Hadier Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Hi guys so this is starting to come along...better then my models to be truthful and i had a few questions about what you guys use. i have already read the sticky and am working on that im using PVC instead of a box so i can break it down. Can i use a plain white bed sheet to diffuse my lights? or does it need to be Muslin as the sticky recommends? As a back drop can i use felt or some such material? i was thinking because felt will absorb the light and not reflect like paper. Lastly does the lamp matter? like can I use 3 different style and brands of lamps as long as they all have the same bulb? (daylight full spectrum) thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilwarin Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I think you can use really anything as long as it diffuses the light. I use tissue paper, but I'm sure a sheet would work as long as it's not thick. As for the backdrop, you can use really anything. I don't know why you wouldn't be able to use Felt or material, even.. I guess that's really user preference. I use artist paper for mine and it's blue. Make sure it's a darker color, that helps bring out the colors in your minis much better. I don't think the lights matter as long as you have 2-3 good lamps. I, personally, use 2 bendable desk lamps with the normal bulbs that came with them and I haven't had any problems with them. As long as they're rather consistent with each other, I think you'll be fine :) As for the PVC, I'd love to see how it turns out! I need to make another lightbox as mine is a bit small for the larger projects I have planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixminis Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Can i use a plain white bed sheet to diffuse my lights? Yes, be careful if you are using anything other than fluorescent bulbs as hot lamp + flammable material ='s eventual fire. or does it need to be Muslin as the sticky recommends? Possibly muslin was recommended for durability. As a back drop can i use felt or some such material?i was thinking because felt will absorb the light and not reflect like paper. Yes, but you'll find with Macro photography that fabric backgrounds can detract or shed lint that ends up on the piece. Consider experimenting with various paper, matte-board & vinyl backgrounds. Actually, wait on the vinyl until everything else works for you. Vinyl is very delicate and it will eventually be damaged. Lastly does the lamp matter? like can I use 3 different style and brands of lamps as long as they all have the same bulb? (daylight full spectrum) I recommend bulbs between 5600K and 6500K. No matter what, use the same bulb for all three as using different bulbs makes photo tweaks very challenging; perhaps impossible. regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Hi guys so this is starting to come along...better then my models to be truthful and i had a few questions about what you guys use. i have already read the sticky and am working on that im using PVC instead of a box so i can break it down. Can i use a plain white bed sheet to diffuse my lights? or does it need to be Muslin as the sticky recommends? You can use anything that will work as a diffuser. Muslin is cheap and fairly translucent, so it's pretty commonly used. A bed sheet will block quite a bit of light, but that will just change the length of the exposure. If I were building a new softbox, I'd probably use the sort of translucent plastic that is sold in office supply stores for report covers. It's inexpensive and easy to find and it will pass most of the light. As a back drop can i use felt or some such material? i was thinking because felt will absorb the light and not reflect like paper. You can. When doing macro photography, though, you might find the texture of the felt to be distracting, though. (I do.) I prefer to use paper for the lack of texture. If your camera doesn't allow you to vary the exposure from the automatically chosen exposure (or if you're not comfortable with how that works), it's fairly important, that your background be a medium gray. Otherwise, auto white balance and auto exposure can really mess up the resulting photo. Lastly does the lamp matter? like can I use 3 different style and brands of lamps as long as they all have the same bulb? (daylight full spectrum) thank you It's quite important that the bulbs have the same color profile. It's not so important what that profile is. You can correct for any single color cast, but if you have two different colors, you can't fix the result in post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 For backdrops I can't recommend FunkyFoam enough. It's a kids' craft product that's basically a sheet of soft foam that can be cut into shapes. It comes in dozens of colours, in at least three thicknesses, is smooth and flexible, is perfectly matte and lint-free, and is dirt-cheap (less than a dollar for a sheet the size of legal paper) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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