Fashion & Portraits

Grids for bigger softboxes cost a shitload of money, but they offer amethod of control which is very important.

This here is a DIY- grid  made  of black cardboard for the lastolite ezybox. It does not look much but it did not cost anything either  (3-4e.) How hard it is to mesure 5cm gaps and cut to halfway, anyways?

Couple of big disadvantages. 1) Its made of cardboard, it will not handle moisture very well and the life expectency is not too high. 2) Its not difficult to make, but it is no snoot either – I would not want to break it or leave it to location. 3) No way it will travel easily. The grid-contructure holds it shape pretty good so it woun’t collapse – its also a good thing because it will just taped to the ezybox and not suspended with velcra like real grids.

One advantage: It did not cost anything! If I like the look that it brings to the photos I’ll make a better one or buy one and fit it to ezy..

Being as I am a poor man I don’t have a loose money to invest in photography. Thus I have to find a ways to go around some problems because I just can’t walk in to a camera store and buy all the gear I can think of.

Luckily – as we all have learned from the man him self the great great D.H. – things don’t always have to be damn expensive.

Worst item I ever bought was a small soft box for 60e (Ought to sell it thou.) The best peace of gear I’ve bought is a white old bed sheet for 2e! (Sure the ezy is still my #1 peace of equipmet but it could have bought 65 of those bed sheets with the same money.)

1. the bed sheet, aka the silk

2. the snoot . This just one of many I’ve “build”. I attend to forget these at the location on every shoot thus I have to make new ones..

3. the straw grid.. everyone has these but I rarely use them

These pictures have haunted me since they were taken in last fall. They are not landscape or street photos, but Id like to think they are more than just sanpshots.

I’ve been in couple of KTP B-junior basketball games this season.  Not so much to photograph but to watch the games. There is not much light to play with and high ISOs are what they are on the D200 but I enjoyed snapping couple of pics because of the space I had. No limits where to shoot. In national basketball legue games you are not allowed to block the adds and so on and so forth..

If you haven’t noticed this is a not exactly a prophotoblog. Nice pics every once in a while, but who the hell writes the topics!?

Anyways, after the boys dancelesson awhile back we had a afterparty. In to the bag went a towel, D200+20mm 2.8+ sb28 and the beers!

Folks played Nintendo Wii, but I  felt more like Eddie the Eagle Edwards, so I step back and snapped  a few frames.

SB28 went from hand to had, me on the otherside of the room shouting who to point the bloody thing at to. Kind a nice pic of Jenni and Joni. At least in my opinion. Shows what the variation of the direction of the light does in terms of contrast and softnes.

Snapped a few portraits along the way. Got shout at because of last one thou.. The bar tender threaten to confiscate my camera! Yeah right.. There are some issues about taking pictures in bars and I know my rights and limits. The camera was not pointing at him nore was invading anyones privacy.  He could have asked me about my efforts in a polite way instead of screaming, but thats fine I do understand his concerne.

Kalle was cool (again) about me taking portrait in a bar. It was worth getting yelled at..

The one before the last one is cool one too. Maiju drag Joonas to the dancelesson and to the bars with us – not that he would or could have said no. After he had prove to be a very good model, we swiched places. Gave him the D200 and tried to be infront the lens. If I remember correctly I was asked to look angry in the frame. Angry, or just drunk? Reason why I’m behind the camera is obvious..