Human Jack-O-Lantern

Sticking a flash in your mouth and firing it at full power results in a very creepy self portrait. I like how it brings out my eyes. I did some tests at low power to make sure there weren’t any adverse effects like burning my mouth, but it only got moderately uncomfortable.

humanlatern.jpg

DIY Photography Softbox / Light Tent

I had a little spare time today as I recovered from a cold. I’ve been trying to get into photography more and really figure out how to make pictures that aren’t just ordinary. I wanted to try my hand at some macro photography when I read this article. The project involves making a softbox (light tent) out of ordinary household supplies (was free in my case) and then shooting into the sides. The tissue paper on the side diffuses the light very nicely and it then bounces around filling in most of the shadows. I’m using my flash, but a bright lamp would work just as well.

Here’s a few shots of stuff I grabbed off my desk and tried in my new cheap-o photography tool.


The Setup


Light being diffused by the tissue paper


Swiss Army Knife (in the full size pic my fingerprints are very clear)


The old trusty point and shoot that needs to be retired


Compact flash cards have never looked better


A lonely battery


Not so lonely batteries


Exact same setup as above but using direct onboard flash, flat and boring

The softbox still needs some work, I’ll probably make a larger one and count this one as a prototype. As I continue to dabble I’ll post more stuff up. Any suggestions for something to shoot?