Studio

• Backgrounds Setup - B&H Background Assc
  • $53 - Manfrotto 046G paper roller
• Portable Flooring - $912 for 9x12ft 15 panels of snaplock ($60 per 3’x3’ module)
  • Laminate wood flooring, $1-3 sqft
  • Plexiglass, for reflection, avoid dirt and wrinkles on backgrounds
  • could also be rented out for events, dances, etc
• Furniture
  • funkysofa.com, overstock.com
  • stool - Pneumatic Posing/Model chair
    • $50 (hard seat) at Goodwill, bought $150 Winsome leather stools + table
    • $120 Posting Combo Amazon + table, $75 savage chair, $56+15 Cowboy pneumatic stool with footrest
  • Couch/Sofa/Loveseat/Settee/Chaise
• Lighting: gobo, snoot, silk stocking (soft focus), blue/orange cards to trick white balance
  • reflectors, backgrounds
• Clamps
  • Lumipro 621 reflector holder boom $45 (35 sale + 8 ship = 43)
  • Justin Clamp $55, clamp with ball head/hotshoe holder
• Outdoors: knee pads, small pad for sitting down on
• step ladder for getting shots from above
• any blankets for couple to sit on, perhaps a small rug/towel if hidden under clothing to prevent grass stains

Advice

• Paper (vinyl?) better for white, heavy muslin or anything for black (paper shines, want think to block backlight)
  • consider washable, wrinkles, painted designs, long for full length floor shots (can always fold)
  • vinyl flooring backside: paintable (scuffs), cheap, heavy, full time studio profotolife youtube
• Use plexiglass on the floor to step on, avoid wrinkles on paper, dirt on muslins

Shopping

• Background System: Calumet On-Site Portable Background System $170 - easy to build: PVC pipe, bg, sewing, mount, Adorama Portable Background Stands for $150! nice
• http://www.backdropoutlet.com – Best Prices, B&H Background Materials

Collapsible

• Adorama has better Westcott prices, Westcot b/w 6x7 $250 $65 Botero options on adorama, Interfit B/W $95 but still wrinkles - perhaps all.

Vinyl

• 10’ x 20’ - $180 Savage Infinity Vinyl (8×10 - $78, 9×10 - $110)
• Backdrop Outlet
  • White Vinyl foldable - 10×20 $99, Professional White Vinyl always rolled, in container for high traffic - 10×20 $250 (heavier)

Paper

• $20 for 53” (4ft) paper
• $44 Savage 107" x 12 yds Grey

Muslin

• 12’ muslin ~ $150
• 24’ muslin ~ $250-300
• Washable Muslins: B&H Lastolite, Westcott washable muslins are 10×12 $110-115, 10×24 $170-190. Backdrop Alley 10×12 $90, 10×24 $135
• Cowboystudio has cheap ones on amazon, 10x20 painted grey] for $65, but black possibly too thin
• Backdrops Forever ebay: 10×20 $45 backdrops
• Backdrop Outlet - bought a bunch of stuff, and off of ebay
  • MOD Cloth 2010 winner - pro photog magazine, stylish but can be distracting 5×9 $99 sale
  • Diamond Cloth - better white/black, washer/dryer safe, less wrinkles, 10×20 $89, 10×10 $59

• $350 Canon 580ex II
  • normally $400, perhaps only one available with external power supply?
• $240 Canon 430ex II ($200 EX)
  • slave only, 180/90, no multi flash
• $120 - Opteka EF-600 DG SL Super E-TTL Digital
  • maybe good backup spare for 430ex ??? but not as good, spotty quality with Opteka
  • great reviews, compare with 580 ex II
• $217/260 Sigma EF-530 DG Super EO-ETTL II Electronic Flash for Canon EOS
  • feels plastic and cheap, added MASTER transmitter?

• Ebay 16 channel radio hacks and more

The plugs and jacks we are talking about here include:

• PC (post connector) terminal (found on PC sync hotshoes)
• 3.5mm mini (most popular, used for headphones, computer audio... use monophone, not stereo 2-black rings)
• 2.5mm sub-mini (used for cellphones, flash hacks/mods that won’t fit 3.5mm jack)

Some cables and accessories to choose from include:

• $4 - 2.5mm Male to 3.5mm Female cable (don’t get just the adapters, right-angle on cable is nicer)
• $10 - PC sync hotshoe
• $10 - Hama Sync Extension Cord - Male PC to Female PC, Straight - 3' (HA-6971)
• $6.50 - General Brand Sync Extension Cord - PC Male to PC Female, Coiled - 1' (B&H# GBPCPCS1)
• $9.95 - Elinchrom Sync Cable for Skyport Radio Slave Transmitter - 7.8" (B&H# ELSCPCES)
  • sub-mini plug (male) to PC sync plug (male) - Awesome!
• $8.95 - Medalight Sub-Miniphone to PC Male Sync Cord for PG3001ML - Straight 10.0' (B&H# MEPG3200TC)
• $28.50 - Hama Universal Flash Adapter - 2 PC sync hotshoe, 1 to camera, 1 to flash (HA-6950)
• $70 - Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord 3 - TTL - 2' (Canon 1950B001, B&H# CAOCE3)
  • $40 - Dot Line Off-Camera E-TTL II Shoe Cord - 3' (good reviews)

Using the ebay wireless trigger remotes with Canon 540EZ flashes (which have no flash/strobe jack). The ebay receivers output to Male miniplug (3.5mm/1.8”/miniphone), so the options are:

1. Hack/mod the 540EZ flashe to include a sub-mini 2.5mm jack
   1. Flash sub-mini 2.5mm jack > 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cable jack > 3.5mm mini plug on ebay remote receiver
   2. Any reason to hack/mod the receivers to a mini/sub-mini jack?
2. Hack PC sync hotshoe, convert the PC sync to a mini jack
   1. Flash hotshoe > hotshoe to 3.5mm mini jack > 3.5mm mini plug on ebay remote receiver
3. Elinchrom PC sync cable to 2.5mm cable (B&H# ELSCPCES0)
   1. sub-mini plug (male) to PC sync plug (male), bridges the PC sync hotshoe issue!
   2. ebay receiver 3.5mm plug > 3.5mm coupler < 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter < 2.5mm plug to PC sync plug < PC sync hotshoe < Flash hotshoe
4. WIRED ebay transmitter to replace Canon OC-E3, may provide E-TTL support???
   1. Flash Hack Above to 2.5mm jack > 2.5mm plug to 2.5mm plug > 2.5mm jack on ebay remote trigger
   2. PC sync to 2.5mm 15’ cable, Flash hotshoe > PC sync hotshoe > PC sync plug to 2.5mm plug cable > 2.5mm jack on ebay remote trigger