to my decent canon color copier. Also if you send files out for printing (adorama for example) you should get their color profiles and adjust your images as necessary so it will be wysiwyg.

Black and white probably not that big a deal, but for color it's great.
Every monitor is different, I used to go crazy seeing perfect color rendition on my screen, then looking at the same image on someone else's monitor and eeeekkk! I'm over that now, I reckon 90% or more computer users don't have any clue or care about it.

Thanks for that I haven't exactly settled on the Camera I am going to use but it's possibly a Canon 80D (I'm friends with a Pro Tog and he's let me play with his) at the moment I'm practicing with my Fujifilm X100T (I know it's not an ideal film camera, but it's all I have at the moment), so once I get that I'll start playing around with different set ups.

As for lighting - I was looking at getting a few of these from Neewer to allow me to play around with light temperatures.

Are there any guides to the terminology and basic techniques you could recommend?

There are floor-to-ceiling poles that extend and stay in place with a very small footprint, but I think they're generally more expensive. You'd need to get a tripod pole mount to stick onto them, as well. I haven't researched them, but you would want something like these poles and these mounts.

I personally am opting for the light stands that /u/libertytoast posted, they seem to be the best bang for your buck, and then you just need a ball-joint attachment for tilting the sensors. I got a more heavy duty one, here.

Nice job! I thought it was a real good list and I've gotta agree with most of it, especially maximum overdrive. A few suggestions I'd make would be to try a different background, maybe have some horror related things around you like posters, figures, whatever. I'd also say try messing around with the lighting a bit for the face cam parts. It was shadowy too yellow. If you don't have anything specific you use I'd suggest this set.

https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469661904&sr=8-1&keywords=limostudio+lighting+kit

It's cheap and it works really well. You are very charismatic and the content of the video itself is really good. I liked the overall length of the video too, not overly long and just enough to describe each film and get the idea of why it made the list. Keep up the good work!

Hi, I'm going to be building a new PC to use with the Vive, and wanted to get everyone's feedback on my build choices (I tried posting on /r/buildapc but hadn't gotten responses, and I'm interested specifically in Vive users too).

I'm salvaging the power supply, SSD, and CPU cooler from my existing build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $219.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | Purchased For $19.99
Thermal Compound | Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste | $5.65
Motherboard | Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $119.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $89.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Toshiba Q Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | Purchased For $179.99
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card | $364.99
Case | Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case | $39.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | Purchased For $139.99
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1220.57
| Mail-in rebates | -$40.00
| Total | $1180.57
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-24 08:34 EST-0500 |

Please let me know if everything looks good!

Also, for the Vive, I'm planning on purchasing light stands to hold the trackers. I'm currently planning on:

- StudioPRO Set of Two 7'6" Photography Light Stands with Carrying Bag for Photo & Video Studio

-
MDW 2 PACK Tripod Mini Ball Head for HTC VIVE Holder,Camera Camcorder

Are those good choices?

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-110CM-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324168094&sr=8-1

$13, with gold, silver, and white. I rarely use anything but the white, personally, but there are some occasions here and there where I've been very thankful to have the options. Not really a huge investment there, also folds up, and if you're a professional, well, it certainly helps you look the part. Perception is a huge part of the business.

When I first started I built a lightbox similar to this. I used a box, spray painted it white, and cut up old t-shirts for the sides, then used a piece of large paper for the backing. I have a DSLR I use for photos but most cell phones these days are good enough to take great shots for ebay.

Once you have a lightbox, you can either use light from a window or some cheap lights with stands. Some people use cheap work clamp lights.

I've since upgraded to the AmazonBasics Portable Photo Studio. It's a bit of an investment but makes great results.

No flourescent, Led or Big Ol' Tungsten's hanging in warms spots throughout the warehouse would make it lovely and more cozy, while keeping it gritty. Bring back that warm light and it will automatically feel and look more photogenic. Pepper in smaller lights mixed with larger lights to give a really photogenic shot.

For lighting on that wall, You have two options. If you don't light the wall, grab two lights and post them at 45 degree angles from the center vertex. Keep a ratio of about 1/2 between the lights. Tweak the distance and light. Get the lights, get two stands, get two umbrellas, and a way to trigger the lights with your camera. Play around, you'll immediately find yourself with improved shots. You can get this set-up pretty cheap through Cowboy Photo Studios.

https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Portrait-Umbrella-Continuous/dp/B003WLY24O

Continous CFL lights. Not amazing, but if you adjust the white balance, it won't matter what the color looks like. That is one thing you can do now. Adjust the color balance on your camera or phone, they should have something for Fluorescent and do it. Remove that green!

