Creative Photography

First edition (English version)

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© 2017 Steen Nielsen
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For Filip.

The Sun.
Creative Photography

© 2017 Steen Nielsen

Version 1.0. - 20170410

Text, Photos and Layout by Steen Nielsen

This e-book is for beginners. It is about the things you can do in your home photography studio and
beyond.
Table of contents
Foreword
How to set up a photography studio
The studio strobes
Light modifiers

Soft boxes
Umbrellas

White umbrellas
Silver umbrellas
Golden umbrellas

Snoots

Colour gels
Homemade gels

Standard reflectors
Barn doors
Beauty dish
Reflectors
Gels

Macro

Bellows
Extension tubes
Macro filters
Macro lenses
Reverse ring
4 Way Macro Focusing Rail
Macro LED Ring Flash
Tripods

Photography at Night
Cameras
Backgrounds
Stands and Booms
Flash meter
About
Foreword
This e-book is my first with the topic "Photography".
I am neither a professional nor a photography guru.
This e-book is targeted at beginners in photography and people who like to read about their hobby.
It may not cover any subject in deep, but you will find a little description about many subjects and
items in this short e-book about photography.
I want to thank you for taking your time to look at this book.

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What is the minimum equipment for setting up a photography studio at home?

First, you need some lights. They can be either speed lights, studio strobes or some kinds of
continuous light.
I use studio strobes myself, and I can recommend those. One big advantage is that there are many
accessories, light modifiers, available. I suggest that you start buying the lights, and from then on the
other things, as you first will have to decide what mounting system you want, depending on the system
your new strobes are for. Mine is Bowens, and that is supposed to be a widely used system.
So my advice is that you buy the lights first. But how many lights should you start up with?
You can actually go far with only a single unit, but having more will make it possible to do more
advanced setups. I will suggest to you that you buy two strobe heads for a start. Then add one or two
more later on.
But what accessories you will need, all comes down to what type of photography you will make:
portraits, macro, still life, products, or maybe beautiful pictures of nature.
Studio light can be useful in all situations, except the latter, and the studio light will be beneficial in
the other branches of photography mentioned here. The question is about what kind of light modifiers
you shall use for the different types of photography. But then again; many modifiers will be useful in
several different setups.
From a starting point, I assume that you have a camera and at least one lens.
In many situations you will need a background of some kind for shooting portraits. You can, if you
have a wall, paint it. Black and white are maybe the most useful. Or you can use things like a cloth, a
huge one like a bed sheet. Or you can go buy a real background. There are several possibilities like
paper, vinyl, fabric, or different printed backgrounds. You will need some stands for both the strobes
and perhaps the background. Then for a light modifier I will suggest you a soft box as a minimum for
one strobe, and an umbrella for another. Notice that you can use the standard reflector on your strobe
head also. And the umbrella is cheap though, and worth the price. Then you can add more things later.

For an upgrade I will recommend that you buy that third strobe light. Remember a stand and some
kind of light modifier, like a strip soft box, or a beauty dish. Also, it is time to get a proper
background, if you skipped that before. The things you want to buy, and what you need depends on
what kind of photography you want to take. If you are more on portraits then you really should look at
what you can find for making such. Like a system for backgrounds, and the backgrounds themselves.

If you are doing product photography, then, you may want to buy a special table for that. You can find
them on Amazon, for reasonable money.
If you are more into still life, then a good tripod and maybe a sliding rail may be on your shopping list
and some macro equipment, see the section about macro photography in this book. I look at several
ways to do macro, with different tools. About lighting for still life, - add a boom for your light.

A second upgrade can be about things like a flash meter.

This is simply a useful piece of equipment.
You can buy more light modifiers, you most likely by now have an idea about what you may need.

Light modifiers:

Soft boxes
Umbrellas

White umbrellas
Silver umbrellas
Golden umbrellas

Snoot

Colour gels
Homemade gels

Standard reflectors
Barn doors
Beauty dish
Reflectors
Gels

Remember that things like software, memory cards, and printers, are very useful also. Try always to
buy good quality items.
If you plan to do some photography at home, or in a kind of studio, then you can help yourself by
having a power supply for your camera. This way you don't have to buy more (expensive) batteries
and chargers yet still always run out of power. A power supply is a very useful thing. If you still want
to use batteries, then you can buy extra batteries, and/or you can get a grip for your camera, where you
can have two batteries installed, for sustained action.
But ... you still have to charge them.
So you now have your photography equipment.

Tips: Start by looking for studio lights. Then when you have decided what you want, you can start looking for light modifiers, with the
mounting system that your new light system uses. If you will be using speed lights you should find some system, making it possible to use
equipment like soft boxes, and all the other tools you can be using in your studio at home.
<< To TOC

The Studio Strobes

My Studio Strobe, by Godox

There are different lights that can be used for studio photography. I will touch studio strobes, speed
lights, continuous lighting, bulbs and LEDs.

Speed lights can, with the help of an adapter, make use of all the studio equipment, like soft boxes,
beauty dishes and other light modifiers. Where speed lights, since they can run on standard batteries,
are good for field trips or places where you have no power socket.
If you need to bring a studio light setup with you, then speed lights can be what you are after. Or if
you already have studio lights, then you can easily use your light modifiers with the speed lights. Just
go shopping for the adapters. Then your speed lights can simply be your portable studio setup.
If you prefer real studio strobes, I have seen strobes from 180 Watt to 1200 Watt. As I personally
have a very small studio, I don't need as much power to light up the scene. I have three heads of 300
Watt. And they are almost all the time on lowest, or (less than) half power.
Most light modifiers are made for studio strobes. And they are used by professional photographers.
The strobes I have are at the cheaper end of the scale, but I think they are really great and they do the
job for me, being a happy amateur having photography as my hobby.
They feel like good quality, and I am sure I will not soon exchange them. Actually, I am considering a
fourth strobe head of the same make and model to the studio setup I have. The selection of light
modifiers is huge, and many companies are competing, making the market really big.

