Reddit mentions: The best photography studio equipment

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.

Oh totally. I'm currently planning for such fairs & markets coming this spring and summer! I don't know if anything will come of it but I'm currently talking with a succulent shop out of San Fran who might possibly be interested in carrying my terrariums, someone who works there found my stuff here on Reddit! The internet is absolutely amazing and creates so many opportunities for us creators.

Hmm, tips.. well it's important you have an account on most social media platforms, as many as you can personally manage. Etsy, Instagram (use as many hashtags as you can!), Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook - when you create a Facebook page it allows you to turn your Instagram into an official business page too which gives you a LOT of useful data/analytics that will help you market you wouldn't otherwise have.

It's also important you're constantly putting out content - even if it's not completed pieces be posting behind the scenes photos.. pictures of your glass, pictures of your process, pictures of your to-do list, anything! People love to see new things and staying active is important in keeping an audience and expanding it as well.

Another reason it's important to be active on a variety of platforms is due to the fact that everyone has different go-to apps. Some people may only use Facebook (usually people 40+), some people may not be on Facebook but use Instagram and Snapchat religiously (usually teens - young adults) etc.

Working on photographing your products is also something some people overlook. You want to be sure you're finding the optimal backdrop & lighting that best show off your work & craftsmanship - I'm looking into getting one of those product photography set ups with the lights and white back drop that give you a really clean look - something similar to this, there are lots of options with these will give you photos like these

If you want to really get into it I suggest listening to Gary V, or sorting through his podcast episodes and YouTube videos to what you think would apply. He's an entrepreneur and what makes him stand out is he realizes how absolutely huge the internet is for people trying to make a living off of their craft - people don't realize how easy we have it if we're smart about connecting to others. The internet connects everyone in the world into one spot... and it's all at your finger tips :)

Edit 1: ooo that would be awesome!! I'm personally a fan of cold weather but I can totally see the appeal in those locations. Where are you at now?

Edit 2: Interact with your audience no matter how small or big it is!! That's huge and really important as well, we love giving our opinions and simply talking so have conversations when you can or even something as simple as creating small polls on your Instagram story: Hey guys!! I'm having a hard time deciding which of these colors I should use on my terrarium, which do you think would look best? Etc.

When people have a positive experience with you, when you're personable and kind and interact they're way more likely to spread positive word of mouth to their friends/family which will get you a bigger audience over time - not only bigger but equally important, your audience will be filled with wonderful people that are kind and happy <3

Edit 3: sorry, I'm scatter brained lol. Marketing your product is important but marketing yourself is equally as impacting & will affect your success just as much if not more.

1. He needs to be entertaining to keep viewers. If he's not at the 99.9999th percentile of skill, it's highly unlikely he'll build a following without being highly entertaining. So manage your expectations and help him manage his.
   
   
2. For someone to be entertaining a big part of it is to have a varied life. Conversation about a wide variety of subjects, being happy, healthy, clean, accomplished, etc... As a couple you should be helping each other achieve those things regardless, so maybe take a step back and look at that big picture.
   
   
3. AFK his stream, invite friends to watch it, etc...
   
   
4. Make him his chicken tendies, mountain dew, and open his doritos. Just kidding...
   
   
5. As for equipment and setup... This all depends. The next things I would usually advise would be the best quality camera you can get in your budget, like an actual HD camcorder and figure out how to hook that up. Maybe an IRL streaming backpack setup? Sound treatment for the room can be good, but majority of products you buy for this are snake oil, so do your research. I'll just list off some things that I recommend people as ideas:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWNYGUS/ - Adjustable clamp-jaw mount for cameras like the Logitech C920/922 (the most recommended cameras). Get a better or more unique angle.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ACFAULC/ - Pop filters help a lot with audio quality.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017WNJS3M/ - Green screen it up and you can do all sorts of wacky or cool stuff, or it just cleans up the presentation of the stream in general.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Stream-Deck-Mini-Customizable/dp/B07DYRS1WH - The streamdeck mini just came out, pretty useful for doing goofy on-demand stuff with programmable buttons. Some people swear by these.
   
   For higher end stuff for audio, put this stuff in a wish list if he does start to take off:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M - Probably my most recommended mic for people wanting to get into the more serious stuff.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dbx-286s-Microphone-Preamp-Processor/dp/B004LWH79A - Probably the best entry level audiophile grade mic preamp. This is endgame for streamers personally, it's way beyond what most people have and it will give him an edge.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Microphones-CL-1-Cloudlifter-1-channel/dp/B004MQSV04 - Cloudlifter CL-1. This is a must if you ahve a Shure SM7B, excellent high end filter that will absolutely remove all noise.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Furman-M-8X2-Outlet-Conditioner-Protector/dp/B003BQ91Y6/ - Further eliminates noise from dirty power. Everyone who wants a decent XLR high-end setup wants something like this.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-ZEDi-10FX-Compact-Interface/dp/B01ATAK5MS - This is an excellent mixer+audio interface combo, if you are going XLR you'll want a mixer. It's 4x4 USB, which for the price is a great value, and it's preamps and lines are notoriously silent. I bought the last version of this which was a 4x2 interface on a great sale, and couldn't be more pleased.
   
   There's a lot more you can get of course. A simple small table rack to rack mount these things... But it all depends, the sky is the limit with this stuff. Just giving you ideas of how you can go nuts with it.
   
   But at the core of it, if he's not organically growing by being consistent and working hard at it and trying to improve... Maybe he's just not entertaining enough? It is what it is. Don't think that buying this stuff really makes any difference, it only does if you are already able to gain viewers in the first place.

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

My backdrop:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SR28X9S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525507598&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=muslin%2Bphotography%2Bbackdrops&dpPl=1&dpID=31OifBuVzrL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

It's called muslin, I use a shower curtain rod wedged between two walls and keep it over a desk but you could probably nail it against the wall or something. Or buy the actual stands to hold it if you have so much space. I think they also sell smaller 5ft ones.

It's easy to clean, but if you know how to use a DSLR camera(or if you have a beyond amazing camera phone) you can still get great photos despite the dirt. Mine has gotten pretty dirty but I still take photos that look like they're floating in infinity. It's been six months since I washed it. It will remain unwashed so long as it doesn't mess with my photos... or until the cat tries to claim it as his territory... again.

I also have a wine colored bed sheet that I use for items that are wholly white, but I recommend getting a light blue for whites, it looks so good for vintage collectibles or fine Eddie China. My friend has these baby blue sheets and all her photos look fantastic and helps her stand out. Man I need to step up my game...

PS: Stay away from a green backdrop, I used it when I started selling eBay and I swear it made everything look ugly and cheap upon reflection. White is professional and neutral, putting all the focus on the product, nothing else.

PPS: You could also just just two layers of white bed sheets over a table. Works wonders but wrinkles are a problem for larger than medium or evening shall medium sized items...cutting the elastic might help or keep a steamer close by.

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)

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.

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

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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.

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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.

I have a c920 and I am not disappointed. I subscribe to the belief that your camera is only as good as your lighting. Shit lighting will make a great camera look like shit and great lighting will make a shit camera look great.

I bought that exact screen from Amazon [link], but in retrospect I should've just gone to a fabric store and gotten a green sheet, because that's all it is. It is not special in any way. It is super thin though, so I just double mine up on a custom frame made with PVC pipe (cost of tools and materials was around $20). The good thing about the PVC is that you can measure your space and build a custom frame that fits your needs.

I found some awesome clamp light fixtures at Wal-Mart [example]. In my case I clamped them to my desk and a nearby window sill, pointed at approximately 45 degrees toward me and the screen behind me. The positioning is important in that you need your screen evenly lit and you need to not cast much of a shadow onto it. Luckily I have the space to put the screen far enough behind me and eliminate most shadow problems.

The bulbs I got are bright as hell though, so I've got [these] soft boxes on the way. These are not so much for the lighting itself (although I don't think it'll hurt) but for my own comfort. After only a few minutes of having those lights in my peripheral vision it got uncomfortable.

I also have a light almost directly above me, which rounds out my setup so far. Key light, fill light, and hair light. A Google search on studio and green screen lighting would benefit you. Good luck!

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.

I just yesterday got the 16x16x16 version of this yesterday to do some product shots. Pretty pleased with the results. It's as 'plug and play' as you'll get once you put the box together. It comes with two adjustable LED strips which attach to the top. Brightness is more than sufficient and they have a nice daylight colour. It's not perfect but for the price I can't complain. That said: I live in China and over here it costs about 1/3 of the price listed on Amazon, so you're getting ripped off a bit, but even so I think it's a pretty good deal.

I also got a backlit LED panel which fits into the base but I can't seem to find it online. If you can find something like this I'd highly recommend it as well.

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 :)

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.

Have you considered using corner adhesives?
http://www.amazon.ca/3M-Scotch-Photo-Corners-Adhesive/dp/B000ELL2A2

I haven't used them, but it seems to me that there's glue only on the corners (that you can adhere to the photo sleeve), so they hold the photos without any glue.

