shaggybirdman

mine as well would be done indoors, but i got some shade cloth this past summer, and could use that. i do want a canopy though. it would be nice to have some shade while sailing my rc sailboats. i've been looking for a reasonably priced one for a few years now.

bonsaidad

You do need some shade if you are doing a hobby like that, sitting out in the sun to long, you do not realize how much it effects you.
I use generaly speaking, a black crushed velvet back drop, but i need to change it to the normal velvet you find in curtains, as its more light absorbing.
I also have a red set of velvet curtains i will use when the right subject comes along.


Best regards BD Paul

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Old Chinese proverb says.
Go to bed with itchy bum.
Wake up with stinky finger.

shaggybirdman

well my record to date is 5.25 hours straight sailing. it's a blast , and very relaxing, but for photos it mite be nice to have a bit of natural light filtering in i'd think.

Salvelinus

Well, for one thing, the canopy is not part of my photography equipment. It is just something we use for shade on our deck for parties and the like. I think I actually had it set up for working on my trees (my bonsai workbench is just to the right in the photo), but it came in handy as the only time I had available to photograph was during a sunny day and time. I can nuke a lot of ambient light if I have to, but direct sun is hard to deal with. I would have had odd shadows on the background if I didn't use shade.

I have a pretty small house, and don't have much space to photograph, especially considering the amount of linear space I need to do bonsai. I need about 20 feet from the backdrop to the camera. So I tend to do a lot on my deck. It's always best if I can get a light overcast day, or at least have everything in shade, but that isn't always possible. One advantage to photographing outside is you have plenty of light available to help with your shot, so if you don't have much in the way of lighting, you can always use the sun and reflectors. Even a big white piece of cardboard or foamcore can do wonders, and if you crumple and unfold some aluminum foil and tape it to some cardboard, you can have some excellent reflected light.

I guess what I'm saying is that you don't HAVE to spend much. You can make quite a bit from what you probably already have lying around the house. Like the light box Shaggy mentioned earlier. Get one at IKEA and put it in the sun. That would make some excellent lighting on a small tree, and it would cost only a few dollars/pounds. My gridspot attachment for the front/low flash is homemade out of a cereal box, duct tape, silicone caulk/adhesive, and a handful of black straws from Panera, and it works EXTREMELY well. In fact, until recently you could not even buy anything that would do what it does. Even the backdrop and stand is homemade. I bought some cheap muslin fabric and dyed it on my back lawn with a squirt gun. I bought some cheap PVC and made a stand that disassembles quickly to become portable, and I transport it in the bag that came with the canopy! If you need to position a flash in a certain spot, you can always use a "voice-activated light stand," which is, actually, anyone who will hold it for you. You want photography on a budget--you come to me. :

As far as actual, purchased, photography equipment, you can buy a light stand for $20 (or a much, much better one for 2-3 times that, or more), another $20 for an umbrella, and $10-$15 for the bracket that attaches the flash and umbrella to the light stand. I found some table top tripods for $2.35 each, which are nice for positioning flashes on the ground or other objects. For triggering the flash units, you will need some type of sync system, depending on what your camera has available and your budget. You can spend $180 apiece for the industry standard professional wireless radio frequency triggers (one for the camera and one for each flash--do the math), or you can get (or make) a sync cable with the appropriate connectors (PC jack if your camera/flash has one, or hotshoe adapter if not) which will cost in the neighborhood of $40-$50 or so, less if you are making it. For these shots, I used what are called "Ebay triggers" which are very cheap radio triggers from China. They cost about $30 for a transmitter and receiver, and you can get additional receivers for $18 or so. You do get what you pay for, but they are reliable enough for this kind of shooting. If you are getting paid, though, you need to fork out for the good ones. To adapt with different light sources, you need to match the color temperature of the flash. You do this with gels, which are simply sheets of colored plastic. You can buy these, or you can scrounge around and find sample packs of these things, which are coincidentally the same size as the front of a speedlight flash, for anywhere from free to one cent.

So, in summary, there is some amount of cash outlay, but it doesn't have to be outside the realm of possiblility. You can just start with one flash/umbrella/stand and a sync cable, some cheap reflector material, and add on as you can. I actually do some portrait work, and I've gotten excellent results with just this amount of equipment. Add a second flash from the rear for a hair light/separation light, and you can get some AWESOME portraits. Or, just hang up a sheet and fire a flash into that for a great umbrella substitute (actually, that would probably be much better light than an umbrella.) Seriously, take a look at the Strobist discussion threads on flickr, and other groups that talk about DIY (do it yourself) lighting or light modifiers. People are making some very cool stuff to take some very cool photographs.

Sorry for the long post--I can talk photography (or bonsai) all day. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions, if it's okay with Paul. I'm afraid I've unwittingly hijacked this thread, although I guess Paul was asking the same question. ops:

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Namaste,

--Scott ><>

"There seems to be no survivors to interview, but I suspect [kamikaze pilots] did not shout 'traytree' the moment before their personal sacrifice." --Herb Gustafson

bonsaidad

I don't mind as its all part of the learning curve for me, and other members/guests who are interested.
A lot of the equipment as you say, can be made at home, and i have done with my reflectors which work fine.
the next step is to sort some subtle lighting out for general photography as my bonsai lights are doing the job.


Best regards BD Paul

__________________
Old Chinese proverb says.
Go to bed with itchy bum.
Wake up with stinky finger.