Now if you've got more time and money, you can buy 2 more lights and a softbox. My favorite set-up is super simple, two lights blasting the back wall. Keep the product distanced from the wall a bit on a white table with a sheet of white reflective vinyl. Add one softbox and light 45 degrees of center. Photographs=Instant Magic.

Sorry some effort involved, but change your white balance today! Google it and your camera if you are unsure.

So far I've had perfect success with this light stand and this attachment. I extend the legs completely which then take up a relatively small area, and I secure the legs with the two strong rubber bands that came with the attachments. The footprint is a triangle of about 1' (30.48 cm) per side.

The cheapest probe that starts pushing into pro territory is the X-Rite i1 Display Pro and they get much more expensive from there. Though without a 3D LUT box and the accompanying calibration software, your corrections won't be perfect.

Xrite makes a more budget model called the ColorMunki. There's also a line called Spyder but the xrites tend to be much better quality for about the same price.

dispcalGUI is actually a really solid open source piece of CMS software with very good color math behind it. It may be more fickle than Light Illusions, but it's a great option for those on a budget.

All this, however, is a moot point if your monitor isn't any good as you'll quickly hit the limits of most displays. Additionally, expect to calibrate frequently (once a month or so) as displays do drift - even those ones that come "factory calibrated" (looking at you Dell). Here is a decent introduction on what makes up a decent display.

Soft-boxes are different than umbrellas. I used basic 60x60cm soft-boxes and they worked fine. It's smaller, which is good for stability and portability, but produces good results for portraiture.

Godox also makes umbrella style octaboxes. Those are a bit easier to pack and transport, but also a bit more fragile and fiddly to adjust. I like em, though. For those, get an umbrella adapter for the speedlight rather than the S-Bracket. It's difficult to install these over the godox s-bracket.

Normal umbrellas work fine with the S-Bracket. They are cheap and easy to use, but spill a lot of light.

In terms of sticky tape, mine fell off 2 hours after installing the lighthouses and pulled a bit of the paint along too :( I just bought 2 long tripods which work perfectly. You could get some off of amazon easily or take your lighthouse to a camera store near you and fit it on some tripods and see which ones you like!
EDIT: These seem good and are pretty cheap too.

Ok how's 3 tiers?

First tier is very basic. Any kit like this should do the trick. You would most likely put one light on either side while your product is on a table, then have the 3rd light pointed at a wall behind the table.


A step up from that would be a basic set of speedlights like this paired with one of these or an umbrella (two if you're feeling ambitious one on each side, then snag another flash for a BG light) Flashes are better vs continuous lighting from the first link as they allow you more control and let you modify the light easier (with softboxes and other various things, this would allow you to get softer light, harsher light, more focused light, etc etc) You can also bounce them off a white ceiling at higher power which would act like a big softbox overhead.

Top tier for someone starting out would be a set of alien bees Paired with a couple of softboxes and a background light. They take up more space and I wouldn't recommend them if you're just getting your feet wet. (mine are set up all the time and I shoot stuff like this and this with them. )

You can get that look with a wide aperture, and a unified color editing style in post. You can download film presets from various places around the Internets; or make your own edits, save them as a preset, and apply them to all the photos in your session.

Don't forget probably an assistant for reflector lighting and maybe huge strobes to balance the super bright midday sun. There are great big and cheap reflectors that will do just this! Sounds fun!

This is great for being on a budget, can plug in to your laptop or get a cube to plug into the wall outlet, and it clips where you want: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C7KRW5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited to add: the one above also lets you adjust the light to yellow/blue/mixed light and has multiple, easy to switch to settings. (Can you tell I love it? lol)

This was My first light set and IMO totally worth it if it is/becomes in your budget. I've had it for several years without issues.:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the clarification on the strobe, for some reason my mind went straight to the umbrella strobes.

I have this, but was not using it during my last shoot. It is plenty bright, but it is not controlled at all, just like a big flashlight on top of the camera. I do not think it will cause any issues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TJ6JH6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Should I be adjusting the white balance on my camera at all, or just in post-production? I think it is on auto mode right now, have not been messing with it trying to get the rest of my manual controls down, shutter speed, ISO and apature.

This was my first dark shooting, so that was my attempt at playing with my ISO. I still have yet to take a good look at the photographs. I fully expect the upper limit of the camera to be poor.