You can find some at the dollar store to experiment before you commit to this method.

Hope it helps, good luck, and congratulations! :)

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.

Wow. That's unbelievable that you felt it first hand. So sorry you had to.

This Table Top Photo Studio is of highest priority because I need to take some professional shots of some crafts I've been making so I can put them up on my Storenvy!

Next would have to be Meowth! Because he's super cute, and a lil' bastard! haha!

After Meowth would come either this Brachiosaurus or this Spinosaurus! I've been collecting these Papo brand dinosaurs and they're just amazingly detailed and well-crafted. Either of these two guys would be a great addition to my dino group!

"sort my priorities"

Thanks so much for the contest!

$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.

Very much like those! The ones I've used are a full triangle of clear, like this: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Photo-Corners-Adhesive/dp/B000ELL2A2/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1410828467&sr=1-1

If you are in the states, you should be able to find them at any scrapbooking store. In Michaels or JoAnns they would be by the scrapbooking adhesives.

The corners are very secure. I mounted them on cardstock, then slipped them into a typical 12 x 12 scrapbooking sleeve type album. I did this ... in like 2005 or 2006 and the pictures haven't moved at all. And they are clear, so honestly they blend into the background. The pictures really do take center stage.

Laughing at myself for a bit right now, I should have taken pictures of what I did!!

Good luck with your project and holler back if you have any other questions.

Yes - We set up the sparkly backdrop and bought TONS of fun props at the dollar store and online. Big hits were inflatables (inflatable pickle, inflatable flamingoes), glow necklaces and LED batons, and the Mexican luchador wrestling masks. We put a big sign on an easel with our hashtag to encourage people to share their photos and videos. I rented two super bright LED lights from my photographer so that the area was really well lit for quality pics. We paid for a 2nd shooter as part of our photography package and she was basically stationed there from after dinner through the end of the contract taking pictures of guests at the station, in addition to guests taking their own pictures with their phone.

Here's the backdrop frame I bought from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=sxts_kp_bs_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=zySdW&pf_rd_r=Y65QGMR8EF2PC6J56FV6&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B072BCNRTY&pd_rd_w=ICthz&pf_rd_i=photo+backdrop+frame&pd_rd_r=ce238929-391a-45ca-bec2-14844bc4c535&ie=UTF8&qid=1540929096&sr=1

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The silver sparkly backdrop was from Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/listing/263963777/sequin-photo-backdrop-sequence-wedding?ref=shop_home_feat_1

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Nicholas Cage from was from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Nicolas-Cage-Life-Size-Cutout-x/dp/B00WUN7FFI/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1540929167&sr=1-1&keywords=nicholas+cage+cardboard+cutout

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We also did cutout big heads on sticks of us (bride & groom), our cats, Guy Fieri, and George & Gil from Oh, Hello (Nick Kroll and John Mulaney) from Build-A-Head.com - they have groupons available for discounts!

I'm still organizing it, but my "kit" includes:

• DSLR Camera, prime lenses, camera bag
  
  
• Wooden yard stick (Scale bar and setting depth of field)
  
  
• IR remote control for camera (more steady camera triggering)
  
  
• Tripod on casters for faster shot setups
  
  
• Athlete's foot spray ($1 each at the dollar store)
  
  
• Developer's spray / Dulling spray
  
  
• temporary/removable rubberized paint (basecoat before spraying perm. paint) example
  
  
• Multi-colored textured spray paint Example
  
  
• Powder duster for applying inexpensive dust to objects. I haven't perfected this process. It's messy and the powder can change appearance between camera shots and spoil your entire photoshoot. I'd still like to figure out a better way because flour, baking soda, baby powder, and other dusty substances are far cheaper than spraypaint and athlete's foot spray.
  
  
• retractable kabuki brush for applying powder. I'm still experimenting with this, but it's a standard item included with the NextEngine 3D Scanner and they recommend applying talc powder to a lanolin base.
  
  
• Smart phone with lightmeter app, depth-of-field calculator app
  
  
• "Muslin" quick-clamps to drape a bedsheet behind object to diffuse lighting
  
  
• log book for optimal camera settings (dry erase board is faster for me)
  
  
• dry erase board for snapping a pic of my settings
  
  
• stickers for registration marks. I have only tried ordinary circular stickers without the computer generated encoded targets and have so far been disappointed with the results.
  
  There's probably more, but that's all I can think of for now.
  
  FUTURE ITEMS:
  
  
• $10 Lazy susan turntable from Ikea
  
  
• CNC controlled camera gantry for automated image capturing
  
  
• Field monitor for easier camera focusing. It's much harder on the small camera display.
  
  
• WiFi enabled camera or a WiFi enabled SD memory card
  
  
• A light tent - preferably with an entire setup with variable LED lighting from reddit user /u/Iontrades_
  
  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iontrades/lite-studio-all-in-one-photo-studio-and-3d-scanner
  
  
• Green screen backdrop for experimenting with the automask feature in 3DF Zephyr software. I may also experiment with other backdrop colors, threadcounts, and thicknesses to optimize contrast (between the workpiece and backdrop) and optimize lighting.
  
  
• Experimental mixture of white baby powder, black pepper, and acetone to make it stick together. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm hoping that the acetone would help it stick to the workpiece and quickly evaporate.

That's going to be a great room. For a studio, your principal needs are going to be lighting and backgrounds, soundproofing and camera motion. Assuming you have sound proofing taken care of, I recommend:

Lighting

• [1 x ePhoto 500 LED panel - $109.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNSGCW6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SNSGCW6&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [1 x Neewer 6' light stand - $15.19] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UDW8VI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003UDW8VI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [2 x ePhoto 500 LED panel - $199.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T50NW56/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00T50NW56&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [2 x Neewer 6' light stands - $22.95] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003I6ENXS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003I6ENXS&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  With this setup, you will have 3 point LED lighting for less than $350. Cooler than tungsten - more energy efficient than either tungsten or fluorescents.
  
  Backgrounds
  
  
• [Savage 107" x 12yds Background Paper (#46 Tech Green) - $61.66] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B782NO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000B782NO&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Chromakey Green Duct Tape - $11.87] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YZBM20/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006YZBM20&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  With Savage background paper and tape you won't need light stands - as seen from about 0:40 to 1:00 in [this video] (http://wistia.com/learning/diy-office-video-studio). You can also get Savage paper in [white] (http://www.amazon.com/Savage-107X12-1-Background-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B001196MG0/?tag=battleforthew-20) or [black] (http://www.amazon.com/Savage-107X12-20-Background-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B005J6SCPK/?tag=battleforthew-20).
  
  Camera Motion
  
  
• [Portable camera dolly with 12' of straight track - $249.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9213AU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00A9213AU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  Smooth dolly shots will add a lot of production value to your music videos - and this 12 foot dolly/track setup will cost you less than a lot of 3 or 4 foot sliders.
  
  Hope this is helpful and good luck with your studio!
  

If you want the camera to just see whatever product, and arms/hands, it will need to be as close to directly overhead as possible.

But since you only have one tripod at the moment, I might suggest trying to place the camera as directly over your daughters head as possible. Have her sit, and then position the tripod legs so that the camera can be just above and as much out in front of your daughters head as possible, so that she will basically be sitting under the tripod.

Please secure the tripod, because I was 15 once and the thing might probably get knocked over at one point.

A better solution for this particular angle you mention would be to get two stands and a crossbar, such as those made for holding photographic backgrounds.

Add to that a clamp with 1/4-20 mounting screw and you can safely attach the camera to the crossbar, have it overhead, and not worry so much about things being knocked over. This also get the camera out of the way should you want to setup a second camera for shooting a different angle.

Clamp: https://www.amazon.com/SmallRig-Ballhead-Multi-function-Adapter-Ronin-M/dp/B00DJ5XH4O/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1540209251&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=camera+mount+clamp&psc=1

There are better and worse options, and since I don't know which camera you have at the moment, here is a generic type of mount that could work for the situation.

The background stand:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=sxts_kp_bs_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=E8goB&pf_rd_r=JDNSYA2WH7VPFQXK5NWX&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B072BCNRTY&pd_rd_w=ydei2&pf_rd_i=photo+background+stand&pd_rd_r=78d3d95b-dba0-4370-b6ec-4ba5c7cac38b&ie=UTF8&qid=1540209393&sr=1

This is something cheap that would get the job done, and with the clamp would allow you to position the camera over the table.

However, if the camera is larger than a basic mirrorless a6300, another solution might be in order.

Here is an overhead tripod that might support a bit more weight if you had a full size DSLR:
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Magnesium-Aluminium-Overhead-Professional/dp/B073ZC46SL/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540209508&sr=1-3&keywords=overhead+camera+tripod

The problem being it doesn't allow for great positioning, just like your current tripod.


Hope these ideas help.