Continuous light for video.

With the innovation of lights, especially LEDs, you can now find good and cheap continuous lighting
that is really great if you want to use the light for both video and still photography.
You can also find lamps for use with traditional bulb-like lights which are newer and less power
consuming, yet giving a nice light for your photography use. What you have to look at with continuous
lighting is the temperature of the light.

Normally, I will not buy anything as a kit. You always seem to have to buy something in the kit that
you really do not want. But, because I bought from overseas, I had to think about the cost of shipping
also, and buying one item will definitely be cheaper on shipping than buying most things from
different sellers.
What I found at Amazon.co.uk was "BPS 900W Flash Strobe Lighting". It includes 3 x 300W strobes,
3 stands, 2 soft boxes, 1 trigger set, 2 umbrellas, a free carry bag and some other accessories. The
price as at the time of writing is £333.55. Then, you have to add the shipping cost.
These strobes are made by Godox but are sold under different brand names.
Browsing for studio strobes, I found that kit on Amazon suited me in a way. All the items in the kit
were things I wanted to buy anyway. I wanted other things,but at lesser priority, like a barn door, and
a snoot, but all the light modifiers that came with the kit were items I wanted, so it was an okay deal
for me. I then later had to find the barn door and the snoot elsewhere.

Knowing only speed lights, and bulbs, I spent a long time browsing for the right strobes for my need -
and I am fully satisfied with the kit I finally bought via Amazon.
I use the wireless trigger system that also came with the kit. There is a trigger that has to be attached
to the hot shoe on the camera. With that follows a receiver that is to be connected to the sync port on
the strobe. Then, if using more than that one strobe I will set up the others as slaves.
This works really well.
Above, and below; the trigger system, by Neewer
If I want to use the speed light, I will have to trigger the whole setup, using the small built in flash on
the camera. This is needed for my speed light. It will not trigger being a slave in the ordinary way
like what triggers the other strobes as slaves. But the strobes can be set to work with the TTL that my
built in flash uses.
This will trigger all the studio strobes and the speed light. But it is not always so that I want the
camera flash to shoot. So I don't use my speed light for studio light.
I don't need that extra light now, but if I will at some point, I think I will buy an extra studio strobe.
They are really good.
Information: The Godox DE-300 is part of a kit, sold by BPS, via Amazon.co.uk Price tag says;
£333.55 for the lot.
The kit contains three strobe lights, three stands, a silver and white umbrella, a trigger system, two soft boxes, and a bag to transport the
set. I can recommend it. The heads are also sold separately, seen at £64.98 and it can be found in a pair for £267 included wireless
trigger system for both.

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Light modifiers
About light;
A big light source will, compared to a small one, give a softer light. Also, the light will be soft if
from a close source of light, where light that comes from a source at a more remote distance is hard.
So a big light source that is placed near will be soft, and a smaller light from a distance will be
harder.
The sun is small, and far away, and is therefore a hard light. A cloudy weather will soften up the light
from the sun, as the surface - the layer of clouds, will spread out the light on a bigger surface, and
will soften the light coming through the clouds.
The same thing happens in a soft box.
Light can be measured in temperature, named Kelvin. Here on the scale will 1700 equals to a flame
from a match, up to 6500-9500 that equals an LCD or CRT screen. The temperature of natural light is
about 5500 - 6000 that equals daylight and electronic flash, that is what we want in our Home Studio
Setup.

A bulb like those in ordinary homes, has a colour temperature at about 2500-3000, this will cause an
orange colour that will look wrong, at least in colour photos. Some say you can use it, but you will
have to colour-correct all shots. Viewed in b/w it will look more natural though.
LEDs can also be used, but again, you should look for some that have the right temperature, they are
to be found, look in some shops selling photo gear, and browse to find LEDs made for photography.
They often sell them named as continuous lights, and those lamps are also suited for video filming.

There are many light modifiers to be found. I have described some in this book. Please take a look at
the Table of Contents. The light modifiers have their own dedicated chapters.
Information: The temperature of light i s measured in Kelvin.
Your strobe should have a temperature of 5500 to 6000 Kelvin, as that is the temperature of daylight.
Light of lower temperature will cast a red or yellow colour on the subject.
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Soft boxes

Soft boxes are called soft boxes because they softens the light source, the strobe is placed inside the
soft box, or more correctly - the soft box is mounted on the strobe head which again is to be mounted
on a stand.
Soft boxes can be found in several shapes and sizes.
They come in various formats: F.x.70 x 100cm, 80 x 120 cm and 60 x 60 cm. Also, you can find soft
boxes that are strips. A size can be like 22x90cm, 25x140cm or 30x180 cm. Very useful for portraits
in full figure.
For both kinds you can buy them with a honeycomb to be mounted on the front of the soft box. This
works the way that it will not spread the light as much, but will narrow the beam of light onto the
surface.
Soft boxes are available in rectangular, square, octagons or strips.
Some octagons are sized; 60, 90, 120, 150 or 170 cm.
Soft boxes can be troublesome to put together. Normally, there are metal rods that should be mounted
in each corner of the box and then to be attached to a ring, that will be the ring that has to be mounted
to the strobe head. This fitting could be a Bowens mount, but others are available of course.
Inside the soft box, is a piece of fabric placed in front of the flash tube, this helps to spread out the
light, and make it bounce around, before being let through the front fabric. The inner fabric is white
translucent, and does not reach out in the corners of the box. This will again let some light easier
reach the front white fabric, and all the light will spread more evenly, also out to the corners.
The inside of the box is of some silver looking material, or plastic coating that helps to bounce the
light around and will reflect more light in the box - to be let out, through the front cover.

Above is a photo of a soft box, without the front cover. You can see the sheet of fabric inside,
attached to the corners of the soft box, inside.
And the other photo is a close up of the material inside, looking like silver droplets.

