Gearhead

Edited to add:  I don't know WTF is going on with Blogger's fonts tonight.  I give up on fixing it, as I have spent more time tonight poring over the HTML code than I ever want to again.

And so it goes grows. My list of gear, that is. I haven't been updating, but I'm acquiring more things for a home/portable studio and completing more classes. To do what, I have no idea. To take people's pictures, I guess! Someone was asking me earlier this week about my pursuit of photographic skills, and I said that I had no intention of being a pro or semi-pro photographer. They seemed surprised by this, but I don't really know what my intentions are. I want to be able to take great photos and I want to learn as much as I can about the science/art of photography. As for the rest, I'll just have to see where the road takes me, but I think it is way too early in the game to be calling the outcome. I'm a beginner -- there is no doubt about that. And I'm a big believer that you shouldn't claim to be a professional photographer until you have learned a great deal about how to take great photos without your camera being on Auto mode. Anyway, here are the updates:

Savage Seamless Background Paper:  This is a 12-yard roll of seamless photographer's paper, 53" wide in Thunder Grey, which is a popular neutral background color.

Crown Moulding:  This is a piece of finished moulding in white, which was 10 feet long, but Hubby is cutting it down to size. It's from Home Depot. I couldn't find the exact one I purchased on their site, though, so the link is a similar but different piece. You'll just have to imagine it until you get to the photo below. I use alligator clips to attach it to the paper. The great thing about it is that with its pure-white color, I always have the perfect white-balance tool to work with when processing photos in ACR (Adobe Camera RAW). It was about $20 for the 10' piece.

Bamboo Floor Mat  That sounds rather odd, doesn't it? I bought a cherry colored bamboo floor mat, I think it's 8' x 6' that rolls up. It looks great in photos when combined with the piece of moulding and the seamless paper. Take a look:

In this photo, the paper isn't tucked under the mat, which I've learned is the trick to keeping the small gap that you see where they meet from happening.  Looks nice though, doesn't it?  These are totally portable so I can take them to other people's houses to take portraits.  The dog is named Groach (huh?) and is one of M's favorite bedtime stuffed animals.  We got him at IKEA a couple of years ago and he is nearly life-sized!  He's a much more willing subject than my 3-year-old, ha ha!


Seamless Barn Floor Paper:  I haven't used this yet, but I have seen samples of photos with it, and it looks great. I bought it from a teacher supply store, and it was about $8. It is like an extra-wide roll of wrapping paper, but it looks quite nice for rustic photos. NOTE: This is not my photo, I copied and cropped it from a Web site just to show what it looks like. Sorry, lady, for borrowing your photo! I will take it down upon request and I mean no harm. I will replace this with my own photo once I convince someone to let me take their toddler's photo...

Savage Port-A-Stand, Free Standing Background Support System: I was using a pole to hang the seamless paper between two bar-height chairs, but today I ordered real stands for it, which can also be used with cloth/muslin backdrops and extend to accommodate 107-inch rolls (53" and 107" are two standard sizes for backdrops). I chose mid-priced stands that also can be used for hanging lights and they pack up relatively small and have a carry bag to go along with my "portable" requirement. This one also came with a roll of white seamless paper.

Savage Seamless Background Paper:  This roll is in Bone, which is another good neutral color for a background. I really don't need it, but it didn't cost any more to ship since I was already paying oversized shipping rates for the stands, so better to save the money now, and the paper is cheap, so I ordered it at the same time.

Flashpoint 22" Circular Collapsible Disc Reflector:  I'd never known how to use these, but I took a Portrait Photography workshop recently, and we had an opportunity to try using these. I saw the difference between white, gold and silver reflectors, and the gold in particular gave a wonderful warmth to skin tones. I found a white one used at Monument Camera last week (and discovered after I bought it that it was way, way, way overpriced, with a MSRP of $15 and I paid $20 for it used, so I guess I won't be buying anything else from there, sadly). Anyway, I found these for half that price new at Adorama, and I want to have the gold one in my arsenal. They fold up to the size of a frisbee for easy portability, too.

I"ll post more once the stands arrive.


I'm also racking up a number of classes/workshops. I've completed Digital Photography, Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge, Adobe PhotoShop Elements I, and Portrait Photography. I'm trying to decide on a big four-credit class for fall. Can't wait!

Edited to add:  this is my husband's niece photographed with the Thunder Gray seamless background.