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

So here's some quick research (And note, I am not an authority on this but I'm takin' a stab):

The cheapest solution would be to buy some Muslin fabric. This stuff seems to be the fabric of choice for photo/video sets and theater. From a fabric store it looks like you can get it at about $2-$4 per yard and based on the sizes of some pre-made backdrops, a generic size seems to be about 2 yards in width and 3 yards in length.

But when fabric is sold to you, it's sold to you in 1 yard width pieces and you tell the employee the length to cut it in. So if you get two 3-yard long pieces, you could probably more than cover the space behind the couch. You could probably even do less. Two 3-yard long pieces at $4 each would cost you $24. You'd also probably need some super strong tacks and a hammer to hold up the fabric behind you on the wood.

Cheap Muslin Fabric

More Muslin Fabric Options

[There are also pre-made backdrops] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001196MG0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001196MG0&linkCode=as2&tag=theslalen-20&linkId=EN2AURLSZQNLT4XY) but they're a bit more expensive.

Last option is to just yolo swag out with some middle school photo backdrops lol.

Anyway, let me know if this helps! If anyone is more knowledgeable on cheap video backdrops, please chime in.

You can also just make an L shape out of one piece of green fabric. I did so for quite a while, but the quality was low.

Obviously the more you put into it the more you'll get out of it, typically. It depends on your room too. Also your lighting. Lighting is easily the most important thing, other than "having a greenscreen". In fact, the quality of your lighting is often more important than the quality of your greenscreen, to a point.

Basically just put your camera wherever you want it for the optimal angle, and try to cover as much of its field of view with green as possible. That might involve one or two pieces of greenscreen, and it might involve green floor too.

After that, light that shit up real good. You want daylight (5000K+) lights ideally. Don't go any lower than 4000K.

I personally use two of these greenscreen backdrops forming a U shape (I cut one of them in half for the sides of the U), held up by these cargo poles (I use these poles to hold my lighthouses too). I use these green mat pieces for my flooring, and these bar lights for my lighting (one six pack).

For comparison, I originally used one piece of greenscreen fabric, with a single 5000K LED regular house lightbulb and a $20 4000K LED floodlight from Lowes. This is the quality of mixed reality I had. The upgraded setup, as I described above with all the Amazon links, for comparison looks like this. Much better.

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

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).

Hey /u/Coooooooooookies,

I saw you had posted a reply, but then I couldn't respond because it was deleted? I'm not sure if you meant to do that, but I already had a response.

EDIT: Ah they didn't like your shortened urls. It was delayed in posting that message.

I'll paste my response below:

I'm glad it helped!

I would avoid fabric, unless you like ironing! Wrinkles would definitely ruin that boutique look. That stand and probably the clips are too weak to support a wrinkle free vinyl backdrop, and upgrading those would be pricey.

So you could go with seamless paper, it comes in different widths, but you have to cut it to length. It's reusable so long as it doesn't get soiled or bent. It's a little pricer as it comes in big rolls in case you need more. $40 for 53" by 12 yards or $65 for 86" by 12 yards.

Also, I don't know if you already watched Tony and Chelsea's studio tour, but they make a great suggestion about filling sandbags with gravel/stone, because it's way easier to clean than sand if it leaks!

I'm just going to post a couple links to what you might want to use:

Greenscreen

Stand

Lights

The lights you can use on both you and the Greenscreen, but it is always best for the chroma that you use dedicated lights (but not necessary). Set the green screen behind you by about .5-1 meter, depending if you use the lights to light yourself as well, you might cast a shadow and move the green back. Have the lights at 45 degree angles to your subject, either you or the screen, on opposite sides of each to eliminate any shadows the other casts, and have raised above you by a bit pointing down.

This stuff isn't really "pro". I can recommend "pro" stuff, but the lights alone would cost 5 times as much as everything I just linked together (that's just wasteful). And honestly, you don't need the best stuff to make it work.

So right away, with the Darkest Dungeon video, I was a little put off by that initial few seconds of pretty much darkness. I feel like adding in a quick intro to just signal "video beginning" might be the way to go. Just like a logo or something.

Also I think breaking up that 40 minute video into 2 20 minute segments would be a good idea... but then again I'm guilty of long videos as well.

I don't know how much you want to invest in something like this, but if you want to keep the webcam on in the corner for your videos, one cool think to get is a portable green screen. I have this one and I really like it. You can just set it up in the background, use OBS to set a chroma key, and you don't have to worry about what's behind you getting in the way.

As for the channel itself... I'd say if you can, zoom in a little more on the girl in the logo. If I'm just looking at your videos, your channel icon is hard to understand/see. Perhaps do away with the body and just have blond hair on a d20? I dunno, spitballing. Also, fill out a little more on the CritiKylie about section. What types of video games or tabletop? How often will you be posting? It looks to me like once a month right now.

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.

I'm currently unemployed. I have a lot of time to fill (you can only apply to so many jobs a day, you know) so I'm catching up on some of my hobbies I've let slide recently. One of them is scrapbooking, and I could use some more of these photo corners to secure my photos without gluing them down! I love them because if I want to take a photo out to scan or show someone, it's pretty easy.

Thanks for the contest and pay attention in class!

Alrighty, absolute novice, noob, beginner and totally clueless person here, please bare with me. ELI5 level answers if possible please. I own a record distro and i'm looking to take my own product photos of the products i'm selling because the stock ones are always crap/non existent. I'd like to take photos like this-

http://kingsroadmerch.com/epitaph-records/view/?id=4291&cid=17
http://kingsroadmerch.com/epitaph-records/view/?id=3989&cid=17
http://kingsroadmerch.com/epitaph-records/view/?id=3897&cid=17

What kind of lighting, tent and stand setup would I need for this? Would something like this do the job? -

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Table-Photo-Studio-Light/dp/B001MYASTG/ref=pd_sim_e_29


I am on a reasonably tight budget and understand the iPhone 5s(which I just ordered for unrelated reasons) actually has a pretty solid camera. Would I be able to get close to similar results using it's camera with this setup?

Thanks in advance for your help!

The trick is lots of diffuse lights. I suggest you get a couple of LED soft boxes and place them both 45 deg off centre from the build plate. Lots of people think they have too much light when using strobes or boxes but in reality you're fine if you use the right shooting settings on your camera and more light is usually better. You can tell when diffuse light is being used as you avoid hard shadows.

Beyond that setting the scene helps a lot too - make sure your camera isn't too tight or too wide and get a clean backdrop that isn't distracting. You could even go so far as to buy a sweeping backdrop in white (or green/blue screen if that's your thing).

I believe you can also make octolapse trigger an external camera which would up the quality massiveness as you can control the aperture / shutter speed / focal length etc much better.

Ill just leave this here as well: https://video.universal-robots.com/making-a-3d-print-with-collaborative-robots

• 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.
  
  
  
  
  

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.

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

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.

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.

Get an archival grade portfolio from amazon. One 18X24 (most fit in this) and one bigger eventually. This will allow them to be stored flat and you can flip though it like a picture book when you want haha. This is the one I use https://www.amazon.com/Itoya-Profolio-Evolution-Storage-Display/dp/B000H7N4H2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=18x24+archival+portfolio&qid=1563215754&s=gateway&sr=8-1 and it’s been great.

If it helps though, I used this cheap lightbox and some extra flashlights to get the backdrop and lighting. However, I'd either wait for a price drop or look for that model elsewhere because it was only $22 when I bought it from amazon and it's almost double that now for whatever reason.

You could also pretty easily build a little diffused lightbox yourself. They work great for small items like beer cans.

It’s the 16” version of this one

It’s fairly well made and provides pretty decent lighting coverage. I need a light to help illuminate the front better when I have the front flap completely exposed but all in all I enjoy it. Has a top down flap as well.

The camera I’m using is an older Canon DSLR set at 1/100 SS F/8 ISO 200 if memory serves correctly.


You won’t be able to achieve these pics with a phone I don’t believe. You have to be able to control the aperture to really dial it in and you can’t control the aperture on a phone.... or iPhone at least.

I was planning to, but decided to just buy one on amazon :P

This is the one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's honestly a little small for 1/100s, but for 1/144s it works great. I may get a bigger version of this later on!

I got this one for Christmas. Sorry if that's a mobile link. I'm on my phone.

I had plans to make my own. My friend knew that and treated me to one of my own. It came with instructions on how to use it but they are pretty straight forward anyways. So far I'm really liking it!

This is your camera. It can focus on objects 1cm from the lens so you can get really good detail. Frankly, you can even go cheaper than this since all of the Fuji Finepix series have a great macro lens that will work perfectly for what you need. Maybe get an older model and a light tent for photo shoots.

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_onRXBbYRA0N0E

It's good enough but the fabric backgrounds were wrinkled which was annoying. You can see that in the photos. I'll show you some photos I took with it.

http://imgur.com/a/Wmauqy4

I looked on YouTube for where to put the lights. I hadn't thought of putting them outside the box. It makes a way better effect outside the box being diffused through fabric than straight on. Good luck!