Information: A soft box softens your light, by making the light source bigger, and smooths it by passing it through a white fabric.
Soft boxes comes in a variety of shapes:. rectangular, square, octagons or strips.

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Umbrellas
How umbrellas work is that they are either for shoot through, or for reflecting the light. The latter can
be either a silver reflector, that will cast a strong and hard light, or another reflecting umbrella type,
which can be for example a golden colour. This will give your subject a nicer look in skin tones.
The shoot through are mainly made of a white translucent material, it will soften the light, and
because they are so easy to take with you, they are good to have in a travel kit, for shooting portraits
outside. Maybe using a portable studio setup, consisting of speed lights, with some selected light
modifiers, where the umbrellas are good because they are lite and very useful. It is a wedding
photographer chosen tool.

Information: Umbrellas for photography are just like those you use in rainy weather. Without a handle and the fabric mostly of a
white translucent colour. Used for sending the light through the umbrella.
Other umbrellas are made of a silver or golden plastic, on the inside, and are mend meant for bouncing the light, back off the umbrella, on
to the subject.
On Amazon, a set of three umbrellas can be found from £18.00 (white, silver and golden).

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White umbrellas
A white umbrella, maybe the most used, as a shoot through. As it is made of a thin, translucent white
material, shooting through an umbrella of this kind will cause the light to be softened and smooth.
The normal practice is that you attach the umbrella to the stand, in the bracket underneath the strobe in
a way, so the strobe will fire into the umbrella, and will hit the subject softer, and not as harsh as
from a strobe directly, or a silver umbrella. The umbrella looks just like a normal umbrella that you
use in rainy weather. Just without a handle. It folds up the same way. This also means, that such an
umbrella, for studio photography, is a relatively cheap accessory, for your home studio. You can also
use the white umbrella, for bouncing the light. This way, it does not give as much light as a shoot
through, or as much as a silver umbrella will reflect, but it will be a much softer light to hit your
subject.

Information: A white umbrella is mostly used to shoot through. But can also be used to reflect the strobe light. This method will
make the light very soft, as the light will not bounce back as much light as it will from a silver or golden umbrella. But that can be an
effect you might want as well.
On Amazon a white umbrella can be found from £3.59

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Silver umbrellas
A silver umbrella is used to reflect the light, of a studio strobe. The umbrella can be made of a black
material on the outside. The way to use an umbrella like this is to fire the flash into the umbrella, and
use the light that will reflect off the silver material, inside the umbrella. It is mounted, the same way
as the white umbrella. But the strobe is to be turned away from the subject, so the reflecting light will
be sent towards the subject.
Since the area of the umbrella is bigger than the light source - the strobe head, it will be softer.
A silver umbrella can be bought in a huge size (~180cm), which is recommended for use in portrait
photography. Because of the size, the light being bounced from the umbrella will be softer, and can be
used as the only light source, with you, the photographer, in front of it, - to have the light coming from
behind the camera.

Information: A silver umbrella is for bouncing the light onto the subject. The light is hard, but yet softened because of the larger
area than what comes directly from the strobe. Remember the rules about light. On Amazon a silver umbrella can be found from £5.97
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Golden umbrellas
These umbrellas, work as reflectors of light, and will have a golden tone of colour, which is
sometimes a wanted effect, as it will make a pale face look more suntan and warmer. The umbrella
works in a similar way, as the reflecting silver coated umbrella.
Information: On Amazon a golden umbrella can be found from £6.89 Since the coating inside the umbrella has a golden colour, the
light reflected will take on that colour and have a warm and golden tint.

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Snoots

A snoot is a cone-like tube, most often made of some kind of metal, like aluminium, that can be
mounted in front of your studio strobe. It will narrow the light so it will be like a spot of light hitting
the background, - that is the way I like to use it. I have mine from Amazon, and they have a wide
variety to pick from, but quite similar. You will though be able to find some of different sizes. Most
are shipped with a set of gels, for making colourful effects using the strobes. Also with the snoot
usually comes a honeycomb grid. My snoot can be mounted on the strobe with the Bowens type
mount. There is a big selection of studio light modifiers and other equipment that use this standard.
Be aware, what type the mount is, when you go shopping for studio strobes, and light modifiers in
general.
Information: A snoot is a simple and an inexpensive light modifier. The cone gives a nice effect, and can be used in both portraits
and still life or product shots, where you maybe want to light up a small spot or area in your scene. On Amazon a snoot can be found
from £11.05. This is the cheapest price I found, and it is only to give a clue at what the price level is at.

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Snoot gels
When I got my snoot, it came with four discs of thin plastic gels in different colours. I got a red, blue,
yellow and one of a grayish white colour, like milk with water. I found out, that for my purpose; (a
ray of coloured light hitting the background), - that yellow looked really good, like a lime-green
colour on a black background. The blue one was a pretty colour too, but the red was really not good
at all, not on a black background. The white gel on the other hand, also made a really good effect, it
surprised me.
On a white background the coloured light effect was different, the colour being much more subtle, like
a soft halo when using the blue disc for example. The snoot used here, is set up close to the paper
background, so the light drags a long tail down. By moving the snoot this effect can be very different.
If the light is coming from the same angle as the camera, the light would have been a small coloured
spot.
Also a snoot can be used as a hair light.
Information: Snoots with a colour filter attached can be used for giving a nice effect on the background in portrait photography. By
exchanging the filters you can have different colours. See the picture above, where I use a yellow filter. This shows a spot of yellow
splashed down diagonally from the top right corner.
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Homemade gels
I had some gels for my speed light, a set of 30 pieces. When I got my snoot, I quickly found out, that I
could make some nice effects, using the gel-discs that came with the snoot. I then cut some discs of
thick paper, and cut a disc out from that, so I had a ring of paper. On that ring, I then glued some of the
speed light gels; they just suited in a way, so I could cut out two new gels from one. I went through my
gels, and found the colours I wanted to use with the snoot. I was cutting and gluing till I had a nice
collection of colourful discs, that I can fit into the snoot, and have the effect I like. I still have plenty
of gels for the speed light, but for me, the snoot with colours, is more valuable than for use with the
speed light.