The focus issue has been hurting me. I have been doing mostly wildlife photography up to this point, but some people complain that my photographs are "blurry and out of focus." I still have just a basic 100-300 lens and shooting at the upper limit does produce poorer quality photographs, I like having the apature set so only the subject is focused and the background is blurry. So I feel I am on the right track, just need to improve my skills. Over the summer I will be upgrading my equipment so hopefully that brings a better quality as well.

• this camera setup: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IO2XVSS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
   
  
  
• this light box and lights:
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
   
  
  
• and this photo tutorial:
  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ94-fHMfAt1yQfGbeMQqOAS7c59mbiYt
  
   
  
  Knowing the above, these photos aren't really that great, I just used the settings that I already had on. These could be greatly improved if I had taken the time to do so, regardless, I appreciate the compliment! Also even if you don't have a fancy camera and light box I HIGHLY recommend watching that tutorial series on miniature photography, a lot of people around the sub could learn a ton and greatly improve the quality of the pictures they post even with just a simple camera on a smart phone.
  
  
  
  
  

I EDC an E07 in a holster, it’s probably my most-used light. I have the 4000k, high-CRI SST-20 emitters, and wouldn’t think of trading them for more output at lower CRI. It’s a fantastic light, if you get a good one it will serve you well. All of that being said, if you don’t mind the form factor, I’ve heard of people having great results in auto paint inspection with a Viltrox Panel Light. These put out a photo-quality, beautifully diffuse light that’s going to be better than just about any flashlight could give you. Get the E07 to carry, but these will do great things for you.

Lighting is a huge part of it! Here's the lightbox kit I bought. It comes with two lights- they're not super strong, but again, they work just fine for my purposes and I've been perfectly happy with it. You may want to scale up to a larger size if you do bigger pieces on a regular basis... When I periodically have a larger thing (like the Mr. Coffee machine) I just say "screw it" and take lower quality pictures, or I set it up on a giant white piece of tagboard in natural lighting (during the middle of the day) so I can get a few shots.

Goal: Build indoor product photography lighting setup for <$200

Hey pros, I need your help badly.

Recently I have purchased a Nikon D5200, a mannequin, and really started to really step up my product selling game. As I have no large scale lighting or backdrop setup i'm forced to do this outside (See: Example 1 and Example 2 ).

Now these photos are great and all but I can't shoot them whenever I want or at any time that's convenient really. So i'm hoping to build an indoor setup.

Pieces I need:

1. Infinite backdrop (Rather like the gray they use here)
   
2. Umbrellas? (How do you choose size and what seperates a 40$ setup from multi thousand dollar ones? Terrible Examples Here
   
3. High watt white lights, but which kind and wattage?
   
4. Fill light?
   
   I'm just all around overwhelmed, hopefully a pro can point me in the right direction.

Not joining the giveaway, as someone else can probably use it better. But welcome to the HTV Vive Master Race! Its hella fun.

Advice: get light stands like these: Light Stands

and ball mounts like these: Ball Joints

That way you dont have to drill your walls and can move the lighthouses as need be!

> I'm really not sure how early I should queue to ensure I get front row seats. It's either going to be early morning on the 27th or at night on the 26th.

I think, just in case, you should consider bringing (or purchasing in Mexico) a light but tall tripod, just in case you are not allowed into the front seats because of all the conference VIPs that want to see Elon from the front rows.

Just to avoid having a perfectly stable landscape video with Elon obstructed by a VIP head every now and then.

(Also perhaps ask the conference officials whether regular attendees are allowed to bring in a tripod and make recordings.)

I have this one from Amazon. Terrific quality and it folds up when not in use. It’s a great size and so far has been big enough to photograph everything I’ve been selling. Folds up nicely so you can store it away when not in use. I can’t say if it has helped me sell things any faster but it definitely adds a level of professionalism to your listings that makes it stand out. Definitely worth it.

AmazonBasics Portable Photo Studio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SlnLAbSKX264Q

You'll get better video from your phone, honestly. Camcorders under the $200 price point really aren't worth getting - they have the same chips in as you find in a cellphone and they tend to be built to a cheap price.

Spend the money on lights and audio instead - You can get great results from a smartphone camera with a setup like this:

• 3 CFL photography lights - $50
  
• Rode Smartlav+ - $80
  
  Use the leftover money to get a tripod mount for your phone, and some sort of tripod to mount it on if you don't already have that.
  