I'm buying a backdrop and stand setup. AKA, Muslin holder.

Just looking for any advice on what to buy. Maybe there's a favored brand or standard for this type of thing?

It will be used for portraits and product photography.

This Julius Studio one seems entry level and slightly more favored on amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=psdc_3444601_t1_B00E6GRHBO

I also need the muslin backdrops, in at least white and black. Would also like medium grey. I guess I could make use of green.

So maybe this package?
https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop/dp/B075SQG2HW/ref=pd_sbs_421_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B075SQG2HW&pd_rd_r=F6YC1P4VZKX44WD280RP&pd_rd_w=0Lhev&pd_rd_wg=LZm7z&psc=1&refRID=F6YC1P4VZKX44WD280RP


Thanks

If you want a studio look use a $35 softbox/lightbox with several lights on the outside. Household bulbs will work fine as long as you have a bunch of them but floodlights would work better. Use the same lightbulbs because different ones will give you different color mixtures.

This setup is best if you plan to continually produce new product and you want consistent background and lighting for each photo over time.

I will say that I bought this light box and it was excellent value. I was going to build my own but after considering the trips to different stores for supplies and the time and effort that it would take, the $35 just made sense. I am lucky in that my husband already had a couple photography lights but really any bright lights should work! I sell vintage and antique items of varying sizes and materials and so far so good!

This is the light box I got. I love it because it came with everything I needed (including the lights and light box). It is very compact and portable. It wraps up into it's own carrying case with pockets for the lights and the camera tripod. It's pretty perfect for me!

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Studio-Lighting-AGG349/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=sr_1_12?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1483465750&sr=1-12&keywords=light+box

For the best combination of cost, quality of light, and ease of use, I've found that these type of light tents are easily the best, and this is coming from someone who was a professional studio photographer for over 20 years.

They give a wonderful, even, soft light with almost any kind of light source, and with camera technology what it is today it's almost impossible to make a bad photo using one of these things, even with an inexpensive camera.

Here's a shot of my Hasegawa 1/48 A-7E shot inside one using a flash head in an umbrella on each side. Nice, even exposure all-over, no worries about shadows, and set up in about 15 minutes.

There are commercial products that can do that: http://www.amazon.com/Nixplay-Digital-Android-Facebook-Instagram/dp/B00J3TWQ8I
which are probably a better option as it will look much nicer.

But if I were to do something you've described I would setup an apache server ->fetch image attachments from an email and save to local folder -> create a webpage to fetch all images from folder and insert info slideshow -> modify Pi boot to run chromium and to start webpage with slideshow.

Lots of good services as people in the comments have mentioned. One thing I'd like to add is this little guy.

Sent it to my parents as an Early Christmas Present.

http://www.amazon.com/Nixplay-Digital-Android-Facebook-Instagram/dp/B00J3TWQ8I

My parents are super tech-illiterate and don't use smart phones. I generally send them emails with the baby photos, they see them in the email and then can never bring them up again.

This picture frame sits on their desk and I can control which photos it displays from a thousand miles away. Its synced to a dropbox folder so I just change the photos in that folder and voila their picture frame slide show updates. Really nice.

Wish I had an amazon referral link, but here ya go:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_GVJqDbGGEKJMF

You have to be a little careful with glare, but just playing with the angle of the item/camera works pretty well for me.

Thanks! I'm sure you'll be fine with that. Probably has loads of features I wish my 10 year old one did lol. Theres a picture of a samurai trooper in the snow (with his gun) on my IG where I talk about upgrading my Camera. anything before that is probably on the old coolpix. Main tips I can give you;

1. Whenever you can, shoot on a tripod (I'm still using a slightly lop sided $20 plastic one thats probably even older than my old camera lol) and (also whenever you can) use either a remote or the timer shooting mode for actually taking the pictures so you're not touching the camera when its taking the picture. That will give you a HUGE clarity increase.
   
   
2. Your camera should let you manually set white balance. Do it every time you change your lighting. Use a nice white piece of printer paper for the camera to reference. Make sure your holding it as close to the object youre shooting as possible when you do this.
   
   
3. Great lighting is the key to a good shot (Combined with proper light balance). If you can, buy a set of mini/table photography studio lights. Turn off all your lights in the room of your shoot and just use those. Better, more natural color light. And position them in a natural way. Don't set the (VERY BRIGHT) light directly on them from the front. Think about the sun and lights in your house, they're probably up above you. Hold/set your lights above aiming down. Use your cameras screen to figure out your lighting. Watch the screen and move the lights around until it looks good. I use these. Kind of shitty TBH but they do the job. Find something similar if not these specific ones. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DP65ARO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
4. Also building/buying one of these (They're really not hard to build, but Im lazy and its only $20 with some useful, but cheap shit, extras) and combining it with the studio lights will do WONDERS. I had these two things long before I upgraded my camera. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GKGGICC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How To Flatten

First thing to do is get them out of their tubes. Inks can get old and will want to hold their shape. When you go to unroll the print, the ink may not want to unroll (this is worst case scenario, and takes a lot of time to happen). Lay them out, and try to get them to unroll a little on their own over them. Don't force them right away. Then you can use poster weights, or anything that won't damage the paper/ink, on the corners to flatten them further. You can put multiple posters on top of each other when doing this, but it is a good idea to put craft/tissue paper between them. Keep in mind that this process can take a couple weeks to months depending how how much they are rolled, and how long they have been rolled for. Don't try to roll them the other direction to quickly flatten them, you can run into all kinds of problems.

How To Store

I would start buy purchasing a portfolio to hold your posters. I got this one because it is cheap, acid free, and has all the space I need at the moment. There are others that zip up, and others that have rings so you can purchase/install more sleeves later. Another option is a flatfile drawer cabinet. These can be expensive, heavy, and take up a lot of space though. Either way, make sure your prints are properly flattened before you try to store them.

Edit: Just saw your post in Phish Prints on Facebook lol

First, I'm no dude, and how I did the blacks? Light box. Great for doing macro/still life of anything and not really that expensive. Mine had a couple of 'velvet' coloured backdrops which is how I got my black background (I think the one I linked may be the exact one I had).

Also you can make your own with a cardboard box and big sheets of paper, but these will give you better results.

And cheers for the comments!

Thanks for the reply.

I was looking at the Canon EF 100mm f2.8 Macro (non IS) and the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens.

I found someone selling the 60mm lens for $300 in what appears to be good condition. The 100mm lens I found used from a camera store for $475+tax. So I think I might go with the 60mm one because I can get it for a lot cheaper.

I was also thinking of getting two lights for $60. My current lighting might be good enough, but these look more professional too.

CowboyStudio Photography Table Top Photo Studio Lighting Kit - 2 Light Kit

https://www.amazon.ca/CowboyStudio-Photography-Table-Studio-Lighting/dp/B002SOBPH8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1462686629&sr=8-5&keywords=cowboy+lights

And then a light box for $42:
https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer%C2%AE-Shooting-Diffusion-Backdrops-Photography/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1462686767&sr=1-4&keywords=light+box

Then I might buy some better fabric and maybe some tile type surfaces also.

Will I be all set with this gear?

Take a look at this lightbox. It's the one I have.

You'll see on that the "walls" of the lightbox are actually cloth, which provides the diffusing. The dropcloth inside the box is draped at a gentle curve, which gets rid of sharp lines.

The two lights sit on either side of the box and provide neutral light all over the model.

I wouldn't recommend that lightbox for larger models but it works pretty well for small ones. I've got some sample shots here and here.

Actually, looking at the photos a bit more, there is a dropcloth in there, it's just that the lightbox is a bit too small. If you used the lightbox with, say, an SD, it would probably work a lot better at hiding the corners and edges.

I think what you are talking about is Photo Background stands that would allow the fabric to drape down.

http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449083607&sr=1-1&keywords=green+screen+stand

Its hard to comment on the lighting (You will know by testing it out), You have to make sure your light will give you an even exposure for OBS to Key the green out properly. But most people like myself get additional lights to help with green screen

I hope this helps

Depends on what you are shooting, most point and shoots from nikon or canon should be ok at the high end of your budget.

Your S5 probably has as much power as any low end camera, but the lens is what will make a difference in getting good shots.

If you can find a cheap used dslr, that will make a huge difference and get a cheap light set up like this:

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Table-Photo-Studio-Light/dp/B001MYASTG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1417732784&sr=8-4&keywords=photo+studio+lights

Anyone knows where to get clear plastic pocket refills like this and this? Looking for the ones that can fit business cards or are able to place photos (any size) instead of the A4 paper kind which is sold in Popular.

Hello!
I'm trying to build a small studio on a budget, since I don't really know that much about lighting and equipment, I'm shopping by best sellers/most reviews on Amazon, I will be doing portraits photos.

https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511300862&sr=1-3&keywords=lighting+kit

And what about this for the stand?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3341940462&pd_rd_wg=jm5yS&pf_rd_r=XZG63ZDMVDGWZAPMBNH4&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00E6GRHBO&pd_rd_w=JmGsI&pf_rd_i=lighting+kit&pd_rd_r=abee786f-075f-4975-acf1-144b8e613585&ie=UTF8&qid=1511300901&sr=1

Thanks a lot!