Information: The system of gels for the speed light can be seen elsewhere in this e-book. I found it on Amazon.co.uk and the brand
name is Falcon Eyes. Using a special disc cutter for paper I cut out the ring and simply glued the gel to the ring of paper.
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Standard reflectors
With the kit of studio strobes that I bought, came a standard reflector for each head. Some strobes I
have seen come without these, or have some built into the flash head. I like these as they are, with the
universal Bowens mount. So I can take them off when using a soft box with my strobe, or any other
light modifier. Also, they have a strap cut out in the reflector that can be opened so when mounting an
umbrella, the rod of the umbrella will go through the hole in the reflector and into the dedicated hole
on the bracket where the strobe head is mounted to the stand.
These reflectors give a strong and hard light. They are silver coated inside, looking like small
droplets.

Information: Maybe a forgotten gem in my home studio is this standard reflector. It gives a hard light, but that can be used in, for
example a high key portrait, where you want lots of light.
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Barn doors
The system works with two or four flaps that can be angled so they can block the light from hitting
where you don't want it to. The barn doors can be fitted to the strobe head. Most I have seen come
with a honeycomb-grid, and a set of coloured plastic discs. This way you can make some nice effects
on your background. The honeycomb will concentrate the light more precisely than without, and it
will stop spilling the light, when being directed through the honeycomb.
The barn door is reasonably inexpensive, but they are also available in different qualities. Surf
around. I can suggest Amazon. They have a plenty full selection.

Information: On Amazon a barn door can be found from £14.58 - This is the cheapest price I found, and it is only to give a clue at
what the price level is at.
The barn door will give you a bigger area of light compared to the snoot. But you can use the flaps to avoid light hiding where you don't
want it.

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Beauty dish
A beauty dish is a light modifier that looks like a huge dish with a reflector in front of the flash tube /
light bulb. This smaller reflector will bounce the light back into the dish itself and here it will be
spread out and then be send in the direction of the subject.
Some people like the effect of the light seen in the eyes of their models.
Also, you can have a honeycomb grid attached to the front of the dish. a They also sometimes come
with a white cover made of a kind of fabric with an elastic, so it can be mounted to the front of the
dish, softening the light even more. These dishes are popular in the world of portrait photography.

Information: A beauty dish is a typical accessory. It's popular because the light it casts is very suitable for facial portraits. On
Amazon a beauty dish can be found from £23.99 - This is the cheapest price I found, and it is only to give a clue at what the price level is
at.
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Reflectors
Reflectors come in a variety of types. Popular is polystyrene plates in various sizes. They are cheap,
lightweight and easy to use. And being white it will reflect the light very well.
They are often used to reflect light into the shadows of the subject, f.x. to light up one side, of a
person's face, or under the chin.
Reflectors can be bought as foldable discs with several colours, mostly used are white, golden,
silver, or black. Silver will reflect the light very well and harder than the golden colour, that then
will have an effect of casting a warmer colour. White is softer than the silver reflector, and gives a
nice soft reflection. Black will not reflect the light but keeping light from hitting at a chosen place in
the frame - covering the part from being lit, an effect like a barn door.

Information: Reflectors are used for reflecting light from a major light source onto the subject. It's good for illuminating the
shadows.

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Gels for Speed lights

Gels are thin coloured plastic sheets that are transparent. You can put them in front of your flash. You
can find them for use with your speed lights, but also you can find bigger sheets, to be put on your
studio strobe. Light modifiers like barn doors or snoots often come in three or four different colours.
You can find gels in sheets in a size like A4.
I like using them, for the effect of a light, in some colour, cast onto the background.
I have found out that a spot on the background in a colour looks really great. I learned that the red
coloured one that came with my snoot didn't look good on a black background. The others do
however. And it looks great in a very small angle to a black background, casting a strip of light down
across the background behind the model's head, in a portrait shot.
But try placing a spot in the top corner of the picture, or behind the subject's head. Or try moving the
light around to see what effect you can make.
The set of gels that I bought was shipped with a system that is attached to the speed light with Velcro,
having a plate where the gel slides into place and that plate can then be flipped down so it is in front
of the speed light, or flipped up if not to be used.
That system is really clever. The brand name is Falcon Eyes, bought via Amazon.

Information: On Amazon, a set of 30 gels, including a mount system is found at £15.98. Of brand name "Falcon Eyes".
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Macro photography
On Amazon they have a Kindle e-book named Macro Expressionism. The short description says:

Macro Expressionism is a new concept in Macro photography outlined by Carlin M. Felder to

describe a style of photographing a subject close-up which deviates from the hyper-realistic
macro style used by mainstream photographers.
Macro Expressionism emphasizes what is important in the photographer's frame at the moment
and is not concerned with the representation of the object as a whole.
At a price tag, saying $1.24 this is definitely a book I will recommend that you buy. It has very
interesting and very nice pictures.

Macro photography, is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small objects, in which the size
of the object, in the photography is the same (1:1), or greater than life size. The further the lens is
from the film or sensor, the closer the focusing distance ...

Information: There are many tools for macro photography. I have, in this section of the present e-book, written about five of them.
And I get around other equipment that is useful for macro photography. Tripods, a focusing rail, and a ring flash.
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Bellows
... and that is why bellows are so great.

