Overview
Let?s face it, when it comes to buying photography gear, it can be an expensive endeavor. It seems like manufacturers only have to slap on the word ?photography? or ?camera? on an item and it?s instantly 2-3x as expensive as their normal counterpart. The good news is that many of the expensive equipment such as lighting modifiers and lighting gear can be replicated with a little know-how.
DIY Photography (DIYP) is a website that prides itself in being the MacGyver of photography. The founder, Udi Tirosh, started the website when he was an amateur photographer ?who needed studio equipment, but could not afford to buy the expensive, branded top quality studio gear that you can find on photo equipment stores.?
The site started out showcasing DIY projects for making alternative light modifiers but quickly expanded to include all things photography.
Recently, DIY Photography released the ebook DIY Photography: Home Studio Photography that features some of the best lighting and studio gear projects that have been published on DIYP over the years, as well some exclusive projects that are not available on the blog.
The intent of the book is simply to ?enable you to build an entire studio economically.?
Content
DIY Photography: Home Studio Photography divides the book into 5 main sections:
? Softboxes
? Reflectors, Diffusion Screens and Flags
? Light Restrictors
? Light Placement and Support
? Lighting Set-ups built using Household Items
Each category has a handful of projects that relate to that category including several variations of the softbox, a beauty dish, a snoot, a foam core reflector, and so on.
Each project is very well laid out with easy-to-follow instructions and many helpful pictures and diagrams. Some projects are simple to make while others are more complex and require more tools. Each project also provides a material and tool list, as well as an example of how the light will look when using the finished gear.
Below is an example of the material and tools list, the first 2 pages of the build, and the lighting example for the PVC diffusion screen.
Pretty simple to follow right?
The last section of the book covers how you can combine several of these DIY items to build a home studio.
Thoughts and Conclusion
DIY Photography: Home Studio Photography would not look out of place sitting alongside other DIY books at the home-improvement section of a bookstore. As far as a how-to book, this ebook is pretty comprehensive and well laid-out. The instructions contain enough detail and are easy to follow, and there are quite a lot of photos to accompany the instructions.
What I really like about the book is that it shows you how to make many types of lighting modifiers. If you want a quick-and-easy softbox, there is a project for that. If you want a durable softbox, there is a project for that, too. Some projects are small, like the snoot for a speedlight, and others are large, like a homemade PVC light stand.
Yes, the finished product may look strange, but the most important factor is whether they can perform like the retail products out in the market. I particularly like the fact that they do show you the light quality for each homemade modifier.
The lighting modifiers may not the kind you want to bring to a photoshoot for a million-dollar client, but for a home studio, they work just fine. As Udi states on his website, ?light is light. It behaves the same (or close enough) inside a $1,000 Profoto softbox and inside a DIY softbox for $10.?
As long as you are OK with the way the DIY gear looks, you can save some money by building your own lighting gear. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to any amateur and aspiring photographers looking to expand their gear without breaking the bank. If you are interested in the DIY Photography: Home Studio Photography ebook, click herey to purchase the book for $19.85.
(My personal favorite is the underlight setup built from a couple of cardboard boxes. All you need is a tall cardboard box, a small cardboard box, and a piece of glass.)
Related posts:
- Book Review ? Fashion Photography by Bruce Smith
- Book Review: Digital Photography School?s Natural Lighting
- DIY Seamless White Background for Your Home Video Studio
- 10 DIY Photography Gear Alternative To Save You Money
- 5 Ways to Keep Costs Down When Creating a New Photography Studio
Source: http://www.slrlounge.com/book-review-diy-photographys-home-studio-photography
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