Unanswered question from the previous megathread

Author /u/Fehyt - (Permalink)

Hello!
I'm trying to build a small studio on a budget, since I don't really know that much about lighting and equipment, I'm shopping by best sellers/most reviews on Amazon, I will be doing portraits photos.

https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511300862&sr=1-3&keywords=lighting+kit

And what about this for the stand?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3341940462&pd_rd_wg=jm5yS&pf_rd_r=XZG63ZDMVDGWZAPMBNH4&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00E6GRHBO&pd_rd_w=JmGsI&pf_rd_i=lighting+kit&pd_rd_r=abee786f-075f-4975-acf1-144b8e613585&ie=UTF8&qid=1511300901&sr=1

Thanks a lot!

Hey! So the light box I got came with two bright led lights. Do you think these are better? And may I ask why? I don’t know much about photography and just learning so it’s exciting to get info like this.

Here’s a link for the light box I bought so you can serve lights it cane with.

LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gmVRAbDQDMEQ0

Gday

I gave this a go
it works like a slow POS

Honestly for the COST of this program
you WILL be better off with a hardware greenscreen solution
eg If your in USA , USD$30 - https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Chromakey-Backdrop-Background-AGG1777/dp/B017WNJS3M/

I bought this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIL6EU4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's $135.xx and really great. My photos look awesome now.

I have a cloth thats something like 4x4 feet (I think they are 10-20$ on amazon.) I then pinned the corners to the roof with tacs and left the center un-tacked so it droops a bit. When I'm done I just toss it up over itself through the tack free portion and you can walk freely under it.

If you have some extra money you can also get a stand off of amazon that you could store off to the side: https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=br_lf_m_gvy6u24qkj8xx55_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=photo

http://www.amazon.ca/CowboyStudio-Table-Photo-Studio-Light/dp/B001MYASTG - The lights alone will help. There's a lot of great free resources for food photography. Start on YouTube!

Thank you! this is the light box I picked up. Good deal, I think. I'm happy with it.

Also if you find yourself taping enough to be worth spending a small amount of money, think about getting something like this: https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO. Get some cheap clamps and a sheet that looks good on camera and you're good to go.

There are different sizes of plastic PVC-free binder sheets you can buy. The standard 3x3 are perfect for photocards and the 2 pocket and 3 pocket ones are great for basically everything else.

I am trying to setup a very beginner's studio in my basement. I have a 25 feet by 20 feet space (no windows) that I plan to use. Would this equipment work for me?

1. Julius Studio 10 foot wide backdrop stand
   
2. [Cowboy Studio 10x12 feet grey muslin cloth] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VCW6G0/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) (Or for a small studio, should I go black or white instead?)
   
3. Neewer 37" beehive octagon softbox (will this work with my Yongnuo 560 speedlight?)
   
4. Neewer s-type holder with bowens mount (Does this fit the softbox?)
   
5. Impact air-cushioned light stand 8' (And this will fit the holder?)
   
   Would love to hear opinions on these, and also if I am buying stuff that will work with each other.
   
   Thank you!

$54 Greenscreen x3
$100 Better lighting
$300 Pair of chairs
$80 Sectional table
$534 total. Little pricey but the overall Viewer count would make up the difference!

Grab a corner of the house and do a "between two ferns" style of set-up. Get two nice individual chairs with a Single section table in between for some league related props and I would watch this every week.

Keep up the good work man!

I've got the same item and am trying to recreate this shot with a similar quality.

http://i.imgur.com/MxQRWKS.jpg

My GF has a Nikon D3100 and I've been trying my best to replicate the shot, but am struggling mightily. I have no real idea as to what I'm doing and it seems as if the pictures my Google Pixel phone takes are much better. I've played around with the manual settings and have cycled through all of the preset options. I've tried with flash and without flash.

I also have this table top light box setup.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/

Here's a few examples of the pictures I'm getting.

http://imgur.com/a/tEWLj

I understand he's using photoshop as the shadows and edges are so clean, but how is he getting such a perfect edge? There isn't a single miscropped area within his picture.

Weekends are my busiest streaming days since I normally run from 12pm-1am but I'll try to throw a guide together this weekend and post it on the sub.

But for you:

LimoStudio Green Screen Stand - $35

LimoStudio Green Screen - $18

LimoStudio Studio Light Umbrella Kit - $52

Alternatively, you could get the softboxes instead:

LimoStudios Light Softbox Kit - $77

What's interesting is Limo no longer sells the green screen and stand together without the lighting kit but I don't think that's a deal killer.

Alternatively, if you want the full setup in one go, with two umbrellas, two softboxes, four light stands, a green screen and stand, and a black and a blue backdrop. The only thing substantially different from this kit is that it leaves out the third, small light stand from the umbrella kit that is typically used to project light on the subject's back to create a "highlight" on the outline of the subject to help the chromakey separate from the subject and the green screen but I don't use this and don't have any issues.

LimoStudios Full Light and Backdrop Kit - $143

Also, quick question, when I make this guide do you think it would be helpful to provide light setup and position guides as well as chromakey guides?

I would need to look up the bulbs that I have on top, because they're part of a super old lighting kit that I used like 5 or 6 years ago. The two little lights in front are from this tent kit I purchased:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you have any suggestions for my white balance setting on my camera? I think right now I just have it set on Auto White Balance

Beautiful.

Here's a cheap lightbox I picked up from Amazon a few days ago. I got the 24"x24" because I'm bad at reading, but there's a few smaller ones that are pretty well priced.

I can appreciate the work and the DIY aspect here, but amazon sells a great collapsible led light box for around 130$.

What you're looking at is way more than you need to spend for a lighting environment, unless you need to shoot something really large.

Buy a cheap light tent. ($30) These can go up to 48x48", so they should handle most subjects you need to shoot. Ignore the included backgrounds - they wrinkle way too easily. Buy some poster board (18x24" or larger, $2-3 each) in various colors (white for isolation, yellow/blue/gray/burgundy for mood, etc.), and a little bit of masking tape. Then buy another speedlight. ($50-$500.)

Then:

1. Set up the light tent. (It'll pop open almost instantly.)
   
2. Position the poster board so that it has a nice, smooth curve to it, then use the masking tape to hold it there.
   
3. Set up your strobe(s) near your light tent. Don't just set them up next to it - pull down the diffusers and position them 6-12" from the tent to allow them to spread out the light throw.
   
   Here's a setup I used to shoot the results of a culinary class as a favor to a friend of mine who happened to be the instructor. Note that my setup had three strobes instead of two, but two strobes will still yield good results. Even one is manageable, but I'd recommend at least two.
   
   Here were the resulting shots:
   
   

• Stuffed chicken, potato wedges and grilled asparagus
  
• Chicken and waffles, with diced apple sauce and bacon
  
• Extreme macro of garnish from this dish of chicken over pasta with green beans
  
• Ice cream with chocolate flourish
  
  Minimal editing in Lightroom, but vignetting was added in post.

So now I have to revise my show and tell!

[This] (http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-30-Inch-Photo-Soft-Light/dp/B001TKCZVM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2F0ZKIG7ZVCL8&coliid=I3TVRTC2WR2OW9) will be the next thing I save for to help me with my Etsy shop.

And then [THIS] (http://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-X202E-DH31T-11-6-Inch-Touch-Laptop/dp/B009F1I1C4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=BVG50JB9A21R&coliid=ITPP5FVUJ8WUZ), I really need to replace my work laptop that exploded and is only mildly working right now... Trying to write all of my reports on a laptop that doesn't work is frustrating!

Thanks for the compliment! What mini did you just finish?

Yea I think I took the pictures too close though. You can REALLY see every little stroke, a bit harder to sell the illusion. Just for your reference I used 2 of these lamps (I got 2 for $25) and I used these bulbs and this light tent and a point a shoot camera I had laying around. It is like 16ish megapixels and full HD...

Couple things:
I recently bought a little light tent that works AMAZING for action figures. It's actually really cheap for the drastic improvement in your picture quality. Here it is on Amazon Just remember to shoot with as low an ISO as possible and compensate with a tripod and a slow shutter.
Also, I want to casually mention that this figure is on the ol'bay. Not gonna link to it but you can search for it if you care. :D

http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

This is the cheapest solution that i have found. You can find a clamp for the lighthouses, but the ultimate cheapo route would be duct taping the lighthouses to the top of the stands. Which actually works surprisingly well.

We kinda have the same wall color, lol.

I'm content right now with my photos but I'll probably in the future invest in a background kit. I've heard muslin fabric is the best because its wrinkle resistant.

This is the stand kit I'd probably purchase.

And muslin background fabric.