  Read up on three point lighting and you'll get better results than 99% of YouTube vlogs!

Thank you! That's actually something I've been attempting to improve lately. Historically I was using my iPhone, because attempts to use a DSLR looked even worse (because I had no idea what I was doing). After becoming a wee bit more knowledgeable on a recent vacation in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, I became determined to finally improve my indoor shots. I found some surprisingly reasonable equipment on Amazon for background and lighting (lighting x2, tabletop backdrop stand, background paper, clamps to hold the paper taut), leveraged tripods I already owned and used one of my Pentax DSLRs (A K20D in this case). I still auto-leveled all the images on my computer, but hopefully they are better than in the past.

I'm really curious what's wrong. I have two lighthouses "mounted" temporarily based on what I happened to have at home the day the Vive arrived. (I should really do something more permanent, though being a rental apartment I'm dithering about using the wall mounts. I know how to spackle and paint, but because of the layout, one lighthouse would have to be mounted to a masonry exterior wall, not sheetrock, and there's no good coverup for that AFAIK....)

Anyway, one lighthouse is quite solidly attached by a medium-small Jobi GorillaPod grabbing the top corner of a bookcase, pointed down as it's supposed to. The other lighthouse is attached to the pole of a a very lightweight aluminum light stand (it came came with a light kit I bought). The latter is the one that can see me best when I do seated stuff like Elite: Dangerous (though I run both lighthouses all the time). I was a little worried about it, because mounting it directly on the pole without even a camera mount (the threading of equipment like that is standard and matches the threadings on the lighthouse bottom and back), it would necessarily be pointing level, not down. And surely that spindly little thing would be a problem once that motor spun up. I only tried it out of desperation, because the other choice was to go ahead and drill into a rental's masonry wall, not even knowing if my tracking area was going to be any good.

And I have no wobbling at all. Unless somebody bumps the stand (so I need to keep my play area's Chaperone bounds well away from it). Look at that photo of the light stand; my lighthouse is sitting at the top of an aluminum telescoping pole seven feet in the air, five feet from the nearest support that could counteract wobble besides integral stiffness (of which there ain't much). I've looked at it really carefully and the motor causes no wobble at all. If it's wobbling, it's because the pole got nudged or a breeze as someone walked by hit it. That lighthouse is a precision piece of equipment. I've sometimes checked whether it's running by touching it, and I can just barely feel any vibration at all.

So I'm going to take a wild guess: the lighthouse you're having problems with is mounted by its back threads, not its bottom threads, and the mount is a bit loose, so gyroscopic force, not wobble, is causing the mount to act as a spring and oscillate the lighthouse along its vertical axis. Is that the case? If so, then you need to stiffen the mount.

If not, I'd try swapping the two lighthouses and re-running room setup. Does that improve things? (Does the same lighthouse in the position of the old "good" one become the "bad" one?) If so, then you have a defective lighthouse and should call HTC for a replacement.

Please let us know what you find out.

Maybe a few of these

Five of these, though you should sometimes, (I think usually), use China balls instead of the reflector.

Just one of these

Any of these you need that are either Rosco or Manfrotto. I think buying individual ones instead of large packs is smarter.

Clothespins, aluminum foil, and white sheets are all helpful and you can get them at Target.

That's all I use personally, but a lot of professionals, such as Rodrigo Prieto, use these, so if you have a thousand dollars to spare. On the other hand, short of occasional Arris in larger spaces, Roger Deakins tries to use mainly incandescents indoors, often with China balls, or China balls that have had half of them spray painted black.

Inside rigging is easy, but outside, sticking a two-by-four in the hole of a cinder block can work well.

Dont forget to get extension cords, power strips with circuit breakers, and maybe some plug in dimmers, though for incandescents, you should always dim by changing the bulb wattage and for those halogen work lights, they get way orange when you dim.

Also, I didn't include China balls because I could link you to ten dollar ones, or you could get them for a dollar each at Chinese gift shops, dollar stores, whatever.

It is very likely that the default calibration of your monitor was pretty good.

With regards to actually calibrating your display, I have this and the best feature is the ability to dynamically adjust the colors based on ambient light. This makes a much more noticeable difference for me than simply calibrating the display once.

Yep, LED lights are your best bet- they are small last long on battery power, do not emit heat, and depending on the one you get they can come with a temperature(as in color temperature- blue and yellow) dial as well as a dimmer dial. Something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346276906&sr=8-2&keywords=camera+light

First I would get a 10 dollar bag of reflectors though- use them the right way and they are more valuable than a light.