Extending the distance between the lens and the film or sensor, by inserting either extension tubes or a
continuously adjustable bellows, is another option for macro photography equipment.
Bellows can be found in prices starting at less than £30 on Amazon.co.uk If you are a little serious
about macro photography, then this tool could be interesting for you.
A tripod is needed, as you will have your camera connected at one end of this, and a lens at the other,
giving some weight to the whole setup. You shouldn't let the camera carry all the weight of the mount,
so you can screw your tripods quick-release-plate to the bellow, so the weight is on that.
Also, you can use this with the macro slider rail, if your tripod can carry the whole arrangement.
You can use this bellow with any of you lenses.

Information: It is not all the photography equipment in this e-book that I own myself. And one thing I don't have is a bellow. It is
one of the things highest on my shopping list. I like macro photography, and I think a bellow is worth the value, for me anyway. I have
tried one, several years back. And I remember it being very interesting.
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Extension tubes
Also, another affordable way to extend the distance between the sensor and the lens is to use a set of
tubes. They come in sets of three and in different lengths which could be 10, 20 and 30mm. This way,
you can put on the shortest, or stack all three or any combination in between, giving you a greater
variety of lengths. It is not as finely adjustable as the bellows, but they work well. They are also much
smaller and easier to handle, and to bring with you in your camera bag.
You can find them very cheap at Amazon. Since they are, in their simplicity, just some aluminium
tubes, they come with a nice price tag. Remember to buy those with the mount fitting your camera.
It is a low cost starting point into the world of macro photography.
Information: Extension tubes: one of the cheaper equipment for macro photography. Those I have seen and know of, have been
made up of three rings with different length (10, 20 & 30mm.). That way you can stack them as you want, to get closer or further from
the subject. As with many of the equipment for macro photography, you will lose light using extension tubes, so a good light source is
needed.
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Macro filters
Macro filters. I have never tried these, and can therefore not give a first hand review. But, the method
is that you can attach a filter in front of your lens, and achieve some result. They work like magnifying
glasses.
I have anyway chosen to add them to this list of ways to do macro photography, because they are
available, and because they are fairly cheap.
Macro filters are graded in diopter, where +1 being less and +10 being more (closer focus). You can
also stack the filters. When stacking, you should place the filter, with the highest number, closest to
the lens.
With macro filters it can be harder to focus.
Information: If you don't want to invest in a macro lens, then maybe this solution is right for you. On Amazon a set of macro filters
can be found from £8.50. - This is the cheapest price I found, and it is only to give a clue at what the price level is at. Of all the methods
explained here, I would though suggest the bellows or a reverse-ring before this. I have no first hand experience with this, I must admit.
<< To TOC

Macro lenses
Talking macro photography, the best way is still a dedicated macro lens.
Macro lenses are generally of very good quality.
I have an 85mm macro lens, or micro as Nikon prefer to call it. It will take snapshots in a 1:1 ratio.
In the past, I have had a set of extension tubes, and in the future I will buy the bellow, that I have tried
many years ago, and remember as being really great. Also, I have just tried the reverse ring system
with a lens I usually don't use. With that spare lens, I can take photos, at a much closer point of focus.
A genuine macro lens is also good for portrait photography, as they give very sharp pictures. Fixed
focal tends to give you the sharpest results. A macro zoom makes it easy to crop the motif and they are
cheaper, but the quality is a bit lesser.
A conclusion is; Buy a fixed focal length macro lens, if you can afford it, the quality is simply better,
and it can be used for other kinds of photography.
Information: A macro lens is the most expensive equipment for macro photography. The quality exceeds the other ways of taking
macro photography, mentioned here in this e-book. I will though also recommend both the bellow and the reverse ring, where the latter is
described here in the next chapter.
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Reverse rings
Reverse ring.
First to be said is not all cameras will accept a reverse ring, as there is no electronic contact between
the lens and the camera body. If the camera cannot find the lens, then some will not function. I have
tried this method on my Nikon, and it works okay. I have a kit lens that came with the camera, and I
wanted to try using this for macro photography.
It is a 18-55mm, and since everything is reversed, I will be able to go closer to the subject, zooming
(into) 18mm.
Working with the reverse ring, 50mm that is normal will be a 1:1 ratio. The 18mm will be closer.
You can make good use of your old lenses without auto focus and lenses of any brand will do. Actual
an old manual lens, have the advantage that you can set the aperture manually, so you know that this
works with a reversed lens. The way to set your aperture on an automatic lens when the lens is
mounted in reversed is a little more complicated and could make you wonder if that way could harm
the camera or the lens.
But, if your lens suits your camera, then mount the lens as normal. Then, set your aperture at your
wanted opening, f.x. f:3.5, then unmount the lens, without turning off the camera. This way the
aperture opening will remain because there is no electricity, driving the aperture, and you can use it
on your reversed setup.
The idea is that you put a reverse ring on your filter tread of the lens, the other side of the ring, then
have to have the right mounting for your camera.
Also, those lenses that normally do not fit your camera can work like this, if your filter tread fits the
thread on the reverse ring.

A Nikon with the lens mounted reversed.

What you buy is a ring where one side fits the filter thread (f.x. 52mm), and the other side the mount
for your camera. F.x. a Nikon.
This is probably the cheapest way to get into macro photography.
And you can really get in close to your subject.
One thing is though that you will lose a lot of light.
If you combine this, with the bellow, or the set of extension tubes, you will get a real good close-up
of your subjects.
You will not be able to use auto focus with this trick, as all connections between the lens and the
camera are off. Also the aperture will not work. This is a very cheap way to get to do some macro
photography.
And using your cheap kit-lens will suit very fine.
Or you will make good use of your old lenses from another brand, or analog cameras.
I see a ring in a shop for about £2.50
It is just a simple piece of metal, very small and very simple. But you can get a good magnification
using a 18-55mm lens.
To get close, any value below 50mm is better (closer). Like an old 28mm or 35mm manual will do
really good.
There are most likely many cheap lenses from old style analog cameras to be found second hand.
Notice that you will have to work in manual mode, as again, there is no connection between the
camera body and the lens you are using. If you have a flash meter, then you can find what settings to
set your camera to. Or again if you work with ambient light you can find old style analog light meter.
Notice that these cannot be used with flashes, only ambient light (and therefor also video). But look at
ebay here, they are found in plenty.