​

I'm in an apartment, and my computer setup is in a corner, so I used a backdrop support with a green backdrop for a while, with muslin clamps. However, that was kind of a pain in the ass to setup/teardown each time, since I couldn't leave it up since it's right against my door. Now, I started using a WebAround (The "Big Shot", round one) that I picked up at Twitchcon. It works since I don't have a lot of space, and can just throw it on the back of my chair. (You gotta be careful you don't spin around too much if you don't want your desk stuff to become floor stuff. :P)

I'll take a picture of it when I'm home, but it works pretty well :) I've got a C922 webcam, so I have to crop it a bit so I don't exceed the area around my greenscreen :P

Here's a screenshot after chromakeying

If you tend to buy a lot of posters at shows, but don't have the wall space or money to hang them, I recommend getting an art portfolio to keep them in. Keeps them flat, and it's easy to flip through. I have one full of prints, including one for every NIN show I've been to.

https://www.amazon.com/Itoya-Profolio-Evolution-Storage-Display/dp/B000H7N4H2/

Bought this set on amazon. Soon realized the light box is completely useless and doesn't give a professional lighting quality. I just use the lights (don't forget to bounce of the light off a white surface) and a table lamp I already own. Paired with my iPhone 6S plus camera, results look very professional and clean. Best of all this set up cost less than $50! I believe two of the LED lights are going for $30 on amazon.



Set up on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005CX9S8A/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Examples

(http://imgur.com/AZ4IQzS)
http://imgur.com/cjeQUfs
http://imgur.com/sbCfOxi
http://imgur.com/PvUI8ig
(http://imgur.com/CicP)

Rather than having a lamp firing straight on the piece, put both of them on the side of the box. This will help you not have that shadow you have in pic 2. Also, I'd lower the angle a bit more with the lighting. You want the light to diffuse through the paper on the side of your light box. Another thing I'd do is put the paper on the inside of the sides of your box rather than the outside. By doing that, the white paper can scatter more light around the interior. As it stands, you have the cardboard trying to move light around the box. This also gives you more room inside the box to shoot because you don't have to worry about the box being in the shot since everything is white and you can get rid of the lines in post.

I had a homebuilt box as well, but ended up picking this up from Amazon. It comes with everything you need and those lights are awesome.

Can anyone recommend this?
AmazonBasics Portable Photo Studio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eaxhAb26GKNEQ

My pictures have been sucking and could be a lot better with lighting like this and I like the way it folds up and stores nearly. Hefty price tag though.

One of these + iPhone + awesome girlfriend lol

I was actually thinking about this one: http://www.amazon.com/Microphones-Custom-Spider-Shock-Mount/dp/B00HL5WWHQ/ref=pd_bxgy_MI_text_y

Amazon says that is frequently bought with the PSA1, and it looks pretty good to me.

Anyone that isn't hip should check out the Amazon Basics photo studio. I have one and it's awesome and so easy to setup! I bought mine "used" (just an open box item) through Amazon Warehouse for under $120.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-53-005312-Portable-Photo-Studio/dp/B01GIL6EU4

Nope

http://i.imgur.com/29GX8DM.jpg

this is the paper

lights are $10 clamp lights from lowes with 100w equivalent daylight cfls

probably don't need the extra floor lamp I was playing with

I had some speaker stands I clamped them to, you can spend like $40-$50 on amazon and get some mini lights on adjustable stands instead

I ordered some diffusers for the lights which haven't arrived yet to soften things and play with it

Don't forget about lighting! Lighting is probably the most important thing with food/product photography. If your budget is really tight, I at least recommend picking up this inexpensive box and small but sturdy tripod to ensure sharp and detailed shots!

Well I bet you could combine IFTTT and a smart picture frame.

I'm somewhat certain that there are some picture frames out there that you can email with photos and it will load them because it's connected to WiFI.

In theory you could create an IFTTT task that you can initiate with Alexa that would then deliver the photo to you frame.

Here is a PhotoFrame that takes photo's by email.

https://www.amazon.com/Nixplay-Original-Facebook-Instagram-W12A/dp/B00J3TWQ8I

Look up some product photography tutorials. The Workphlo channel on YouTube is really really good, and it explains some basic gear like this to use. Try black or white acrylic or plexiglass along with a large, clean backdrop; but if you're still finding too many unwanted reflections you may want to try a light box of some kind. Here's an example, but you can Google around for DIY versions and build one for less money. These 5-in-1 reflectors (in various shapes and sizes) are really handy to use as a background and to shape light. Use a tripod and remote of possible to really control your scene with as much precision as possible and your life will be much easier.

I personally have the Rode PSA1 + a Blue Yeti Mic and the official Shock Mount "The Radius 2", and it holds everything perfectly.

If you want however a more simple mount and not the beautiful yet massive Mount, i would recommend getting this one: http://www.amazon.com/Microphones-Custom-Spider-Shock-Mount/dp/B00HL5WWHQ

Just in case you want to check it, this is mine (Old Setup pre DualMonitor Setup but servers the Post: http://imgur.com/apOQCBQ

Cheers
Letsremax

Hello, we run a small online consignment shop and sell high end clothing. Today we use this equipment:

Limo600W Triple Photo Umbrella Light Lighting Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B8Y4IPU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HlCszb7T19N8W

LimoStudio Set of Two 105 Watt, 6500 K Fluorescent Daylight Balanced Light Bulb for Photography and Video Lighting, AGG878
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089Q1HCC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XnCszbM0XM5CQ

For background, white seamless background paper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001196MG0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Canon T2i is our camera.

The pictures aren't bright enough. Any suggestions for bulb or umbrella/light box upgrades? Thank you.

Further info: I am set on auto mode. I've tried manual with different exposure, iso, and shutter speed levels. Auto has worked the best so far.

Cowboy Studio's 30" - biggest size that would fit the little card table I have. I recommend getting the biggest you can fit. Dallas Moore has 48 inch one using a piece of plywood on 2 workhorses. When photographing larger objects, I have to take out the background in photoshop.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TKCZVM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven’t tried this, but perhaps a photography background stand with curtains or fabric that matches your venues draped around it or tied to the side?

Here’s a stand I found on Amazon

And you can add any curtains or fabric you like draped around to hide the legs. You can find black sequin curtains for pretty cheap

A chest would be awesome! In my case I bought a 5 inch binder, 5x7 photo pages for the medium and small tiles, and regular page protectors to store the large tiles in(I have all the expansions same as you). I think I'll be be switching to a couple of 2" or 3" binders to make searching and sorting easier. The 5 inch binder is pretty full and I havn't even added Sanctum of Twilight or the upcoming Horrific Journey expansions yet.

Imgur album of how it looks

Amz link to 5 inch heavy duty binder

Amz link to 5x7 photo binder pages

Edit:
I was also recommended these clear round bases for the minis as well, but havn't tried them.

Amz link to bases

This is the actual seamless I used - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001196MG0/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There are links to other qualities/sizes in that Amazon page.

It's pretty thick and sturdy. I think in a controlled environment, like my basement, it will be fairly durable/easy to maintain.

The floorboard covers puncture/scuffs from shoes.

I found that even a very inexpensive tabletop photo kit with a lighting tent and using high-color-temp studio CFL bulbs makes a world of difference. Personally, I am using this one- and it was well worth the $50 investment.

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Shooting-Diffusion-Backdrops-Photography/dp/B00GKGGICC

A digital SLR camera (even a lower-end one) helps, rather than shooting with a smartphone, but the newest iPhones can definitely do the job in a pinch in my experience.

It shouldn't be too difficult to find paper rolls that width. I've had good luck with large models using photographer's backdrop paper. It comes all the way up to 12' (a little over 3.5 meters).

$20 on amazon atm. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GKGGICC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are bundles with lamps included but I've heard conflicting accounts that the ones packed in are not so good. Ended up getting dedicated flexible stem lamps that I can use for other things when not taking photographs. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071CWK42N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But yeah, just about the price of an MG.

I have this one I wouldn't say it is BIFL, but it is good enough that it should last you a while and it stores away neatly. Read the reviews before getting one, you can always order it try it out and if you don't like it send it back.

Haha, thanks! Just a roll of white photo backdrop paper and a photo strobe with a 22" beauty dish and sock.

For a lightbox, you can find decent quality cheap ones online so that it's almost not worth building it yourself -- I own this: http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Table-Photo-Studio-Light/dp/B001MYASTG and can recommend it highly. It's $39. It comes with multiple color backgrounds. It comes with two cheap yet acceptable lights -- but don't expect much from the lights, and assume you'll need to upgrade them with ANYTHING else, including just some basic table lamps.

(In general, Cowboy Studio makes good cheap stuff for this; http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Lighting-Chromakey-Backgrounds/dp/B005FMKJ1I/ seems to be a similar product too)

I would say that THIS ONE would not be a bad option since it is thin and can be placed directly behind. You would just have to make sure that you try to have even lighting across as much as you are able to :)

this is really interesting!

I always prefer DIY solutions, but it's worth saying that a small lightbox is really inexpensive (~$20) and can be easily found on amazon.