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-60CM-Light-Collapsible-Reflector/dp/B004ATJDVY/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346277225&sr=1-4&keywords=light+reflectors

EDIT: Sorry I'm kinda lazy and didn't shorten the link these better

Three light kit with led panels at 400 gonna be tough.

Just make sure you are getting reasonable cri, unlikely that low. Another option that would fit in that range would be something like this:

Softbox qty. 3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DLVR1JK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_VVTEDb9K7EDK0

Bulb quad splitter qty. 3

https://www.amazon.com/JACKYLED-Light-Bulb-Socket-Adapter/dp/B07BFMY8TR

Led bulbs, qty 12, two six packs

https://www.amazon.com/Hyperikon-Dimmable-Equivalent-Qualified-UL-Listed/dp/B0779C6F3Z

Dimmer qty. 3

https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-TBL03-10E-Tabletop-Control-300-Watt/dp/B00A80756O

Cheapy stands, qty. 4 (at least one will break)


https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4

Add in some sandbags, extension cords, etc and up and running as cheap or cheaper than bad quality led panel lights. Not an elegant, durable, or great solution but way better than poor natural light and then can save up for proper lights at better budget maybe?

Awesome and thanks! This looks interesting

https://www.amazon.com/Viltrox-L116T/dp/B01KZLM3QC/?tag=parametrek-20

Any other nice light panel would be cool too if the price changes or this goes OOS.

VILTROX L116T RA CRI95 Super Slim LED Light Panel,3300K-5600K LED Video Light Panel, LCD Display Screen,Color Temperature and Brightness can be Adjusted with NP-F550 Lithium Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8TTFSR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oiGDCb15HEBXJ




That'd be awesome. Thanks!!

If you can do natural light, it is always best!
I got a set from amazon awhile back that I use ...
http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Portrait-Umbrella-Continuous-Lighting/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1413006810&sr=8-5&keywords=photography+studio

It's pretty nice having more then one light.
It depends also on the videos u r making.
What's ur youtube name?
MIne is Shopaholic Not So Anonymous

Hello! Here's a look out of my comfort zone, I usually stick to neutral warm shades like oranges and browns but I decided to try something new.

PRODUCTS USED
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate
Nyx Brow Mascara in Chocolate
Colourpop Shadow in I Owe You (transition shade)
Colourpop Shadow in Paradox (maroon)
Colourpop Shadow in Central Perk (brown)
Citycolor Shimmer Shadow in Beach Cottage (green)
Nyx Crystal Liner in Crystal Silk
Nyx Face & Body Loose Pigment in Gold (inner corner)
Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Liner in Perfect Black
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Ardell Lashes in 207
Too Faced Born This away Foundation in Warm Beige
Nyx HD Concealer in Beige
LA Girl Loose Powder in Banana
Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave. Princess
Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Snow & White Sand

LIGHTS
Photography Photo Portrait Studio 600W Day Light Umbrella Continuous Lighting Kit by LimoStudio, LMS103 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_hO9PcBfKm1jNY

This is the one I picked up. - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UOOTCS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Probably more than you need, but I've been thrilled with the value considering I use it for youtube videos, site commercials, and of course, now Twitch.

You could probably just get away with this - http://www.amazon.com/6x9-Chromakey-Backdrop-Background-Fancierstudio/dp/B001PCQTDO/ref=pd_cp_p_3

Make sure you have something to set it up with, either a wall, piece of foamboard, or get a frame like this - http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-Support/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=pd_bxgy_p_text_y

If you get the frame, don't neglect the spring clamps - http://www.amazon.com/Cheaplights-PCS-3-75-Spring-Clamps/dp/B0019SHZU0/ref=pd_bxgy_p_text_z though I got mine (metal and more robust) from Home Depot.

Buy a color calibrator, or do it very crudely (if you are selling prints I would not do this) and hold your phone next to your MacBook and use the basic software adjustments like contrast, gamma, and rgb settings to match it. A proper color calibrator will ensure your photos are accurate and as even as they can be across all screens. Some of the higher end ones even allow camera and printer calibration. Once again, unless you are just shooting for fun, id STRONGLY recommend actually buying a proper calibrator like these:
Datacolor spyder5PRO or the spyder5elite

x-rite colormunki display or the x-rite idisplay PRO

Good comments from u/thnikkamax - I'll add that for location shooting, a popup reflector or even a sheet of foamcore can make a big difference - if you can get someone to hold it. Watch some youtube videos showing how to hold and angle a reflector; and grab it yourself and look at the subject while you lift it, angle it, play with different heights and angles. Then tell the assistant "hold it like this". Usually up pretty high, and angled up, gives a natural look. Distance from the subject can control how much it fills in shadows. Some popups have a choice of white, silver, and gold - all have different looks. Gold is often good to blast hard light from the back on hair and shoulders.