Information: Here is a link, to Amazon UK, where you can find this nice cheap trick being sold for £7.19,
by Polaroid. Notice this link is to the Nikon mount. A cheaper version is here, from MiniInTheBox
sold for £3.26, (€3.77). If you are to start up into macro photos, then this is the cheapest method I
know of, and will not break your budget. As said, basically you can use any lens you want to. Look
out for the thread size and the mount. And if your camera will function without a lens connected to the
body.
<< To TOC

Macro slider rail

For mounting on a tripod, and gaining supreme control of how your camera is situated in front of the
object, is the slider rail, which means that you can move your camera about 5 cm in each of four
ways, (10 cm in two ways), for fine adjusting the placement of the camera. This way you won't have
to move the whole tripod setup. Just by the turn of some finger screws you can move your camera.
This is very useful if you want to do focus stacking for example.
I also see this useful in tabletop studio setups, where you may have a still life set up and will just
need fine adjustments.
You can find a slider rail at Amazon.

Information: This equipment is useful, as you can make fine adjustments in focusing, when you set up a still life or a macro shoot.
You can gently move your camera, with macro gear around in four directions. This way you don't have to move your tripod around, and
messing with the focus and making adjustments. I personally want to buy this in the near future.
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LED Ring flash

Let there be light!

Now years later, and a revolution in the LED technology I got myself that ring flash, cheap... and it is
not quite the same.
The ring flash seems and feels like plastic, it doesn't have the weight of quality. This LED flash is
made of 32 LEDs. They can be adjusted on the scale - from the highest value, and then in steps down
to 1/64 of full power. It's powered by 4 AA batteries. And being LEDs they don't eat up the batteries
as fast as they would, compared to real strobes. For less than £20 you can find these LED flashes of
several different brands looking very much the same.
There is a flash function, and a continuous light. Also, you can have the full ring flashing, or only half,
left or right, (or up or down, depending on how you turn the ring flash.)
In the box I got in the mail, there were 8 or 10 rings to be screwed onto the lens filter thread. With
that many different sizes, there was one for each of my lenses. On that ring, the ring flash is mounted.
It simply just clicks on to the ring and can be turned easily, so you can have left and right, turned up
and down instead. The plastic box with the buttons and led indicators, and most important the
batteries are just to be fitted on the standard hot shoe. This of course is how the flash is triggered.
The ring flash can be taken off the lens and can be held in your one hand, if you need to, or like to, let
the light come onto the object from the side or above. Just have the box mounted on the hot shoe and
you can move the ring around as wanted, as far as the cable will reach.
Being cheap indicates that you will not get a ring flash like the ordinary. But depending on your need,
they may be sufficient in build and light quality.

Information: For doing macro photography a ring flash is good for casting light all around the subject. While the LEDs make this
model affordable, the quality is better in the classic ring flash with strobes. I do not know if you will find these suitable for your jobs, but if
you expect the same quality as the strobes give you, then you will be disappointed. I bought one, and I rarely use it.
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Tripods and Heads

Tripods are great. When doing macro photography a tripod is a must. And if you are doing a still life
setup, you will need a tripod. Time lapses are impossible to do without and so is night photography.
And just for use in the studio it will be handy. Tripods come in many variations.
For macro you see those tripods where you can split out the legs almost to a 90°, and where you can
have the arm with the camera mounted on the tripod in a 90° angle, and move that back and forth. (See
below).
It's faster to lock the camera in place when attached to a ball head. If you on the other hand need to
move steady and even, then a 3 way head is to prefer.
Also, a 3 way head is good for taking pictures to be stitched as a panorama. There might even be a
scale that shows the angle so you easily know how much to turn the camera for the next picture.
The 3 way head is furthermore best for video graphing, again because the 3 way system, that works so
you can lock all movements but the one you want to move.
I will recommend the 3 way head for use in your home studio. The ball head on the other hand is
practical if you have to set up the equipment quickly, like in the field, in nature or where you have to
act swiftly.
The 3 way head will also be useful at sports, imagine a football match, where you may want to follow
the ball around in the same vertical level, but moving the camera quickly turning horizontal.
A good thing on your tripod, or actually the head, is a small plate to be mounted underneath the
camera. It works in a way so you can put the camera on the tripod and snap the plate into place, and
take it off again, almost just as easily. That way you can take the camera on and off very fast, and
don't have to screw it on/off.
Here is shown a tripod of the brand Manfrotto. Below you see a ball head. There are pros and cons of
using either the ball head or using a 3 way head, as mentioned above.
The heads are exchangeable so you can have one tripod and shift between heads depending on your
need, the kind of photography you are shooting.
Or you can have one chosen head, and then change the tripod, depending on your use, like a sturdy
tripod for your studio, and one lightweight for traveling.
A good tripod costs. But then you have the possibility to get spare parts.
And good quality is not cheap.

Information: A tripod helps you, keeping your camera still. If you like the macro photography world, then it can surely be a
necessity. Also, if you are into shooting pictures at night - with shutter openings like 30-60 secs - you really cannot do it without. But in
many situations where you need to keep your camera steady, a tripod comes useful. Time lapse is impossible to do without a tripod. And
a thing like taking photos of waterfalls, big or small, and even the waves at the shore of the sea - you will need a tripod.
<< To TOC

Photography at Night
A very interesting subject in the world of photography is photography at night.
To try this exciting way of photographing you will need a tripod. I started out by taking pictures from
30 secs to 60 secs. And they turned out really good.
Going around town to find a nice angle, will make you look at the nights in a different way. And at
daytime to see and find spots you believe can be photogenic at night.