What was your total cost for the box? My girlfriend and i were going to build one for her father for Christmas. but when we saw how cheep they were (http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Shooting-Diffusion-Backdrops-Photography/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449720293&sr=8-3&keywords=24%22+light+box) we just decided we would buy one. It seems like all that effort would only be worth it if you could make it for under $5 or if you just really needed a craft project.

More than $50 but I use something like this : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Photo-Studio-Video-60cm-24-Lighting-Box-Shooting-Tent-Cube-w-126-LED-Light-Kit/331858893539?hash=item4d4454dae3:g:xBIAAOSwOVpXYmYq

​

It is self-contained with LEDs in the roof so no additional lighting is needed. There's a similar one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-EP53-010723-Portable-Photo-Studio/dp/B01GIL6EU4


You might be able to pick a used one on eBay to get you down near $50.

It's this one:

Blue Microphones Yeti and Yeti Pro Custom Spider Shock Mount https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HL5WWHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wUKkzbZA3SKXD

I liked the footprint of this one way better than the more common one you find for the Yeti, I felt like this one allows you to get way closer to the mic.

Thank you! I use a photo booth like this
https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Studio-Lighting-AGG349/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?keywords=photo+booth&qid=1573929941&sprefix=photo+boo&sr=8-16

And I use a pixel 4xl to take my pictures. Usually the only thing I adjust in my photos is the lighting/contrast to make the background blend in more seamlessly!

An affordable setup would be this stand with this screen. The expensive part (or hot part) is lighting it (and you). Here is something that I've done - you can check my channel to see the results. I use IKEA light strips (about $20) and stuck it to my monitor in front of me it gives you excellent lighting for your face (for REALLY cheap). Lighting the screen you can pretty much use any form of lighting. Light boxes and LED lights are ideal, but more expensive.

I used this tent when I first got my MK3S about 6 weeks ago and it worked beautifully. It was fully inside the tent, including the filament on top of course. It measures 60cmX60cm.

I just routed the power cable through the corner of the tent opening.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00GKGGICC/

I picked up this one, and it fit rather nicely
http://www.amazon.com/Microphones-Custom-Spider-Shock-Mount/dp/B00HL5WWHQ/ref=pd_ybh_9

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIL6EU4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is the one I use. It has lights built in to the top so you don't have to worry about external lighting. I usually have shoes in stock and this has been big enough for everything I've sold and photographs them well. The only shoe it doesn't photograph well is black dress shoes (glare, but I imagine that would be similar for any set up like this. It's not really cheap but blows the old light box I had out of the water.

This is a tab expensive but it was the first light box i bought and its been pretty handy https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Amazon Basics photo box has served me very well. Packs up nicely too so it doesn't take up a lot of space when I'm not using it.

I think i found a replacement stand for only 40 bucks, which is great because I'm only down one stand.

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=pd_sim_421_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41q14h9xSaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=59YTX83JHS14PZJ3SXHM

Looking for an all white backdrop recommendation, already have a stand like this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO

And am looking for something like this to attach to it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ER2YQ/

Any other suggestions?

I use these. If you put a large tile in the bottom pocket, you can still put a small tile in the top pocket and have it pretty visible.

I picked up one from a local Walmart. Generic cheap 2 ring binder.

And as for the manual size, there are different sized pages available. If the size difference is minimal, then they will likely fit in 5x7 pages like these.

That's sweat. Let me recommend something like this for the replacement photo.

Edit: *I meant 'sweet.'

There are frames out there that can grab a Flickr stream. IFTTT supports Flickr, so you could automatically add all photos to your Flickr stream and they frame would display them.

Edit: or get something like this, which has dropbox integration.

I use this shock mount on a broadcaster arm and it works wonderfully.

http://www.amazon.com/Microphones-Custom-Spider-Shock-Mount/dp/B00HL5WWHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419451299&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+yeti+shock+mount

Just get a big blanket and cover yourself and you camera in it so it's like your in an igloo of black cloth...

Or This

Or! haha! Put some hooks in your ceiling and drape it from them!

Honestly the sound of the typing isn't the real issue, but the issue is with the vibrations from it.

http://i.imgur.com/WqRzeHZ.jpg

What I recommend is picking up a good shock mount for it as it will negate this issue (and also get whatever stand/boom you want to pick up. I use this stand since I don't have a place to anchor a boom)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MYIIRG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sadly that mount I have (which is solid metal) is no longer for sale.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HL5WWHQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are plenty of other comparable ones however, just make sure it uses a standard 5/8inch thread.

Sure! This is the one I got. It's a little spendy, but it's totally worth it. I just have mine sitting on my desk with the mount instead of a stand. You could add rubber feet or something to keep it from scratching if you need.

Your best bet is just doing it yourself using you iPhone and these few items from Amazon. It'll cost you about $100 for these 3 items, but you'll never have to pay someone to do it for you, so its worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Photography-Backdrop-Background/dp/B015YHXHWQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526082839&sr=1-3&keywords=white+photo+backdrop

https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Background-Backdrop-Photography/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=pd_bxgy_421_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B072BCNRTY&pd_rd_r=3P35Q5G0Z2FWQG3Q4TAK&pd_rd_w=ZQN9c&pd_rd_wg=ReAuO&psc=1&refRID=3P35Q5G0Z2FWQG3Q4TAK

https://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-DK2-Professional-Photography-continuous/dp/B004TSCARK/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526082936&sr=1-7&keywords=studio+lighting

I'd look around for something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-Support/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395005674&sr=8-2&keywords=backdrop+stand+photography). I use backdrop stands like this quite a bit in my photography and theyre pretty cheap, adjustable, and portable. Although this one might be a bit big, depending on how much you're planning on showing, but you can probably find some smaller ones around the web.

Of course!

I bought this.

Very easy to set up, and the LEDs are so bright one doesn't even need to use a tripod.

I think the colour palette feels very... industrial, I would play with that and talk to people about what kind of colours best suit your company. I'm not sure about the company, whether it's outsourcing these products however if you're taking the pictures of the razors, consider grabbing a white box, and a light to take the pictures rather than over a wood grain. You can make something like this at home for a few dollars.

https://www.amazon.ca/AmazonBasics-EP53-010723-Portable-Photo-Studio/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=asc_df_B01GIL6EU4/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292974284305&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18068417753329043996&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001329&hvtargid=pla-367303678037&psc=1

​

It's well designed from a user perspective, but there are some tweaks that should be made.

>id="et-top-navigation"
>
>You should add "display: flex" to it's CSS code, so that when in mobile view the icons appear side-by-side.
>
>The above code, however would not maintain normal functionality in desktop mode, play with containers and such and see what can be done to fix that. Obviously conditional viewport styling would work as you have that already.

​

>id="main-content"
>
>You should add "padding-bottom: 32px" so that it doesn't smooch with the footer.

​

The search bar overlaps with the logo on the top on mobile, which could result in annoying and unwanted redirection.

I'd recommend:

1. A 4K-capable video camera
   
2. A video tripod, slider, and desktop dolly
   
3. 3 lights (left, right, backlight) & a mini photo booth
   
   ​
   
   Camera equipment: ($650 CAD total)
   
   I'd look at the Canon PowerShot SX740, which has:
   
   

• An integrated lens
  
• Shoots 4K video
  
• Has a 40x zoom
  
• $475 CAD
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B07FXXVC74/
  
  Two extra batteries & a spare charger: ($55 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Newmowa-NB-13L-Battery-Charger-PowerShot/dp/B0752HZ8TZ/
  
  Two memory cards: ($60/ea x2 = $120 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/SanDisk-128GB-Extreme-UHS-I-SDSDXXY-128G-GN4IN/dp/B07H9DVLBB
  
  ​
  
  Tripod equipment: ($450 CAD total)
  
  As far as a camera tripod goes, a good 2-way fluid-head bowl-mount tripod will do what you want: ($290 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Cayer-BV30L-Professional-Mid-Level-Camcorder/dp/B0784CWMP4
  
  A gliding track for sliding shots on a flat surface or tripod: ($70 USD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-centimeters-Stabilizer-Camcorder-Photography/dp/B06Y3MKC7C
  
  A motorized desktop dolly: ($90 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JJ3F12H/
  
  ​
  
  Lighting equipment: ($545 CAD total)
  
  As far as lighting goes, I'd check out an adjustable-temperature (color temp) LED set. Here's one that includes 3 lights (left, right, backlight - standard set of 3 lights): ($345 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Pieces-Bi-Color-Video-Light/dp/B0744H2CWG/
  
  If you're going to be doing a lot of product shots, you'll want a compact photo booth. Amazon has their own brand with built-in LED lighting: ($200 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/AmazonBasics-EP53-010723-Portable-Photo-Studio/dp/B01GIL6EU4/
  
  ​
  
  Going cheaper:
  
  If you need to go cheaper, I'd stick with the camera kit as-is, but just do this tripod instead & skip the slider & dolly: ($175 CAD)
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-Monopod-Rotatable-Panoramic-Shooting/dp/B0734ZZN61/
  
  And if you're going to mostly be focusing on small game boards & cards, then you can probably just get away with the photo booth, instead of the full lighting kit. So $650 camera + $175 tripod + $200 photo booth = $1,025 CAD for everything.
  