Someone has already mentioned the storage but I recommend one of these stands - It holds everything and looks good, you can still charge the wands too whilst they are resting in the stand.

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If you are not confident in drilling holds in the wall and mounting the sensors you can always buy some tripods (I got a set of 2 that extend to 7ft) and they also allow for easy configuration of finding the right sensors set ups.

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I have these combined with these adjustable brackets for full fluid setting up.

These are the light stands I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001WB02Z4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are the ball mounts I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M07M9D4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't have issues with them but they aren't my permanent solution. I bought them because I take my Vive to a lot of different places so it nice as a mobile solution. The ball mounts are great but I'm not use how the stands would do over long periods of time. But for now, they are perfect. They do however come with little draw strings bags that are pretty shitty.

Sure, they are all estimates so I wont be too upset either way. But sure I will post mine when it comes. :)

Looking forward to it, I picked up a light stand that arrived yesterday for like $20, specifically for demo parties to put the sensor on for standing experiences and still keep the sensor a foot above head level.

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Aluminum-Adjustable-Light-Stand/dp/B003PEUA30?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

The thing is lightweight and very cool, comes with a sleeve to put it in, standard 1/4-20 mount so it will work with the Sensor. I am 6'2 and this this will go taller than I am.

I will probably grab another when the Touch comes out

According to the specs you gave your current monitor has a PPI of 90.05 at an aspect ratio of 16:10. The most popular spec is 24" 1920x1080 aspect ratio of 16:9 which has a PPI of 91.79. So not far off to what you have.

If you want to stick to a PPI of around 90-92 you can try to look for 32" 2560x1440p 16:9 monitors. The UI size will be close to what you are used to, though I don't know of any with an IPS panel (which is important in your line of work).

If you want to stick to a 16:10 aspect ratio there's the Dell U2415 at 93.95 PPI.

Lastly, you could look into Ultrawides (21:9 aspect ratio). The Dell U3415W at 109.68 PPI looks good for productivity, but I don't know if you can deal with the curve as some designers can and some can't. Flat ultrawide like the LG 29WK600 is a good option at 95.81 PPI.

Use this PPI Calculator when researching monitors. Higher PPI = sharper image and more work space, but you will need to keep UI size in mind like you mentioned before.

Also don't forget to get a calibration tool like a X-Rite ColorMunki if you're doing professional work.

I'm a novice, but I've always liked doing portrait like shots, especially in sunlight, and would love one of these to try out.

I use lighting like this for my streams and I love it. It’s more bulky than a ring light for sure and I place them feet from my desk so it may not be viable but I deal with a lot of light sensitivity/photophobia so I’m unable to use a ring light. This may not be an option for you but if you have issues with light it’s perfect for being well lit without the pain.

Lighting is super important, but don't forget about sound! People are much more likely to forgive a terrible image than they are sound.

The sensor in the t3i is the same as the t2i (but not the t1i, which can only do 20fps 1080). So if you can find a t2i for cheaper, do that. For lighting, you can get some pretty cheap but highly effective LED panels (see [here] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393882490&sr=8-1&keywords=LED+Light+panel)) that will allow you to buy some decent audio equipment.

These are showing as currently unavailable, but they're what I have and what I recommended to a friend a few days ago.

You'll need to get the ball heads separately (I got two of these), but they work perfectly.

The wide crop works well for leading your eyes for sure and would say looks better. It looks like some of the detail is back in the flowers, but still not very high. I believe that is due more to it being bright outside and just having detail bled out from the sun. Thinking about that did remind me, that if you have a light reflector with a translucent/shoot through (something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZIMEMW) you could have someone going around shading the plants for you so you have even lighting, but this could cause it to be too dark? You'd have to see, but the use of another reflector and then you could throw controlled light back in or use a flash to get the lighting desired.

Thanks as always Parametrek!

I'd love one of these:https://www.amazon.com/VILTROX-L116T-3300K-5600K-Temperature-Brightness/dp/B07D8TTFSR/

Good luck everyone!