A classic is to take some shots of the traffic, making the front and back lights from the cars and buses
create stripes in your pictures.
It is a classic because it is often used, and it is often used because it really looks good. I envy those
living in a metropolis as their cityscapes are very impressive, and night photography could be a way
to explore the city.
The artificial light at night will illuminate the city, in a way that makes it look very different from how
it looks at daytimes.
(Like the way the trees below are lit)
I use either a 10-20mm or a 18-135mm for my hunting for light at nighttime.
I can set my camera to "bulb" in manual mode, where the shutter will be open for up to 30 seconds.
But I rarely use that. Instead, I set my camera on the tripod and choose "Time" for my shutter. This
will let me have an open shutter for up to 30 minutes. I use an electronic tea timer for counting
seconds, and then close the shutter after a selected amount of time let's say 45 seconds. I use a remote
control to activate the shutter, both to open and to close it again. My camera then takes, what seems to
be the same amount of time, to process the image, at the time the shutter was open.
The only need I can imagine where one will ever use such a long shutter time, 30 minutes will be
when taking pictures of the blackest night where your subject will be the stars. Maybe you have seen
these photos where the stars are making thin stripes circling around a point, and the milky-way
beautiful looking. For taking those pictures, you will need to get out of the metropolis you live in. But
these are extremes. I don't believe that my use will ever be more that these 30 seconds to 60 seconds,
that I have tried with success out in the city.
Information: I suggest that you try different settings on your camera, when working with night light photography mainly the shutter
speed. I have had good results with a shutter speed of 30 or 60 seconds.
You may have to find a special mode in the camera' menu, to be able to use such long shutter speed. I had a setting called BULB, but
had to dig deep into the camera's menu to find TIME to go above 30 seconds. I had to make the shutter being triggered by a remote
control, with a 2 second delay.

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Cameras
Your camera most likely have some priority settings. Being able to set the program to A for the
aperture (can be named otherwise on your camera), you will get to manage the aperture which lets
you control the depth of field, and let the camera figure out the other settings, pr. auto. A small or tight
aperture hole is a bigger number what will give you a deeper depth of field.
So the smaller number makes a larger hole- aperture, and will give you less depth of field.

Simply; if you want a shallow depth of field, then your F-stop number should be small.
If you want a deep depth of fields, your F-stop number should be higher.

Also, you have an S program (S for shutter, again it can be named otherwise), where you can set the
shutter speed, useful when shooting for example sport, where the speed is your priority.
You can set the wanted shutter speed, and the camera will adjust the other settings automatically, so
your pictures will turn out good.

Setting the camera to M (or other) for manual, you have control over all the settings. Depending on
your camera, there are different wheels to turn, and buttons to push.

But in Manual mode you have control over all the settings.
For this see more about flash-meters here..

You can also set the camera to work fully automatic. This will manage all the settings. But if you have
a shutter priority or you want your idea about how depth of field should be, then, use the appropriate
mode; A. or S.

ISO is about the sensitivity of the film sensor. Generally, a lower number will need more light, the
higher will mean that the film is more sensitive, but this will result in more grainy pictures. My
general ISO setting for studio photography is 200. If you are in need of light to get your chosen shutter
speed to work, you can set the ISO to a higher value - speeding up the film but at a cost; more grainy
pictures.
But mostly I just keep the ISO at 200, but adjusting it according to the need.

Another thing to take in mind is the white balance. If you shoot RAW files, then you can do the setting
of this in your chosen software for managing RAW files. You can use a gray card, or a white, for
when working in post processing, to set the correct white balance.
You use the white balance to get all the colours looking right. If you have, what should be a correct
white colour in your image, you can let your software work from that as a base to set the other colours
from.

When working in the studio, I always shoot in manual mode.

But I do have a priority being aperture, and the shutter speed mostly is not really of matter, since I
most often will be shooting portraits or still life, and have lots of lights to work with. Your camera's,
- or the sensors, resolution, is measured in MP, Mega Pixels. A feature that constantly is increasing in
newer camera models. A size could be 4928 x 3264 pixels, being 16 Mega Pixels.

The camera will use a memory card, at where to store the pictures. They come at variable storage
capacity, and prices. Not all cameras use the same cards. My Nikon uses SD for example.

Information: There is a myriad of brands, and even more models of cameras. One thing is certain, that the digital, in a relatively
short time, have taken over from the analog completely. The reasons are clear; free film, free development, and the ease of showing
people your family album, or sending your snaps from your latest holiday.
That cameras also are found in mobile phones, which almost everybody always carry with them, makes telling what happens around you,
in your life, much easier. As a photo tells a thousand words - send those thousand words to your friends in a split second. Uploading to
social networks, keep you always updated. And of course, almost every device that can take a snapshot, can also record a video of your
ways and doings.
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Backgrounds
Backgrounds.
Available are plenty of different types of backgrounds, or backdrops.
You can find rolls of paper, in many different colours, and a few qualities to choose from, and you
can also find different width and length.
You can find backdrops made of a fabric, printed with a motif like a brick wall, or many other
sceneries.
Also are some foldable with a black colour on one side, and a white on the other. These foldable are
easy to fold down, and tug away.

And available of the brand HiLite, are some other foldable being more like a box, where you actually
can have your flashes inside the box for use like with a colour gel, or to make a high key white
background. I have not tried these and cannot tell if they are any good. But the price tag suggests so.
What I have are two rolls of paper, one black and one white. They suit me in my current studio setup.
And it is easy to cut off from the roll if the paper gets dirty. But being paper means that you can use
both sides. Mine are 11 meters, so they will last for quite some time, I expect.
I did have two backgrounds made of a non -woven material. But it was a real fiasco, so I got me the
paper backgrounds instead, and I am satisfied with that.
At my global-local dealer I see backgrounds in different materials, like; paper, vinyl, canvas, fabric
and foldable. They also have many LastoLites with prints.