  ​
  
  part 1/2

A light tent produces high key shadowless images. Most online stores do their product work this way. It's fast and easy, but offers very little artistic impression. If you're looking to do more high end beverage, check out Karl Taylor's tutorial.

Lol here is the opposite of what you want. I did the poster board thing but got frustrated. I'm sure there are cheaper versions but I bought this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01GIL6EU4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522161500&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=photo+booth&psc=1

So much faster for me to take pictures now. Lots of room for big objects, no external lights to set up, great pictures, folds up easily if you need the space. Plus I use the voice control on my camera to take pictures. Now it's put in object, say shoot, turn object. Pictures are done in minutes.

Get one of these and save yourself some money

OP i use a c920 with a green screen if you wana see it here twitch.tv/itsziz

Heres a list of the lights and screen i use to help. Most other options ive seen are more expensive, take up way more room, way to bright and hurt your eyes to use for long periods and have little adjustability.

$40 Green screen: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JSAOGWG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$25 screen stand: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PLEX7Q4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(2) $30ea softboxes: https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Softbox-Socket-Portait/dp/B00BX88QIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497903718&sr=8-1&keywords=Cowboystudio+16%22

(2) $17ea led remote bulbs (brightness, color temp adjustable): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IB8O2VU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(2) $13ea mic boom to hold light: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/604661-REG/Ultimate_Support_16798_JS_TB100_Telescoping_Boom.html

(2) $8ea clamps pole to desk:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/407114-REG/On_Stage_TM03_TM03_Table_Top_Mounted.html?sts=pi

Total: $200 for every thing you need (minus camera) for this setup

Hope this helps

I use this. but with any of these make sure not to leave the lights on too long. They get really hot.

I heard this was a pretty good setup:

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Studio-Lighting-AGG349/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467387168&sr=8-3&keywords=foldio

I have this 16"x16" one. I put the lights on the outside and it works well. The fabric needed ironing. It might look wrinkly in some of my photos because I didn't iron it right away.

LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QQv8Cb1795CWZ

Here are some photos.

https://imgur.com/a/WG8lMdr

I have quite a few (20+ I think). Do you mean something like this? http://www.amazon.com/BCW-2-Pocket-Archival-Storage-Binder/dp/B003FZDFI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365382028&sr=8-1&keywords=pro-2t+postcard

What is a good photo studio/light box for a starter who does not have much space in his house? I bought this because it looked like a good deal. I don't hate it, I just hate the amount of editing I have to do on the photos because of poor quality. Like this one I need to do a TON of editing to fix some of the imperfections.

This or in the color you want. And then mount with this or something like it.

Haha it's arguably even more extra than reflectors. I got this pop up photo studio as an Amazon warehouse deal without a great excuse except maybe Poshmark/eBay listings. It has lights built in and a hole in the top and flaps in the front section so you can shoot into it without letting the light escape! It folds to be relatively compact and I can fit it behind or under furniture, so even in my little apartment, it's not super obtrusive. The quality of light really exceeded my expectations, though!

It's never too late! ...unless you glued parts together x_x

And Thank you! I use this:
LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EvGkybSDHRF61

but I found that 16x16 is a bit small for a model of this size, so I bought a larger tent separately. I used an iPhone5c camera

Get one of these. It will help.

Created a DRIPLESS COFFEE MUG that just went SALE from $14.99 to $9.99 for BLACK FRIDAY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=psdc_3444581_t3_B000BFYXGG

​

First time product designer + first time Amazon seller here = this is hard.

Usually work over 65 hrs a week in film industry and cooked Thanksgiving for my family also.

I'm so tired I could eat a horse

​

​

you can get started with one flash/strobe + reflector and stand or softbox and stand. you don't need a backdrop right away, you can just use any solid color wall.

flash vs strobe. strobes are more powerful and faster cycling but require ac power or battery packs. flashes are more portable.

for a backdrop you can just use these two. it's a bit cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795437&sr=8-3&keywords=Backdrop

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Collapsible-Background-Photography-Television/dp/B00SR28X9S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795437&sr=8-6&keywords=Backdrop

for the lights, you can just buy stands and softboxes or flash reflectors seperately. i wouldn't recommend that kit. start with one softbox or one flash reflector and stand. then add more as you need.

stands

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Photography-Relfectors-Softboxes-Backgrounds/dp/B00K69A0QY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795534&sr=8-2&keywords=softbox+stand

softboxes, multiple sizes available.

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Octagonal-Speedlight-Photography/dp/B00PIM3I6I/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1494795485&sr=1-4&keywords=softbox

flash reflector

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Double-Reflector-Umbrella-AGG127/dp/B005AKF4F6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795671&sr=8-7&keywords=flash+umbrella

I didn't: http://www.amazon.com/Square-Perfect-3085-SP200-Professional/dp/B000PC4A0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420817990&sr=8-1&keywords=White+box

But it's really not very good. It's passable, but my white back drop came with a crease in it and I can't get it un-crease... short of ironing it maybe? Doesn't matter, I just traded a buddy of mine that owns a studio for one of his custom light boxes (he designed and built it himself, it's not as janky as it sounds)... Pretty stoked to try that out.

Thank you!! As for the light box I got one from Amazon, it's all white and it comes with different colored backdrops but I just went to Walmart and got a felt one. The material that come with the kit kinda suck lol



Neewer 24x24 inch/60x60 cm Photo Studio Shooting Tent Light Cube Diffusion Soft Box Kit with 4 Colors Backdrops (Red Dark Blue Black White) for Photography https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gylDCbRY8VVMN

Maybe try something like this, you gotta find it in the right dimensions though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H7N4H2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

I just did a quick google search so I dunno if that's what you are looking for.

I'd look at a lightbox like this one. https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-Shooting-Diffusion-Backdrops-Photography/dp/B00GKGGICC/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1502987460&sr=8-14&keywords=lightbox

something like this might work: http://www.amazon.com/Microphones-Custom-Spider-Shock-Mount/dp/B00HL5WWHQ

the boom arm you where thinking of should work.

Looks like they make digital frames you connect to wifi and can upload photos from anywhere

http://www.amazon.com/Nixplay-Digital-Android-Facebook-Instagram/dp/B00J3TWQ8I

Try something like this

I'm using the Amazon Basics Portable Studio:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIL6EU4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Comes with two led light bars , front and left top.

2 pocket pages! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003FZDFI6/r


There are 3 pocket pages that have 4x6 pockets, but I disliked that they were not all the same direction. Also, bonus, two sided means my 16 page pockets have the class cards for the figures (with 2 double pockets).

Yep! AmazonBasics Portable Photo Studio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.XzzCbJX7FTXP

Anyone knows where I can get a photography tent with built-in LEDs locally? Like this one from Amazon -

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-53-005312-Portable-Photo-Studio/dp/B01GIL6EU4

I don't mind buying the Amazon one but shipping to S'pore is so expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIL6EU4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Highly recommended!

Here's the one I have. I was going to build another one when my cardboard one breaks, but I figured since this one already comes with lights and a stand, it would be worth it to spend a little more, and just buy a pre-made one

I just got around to using my lightbox NSFW. $40 from Amazon with 2 lights.

I have some other work safe shots of another figure, but the light was too close and ended up washing out the face.

I use this setup, which I bought last winter because I needed to be able to take photos when the natural light wasn't good. I recently bought [this backdrop support] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E6GRHBO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a white muslin backdrop.

Oh and here is the mini studio in case you're curious: https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Photography-Studio-Lighting-AGG349/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482707772&sr=8-3&keywords=mini+photo+studio

I'm on mobile, so forgive the utter lack of formatting. I was looking for a zipper, three ring binder, a spot of graph paper pads, and big enough pockets so I didn't have to squeeze things in and out. See below for what I got.

The portfolio: K.DESIGNS- Zippered Leather... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y48BBKG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The sleeves:
Full page: 200-Pack Standard (Not Economy)... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077S6Z6MS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Half page: BCW 2-Pocket Clear Protective... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FZDFI6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Trading card page: Ultra Pro 9-Pocket Silver Series... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HIOVOG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Thanks for sharing. This is pretty good if you have the stuff already laying around and don't mind keeping a bulky box around. I had been looking at some cheap setups on Amazon as listed below, but maybe a hybrid approach of getting a pre-made box that collapses and then using cheaper lights, including some I already have.

Just a world of caution, especially if you use halogen or incandescent lights with tissue paper... fire hazard, be careful there.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008JO1QGQ/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A

Yeah, it is.

Do you have one of these already?

I used the roll of paper as the backdrop. Thisroll specifically. Savage is great and they make many different colors.