Tutorial - how to photograph your lightsaber

[LizardJedi]

I'd like to echo what xwing said.
Persornally, I learned my photo tricks with an old-schoo film camera with no flash. This has gotten me to the point where I almost never use a flash.

So, if you want a nice picture of the blade lit up, put the shutter speed (probably known as exposure speed) a little slower than normal. If you have a light meter, and know how to use it, use it! (then again, if you do, you probably already know this info)
Tripods are best, but if you don't have one, here are some other alternatives:
Shoebox-stair case. Basically, put some fabric down (unless you have really clean carpeting) and put the saber down on top. Get a shoebox, or something similar, and just use that as the camera's own tripod.
Now, if you want to have a picture of you holding the saber, like, next to your face or something, get another shoebox thing, and stand them up in a kind of staircase array. This way you can angle up the lens (this is when it pays to have a camera with a non-digital viewfinder). If you want to look really tall, put this setup on the floor. If you want a more head-on view, put the setup on something resembling a table.
This can also obviously work for pictures of just the hilt, so you don't get any nasty lens flare whiting out the shot.

This was also mentioned, but if you don't have a photo-editing program, you may want to play with your lighting settings on your camera. Every brand is different, but basically, realize that flourescent lights will sometimes cast a bluish-tint, while incandescent lights will almost always put an orangish-yellowy tint. Outside may be your best bet, but even then, the contrast may be off. There are normally settings on the camera that will compensate for these things. Each one is different, so read the manual!

As for photo editing... if you want free, GIMP is the way to go. If you want to pay a little more, Photoshop Elements is a lot cheaper than real Photoshop, and has most of what you would need for basic photomanipualtion, and editing. Also, there is sometimes free-trial versions of Paint Shop Pro that can be handy.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by scaloth

speaking of photographing lightsabers.....does anyone have a picture of an LED saber with a red blade? i looked on the gallery and wasn't sure if the one red saber there was an LED or an EL. i'm thinking of making my next saber LED but i don't want to attempt it if the best "red" i'll get is just as orange as it is red.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

i think i posted the mr vader converted, but maybe i didnt i dont remember .

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Lan-Ed-Tul
The Brotherhood Of The Sith

You dont know the POWER, of the dark side...