[Marie_Carmelle]

Is it better to have your own darkroom, or just to go to a pharmacy to ask them to develop the picture

[fourboltmain]

When I use 35mm, I just drop the rolls off at the local pharmacy and get a develop only, then use the negative scanner at home. When I use 120, I drop it off at the no-so-local photo shop, and they usually do it while I wait, except for black and white, that takes a 2 day turnaround. I'd rather develop my own, but I need to build cheap darkroom first.

[Mchunu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweets reflector

do you have any advice on cheaper alternatives than actual gold reflectors that can be actually quite expensive?

[BetteT]

I do ... just take some carboard and cover it with alluminum foil ... it's not gold, but it's a great reflector. Even white foam core works as a softer reflector ... great for holding just below the face in close ups. And then ... there are these things that you buy to put in you car windsheild when you park in the hot sun ... sun screens (the silver side normally goes to the outside to reflect the sun away from the car) ... that are made from reflective cardboard or sometimes silvery fabric on an metal frame that twists and closes ... those work fairly well too and are way less that pro reflectors. Again, they don't come in gold ... but silver works very well in late day sun that is already gold.

[Mchunu]

^never thought of that! thanks BetteT!

[gius]

Why do polaroids have such nice/interesting colours?

I used my aunt's polaroid camera once, and it made some really nice colours in the first few seconds of developing; and then it became "real" colours after some time, which I didn't like
If you go to this thread, it shows a lot of polaroids with nice colours. Did they use a chemical to "stop" it from developing all the way?
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...ids-37541.html

Here are a few





plrds.com

I also like how some of them seem to be lightened..
Here are some nice ones by .francesca. They are black&white(?) but they seem like they have a colour in them. Any idea what that is?
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...5&d=1136946893
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...7&d=1136946927

[bajith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by _ladybug_ can anyone recommend a good starter camera? I have a digital, but I doubt it has the necessary things, it auto focuses on you so you can't manipulate anything, etc. Thanks

By a starter camera do you mean an Slr starter? or just any camera starter?
For the any camera you should get canon sd790is. For a slr/dslr I would suggest the canon rebel xti or nikon d40. However these are all digital recommendations, and I noticed you said you wanted to still be able to develop your pictures. What do you mean by develop? Get them printed, or actually adjust the photo during the development? (sorry, i'm a terrible person to explain).

Well any digital pictures can still be printed, and you can adjust the photo through photoshop. Imo, digital is always more convenient but if you're in for the process I suppose the originals are more fun.

----

For a lighting settings you can always just bounce the lighting off walls, that seems to work well in some cases.

+ Polaroids seem very fun! I've always wanted to buy one, but then I always remind myself how hard it is to grab hold of the required film & how costly it is.

+ To anyone that has any interest in their camera you should definitely buy fish eye lenses!

[leeyone]

I love using natural light. I make sure that the sun is cooperating with me when I'm taking most of the photos. If you must, a reflector is a nice tool. Some people on budget use white cardboards or styrofoam boards. :P

samples:


and yes, photoshop is a friend! Adjust brightness and color on your photos. I love mine with a yellow-ish tone. But that's just me.

[silk skin paws]

Really helpful tips and information. I'm really bad when it comes to taking photographs.

[ScarlettLover]

My best tip: Be easy on retouching. If there are a few blemishes get rid of them, but don't full on air brush. Esp. if you don't know how to use it properly. I can't tell you how many beautiful photos I've seen ruined with air-brushing. Real is beautiful. Air-brushing doesn't fool anyone and a more calculated natural beauty is twice as stunning.


If you would like to have your photos to appear to be made from a film camera without the film, download photoscape. Their film effects are very believable if used right. But real film is of course best.

And I like flash. But you have to know how to control it. A manually set flash is best, so you can adjust it to the enviroment.

BetteT, that's a great suggestion!

[Marvystone]

Any tips on photographing moving subjects?
Normally I wouldn't bother trying to get it perfect, but there's a possibility I could be taking some photos of performances for a theater group..

[seanutbutter]

^ What camera do you plan on using? If you're using a DSLR, set your shutter speed to no less than 1/60 second. You'll still get some blur with that shutter speed, though, so I'd recommend using a faster one. Also, your ISO should be at least 400, depending on the amount of light. If you can bring a monopod or tripod with you, the pictures would turn out even sharper. Good luck!

[Mchunu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gius Why do polaroids have such nice/interesting colours? I used my aunt's polaroid camera once, and it made some really nice colours in the first few seconds of developing; and then it became "real" colours after some time, which I didn't like If you go to this thread, it shows a lot of polaroids with nice colours. Did they use a chemical to "stop" it from developing all the way? http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...ids-37541.html Here are a few plrds.com I also like how some of them seem to be lightened.. Here are some nice ones by .francesca. They are black&white(?) but they seem like they have a colour in them. Any idea what that is? http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...5&d=1136946893 http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums...7&d=1136946927

Not sure if this helps, but if you use the really hold polaroid models, i.e. i use the Polaroid Land 104 camera..one of the first polaroid models from the 60s, you can control development.



www.animadesigns-shop.com

If you use the new fujifilm, which is required for this camera, you can develop it for how long you want. Developing this type of film works by pulling out the developing sheet and chemical sheet together and removing it at the desired time. A lot of the images you posted look blown out, therefore overexposed. By overexposing them and developing it for half the time (which is determined by the temperature) you can get these vintage, old looking type of photos. But i think the color fades with time, so it may look pretty cool at first, but in a few years it won't look so hot..atleast i don't think so.. You can buy these polaroid cameras online for about $10-$25. Hope this helps!

[timemachinedream]

oops. I guess I should have posted here, but I didn't see it. anyway

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f81...phy-82703.html

[timemachinedream]

^^ and just to add to my last idea, its also the look of basically anything in nylon:


from nylonmag.com