You can use a chrome key colour for the background. This can be any colour really. A green is often
used because it will often not interfere with the colours of the subject, or clothing, hair, etc. Also you
can find blue coloured backgrounds for the same use. Black or white can also be used, but are more
likely to interfere with the subject's hair, eyes or clothing, when working on the background, in your
chosen image software, cutting free the subject from the background.

A system is available, for mounting on the wall or the ceiling, with brackets that can hold up to 5 rolls
of background. It is practical as you can have your backgrounds ready, but still kept away. You can
find the brackets for 1, 3 or 5 rolls, and the whole system can be bought even motorized. There are
expanders to be stuck inside the background-roll and will, with a system of a chain, easily be rolled
down and up again. Manfrotto makes this system, and I have seen some cheaper, but similar versions.

Information: Backgrounds are available in many different qualities, and material. I use paper. I use these mainly because of the
price tag. And of paper, I have seen two qualities. If I am to upgrade backgrounds, I think I will opt for ... paper I think, and then a
system for mounting the rolls on the ceiling, and a few more colours instead.
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Stands
Light stands come in a couple of variations. One is a tripod-like with three legs, like the one above.
And there is another type called a C-stand. The C-stands look to me like they are very sturdy; and the
prices reflect that.

I got mine in a kit, as I say elsewhere, and I got the very same when I bought the background system
later.
A stand I will like to have added to my studio equipment is one or two stands, that is adjustable from
24cm to 42cm. It could be useful, casting a light on the background, hiding behind the subject. Maybe
a colour from a snoot or from a barn door or a strobe head with a standard reflector throwing light on
a white background to get the High key effect.

Booms can be attached to a stand, and is really practical if you, for example, want to have, let's say a
soft box, hanging from above, and spreading light downwards. They are useful for table top
arrangements and good at lighting if you are to make some aquarium shots. They are kept from not
falling over, by a counterweight. This can be a metal block, or a simple sandbag.
Some can hold a reflector, what could be practical if you need a pair of hands.

Information: I got my stands in the kit of studio strobes. And when I bought the background system, I got two more of the same
kind, with a boom for the roll of background-paper. They are okay. But I am a little afraid it will tumble over, when I let my soft box point
downwards, and the stand being out folded the most. I see some that look very sturdy, they are called C-stands, the feet look different.
And for sure, I will prefer those. But at this point, they are not at the top of my shopping list. I believe, I want to buy a boom first. I
assume that this will also solve the problem of hanging the soft box.
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Flash meters
At Amazon, they have a selection of flash meters, mostly the Sekonic series. They seem to be the
standard. The one I will review here is the L-308S.
When I started photography with studio lights, I wanted to shoot in manual mode, for control of every
setting. I tried to do all settings by taking snapshots, and view that on the camera's small screen and
then adjust things. I remember trying to shoot a low key portrait and found some combination of
shutter speed, aperture and ISO. I managed to take a series with a very dark mood. I thought it was
great, I really liked the photos.
When I got some prints back from the local photo shop, they were very dark, too dark. This didn't
work. So I ordered a flash meter, a Sekonic and I started using it. The (amount of) light on my photos
is now right. Maybe there would have been some way else to achieve that, but this works for me. It is
now simply - turn on the meter, trigger the flashes, set the values on the camera, take the photo, and
finished. At least until something is changed in the setup of the light. Then meter again, and the new
settings will be right again.
I can use the meter by setting the ISO, let's say at 200. Then I set the shutter speed at let's say 1/100.
Then do the metering and I get the aperture setting right away.
But as I often want to have my aperture set at a specific value, let's say f:5.6 I then just take a metering
at f.x. 1/100 and then click up or down, till the value for the aperture is f:5.6 on the meter reading, and
then the variable - now the shutter, to what the meter shows, like f.x. 1/80.
This works if I have a specific value I want for the aperture, if i want a shallow, or a deeper field of
focus. Photographing in a studio makes the aperture the most important for me. Shutter speed is of
lower priority as nothing moves.

I then later - recently got me a new trigger set, where I use the trigger unit to fire the flashes for
metering the light. I bought the same as what came with my studio strobe kit. Then I do not have to use
the trigger on the camera, what would not work because I couldn't be holding both the meter and
trigger the camera. Now I can leave one trigger on the camera hot shoe, and one in my hand to use
with measuring the light. Earlier, another way to trigger the flashes would be to take a shot from the
camera, by using a remote control to fire the camera and by that trigger the flashes.
That would also mean to "waste" a shot.

The flash meter here can also do metering in ambient light. Ambient light is the available light, like
the sun, bulbs in the room; any light really that is not a flash. You just set the mode on the flash meter
to continue, set your ISO and your chosen shutter value. Then press the button, and you will get the
aperture setting that will suit that shutter.

This metering is what you should choose if you use continuous light, light that is always turned on,
like if you do videos or take photos outside, without any flashes.
Most cameras have this kind of light meter built in. Meters that work with the ambient light, but not
for flashes.
Here you will need a flash meter.
There is some argument about which way to turn the sphere on the meter. Some say in front of your
subject, turned towards the camera. And some say towards the light source.
My personal religion is to point it towards the camera, as that is the point from where the camera sees
it.

Information: This is a really nice tool. It gives you a good reading of the light in your setup, and makes you adjust your camera
settings, so it suits you, the camera, and the light.
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About this book

Software used in the creation of this e-book is;

GNU/Linux Mint (mate)

gEdit
Calibre
Libre Office
Chromium Browser

Copyright of the diagrams is by Sylights

Great soft. Use it, - Support them!
I use two pieces of graphics, taken from Wikipedia; the example of light temperature. And a visual
example of aperture.

As I write this ending, I see that I have material for another e-book. I will work on that, after
publishing this, and will put out that extra content in the future. But for now, thanks for taking your
time, reading this e-book. It has been an experience for me writing it, and hopefully you will read that
new material when it is put out in the same place where you found this e-book.
Thanks
Steen, 2017

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