The 2009 "$1 Store" Lightsaber Contest.
- Thread starter RPF Staff
- Start date
Saber Concepts
Well-Known Member
Count me in. I will be making a trip to the Dollar Tree tonight. lol
fabrik
Active Member
I only had Pound Land, Pound World, Pound Empire, Pound & Bargin... Oh and the pound (not sure what i could get for a quid from there though)course all i have around me is Family Dollar or Dollar General
Got it, thanks, and I sent you a PM to confurm. So far, yours is the only one I have recieved.
fabrik
Active Member
I finished today! i'll be taking some pics when i get home (before i have to start doing Thanksgiving-y jobs! Expect my pics tonight.
I'm pretty uber excited, can't wait to see all the entries (even though i'm sure by comparison mine'll look ropey)
feel free to skip this post, it's just me babbling. :lol
With the entry deadline less then a week away, and pics starting to come in. I thought I would give a little photo tip.
Since you are not allowed to alter your pic in anyway (i.e. photoshopping in a blade, or anything else that is not actually there. ) I know it can be hard to photograph, lighted parts, when the camera flash is brighter then the light on the saber. So, here is my suggestion. (I will not count this as altering your photo, as you are just showing what is there.)
option one: If you have a tripod, or sturdy surface to put your camera on, do so. Then turn the lights on your saber on, and the ones in the room off. Turn the flash off, and if your camera has a "double exposure" feature, set it to that now. And take a picture. Do not move your camera at all. Turn on the lights, in the room (they wont hurt anything now), and turn the flash back on. And take another pic over top of the first one.
Option 2 : If your camera doesn't have a "double exposure" mode, look for a setting like "bulb" that will let you hold the shutter open manually. then just have someone hold a manual flash, or a cheepy camera with a flash. (anything with a flash) Turn off the lights in the room, and the flash (for now), and turn the lights on the saber on. Hold the shutter open for a little bit (us a tripod for this whole thing) then when you think you've got a good exposure of the lights on the saber, you, or your friend, should pop the flash once. This will have the same effect as the other method, but it takes a lot more playing around to get it right.
option 3: If your camera does not have a "double exposure" mode, or a way to manually hold the shutter open. Then just set your camera to auto. Turn out the lights in the room, turn the ones on your saber on, star your exposure, (on a tripod of course) and then when you think it's got a good exposure of the sabers lights, and before the shutter closes, pop the flash, it should cause the camera to end the exposure. This wont work quite as well, but it will still be better then letting the flash wash the lights on your saber out.
All of these should yield a good pic, of your saber, with the lighted areas having a nice glow to them. ( and it will work, weather you used a glow stick, LEDs, or bulbs..) If you don't get the pic you want the first time, keep trying, and you may want to play with the exposure setings. (F stop, shutter speed, etc. )
P.S If you don't think your camera has any of the above modes,, check your manual. If after doing so, you find your camera does in fact not have any of them, promptly walk over to the nearest trash receptacle, place your camera in side, and go out an buy yourself a real camera.
Oh, and of course, if your saber doesn't have any light up parts, that's just fine, you truly have as much of a chance of winning as anyone else. My Photo teacher always used to say, "you can put all the bells, and bows, you want on a pile of cat poo, but in the end it's still a pile of cat poo." (I cleaned that up a bit. :lol ) Not that anyone's saber looks like cat poo, lighted, or not, I'm just saying a good saber, is a good saber, with, or without a blade, with, or without, lights, with, or without a traditional design.
With the entry deadline less then a week away, and pics starting to come in. I thought I would give a little photo tip.
Since you are not allowed to alter your pic in anyway (i.e. photoshopping in a blade, or anything else that is not actually there. ) I know it can be hard to photograph, lighted parts, when the camera flash is brighter then the light on the saber. So, here is my suggestion. (I will not count this as altering your photo, as you are just showing what is there.)
option one: If you have a tripod, or sturdy surface to put your camera on, do so. Then turn the lights on your saber on, and the ones in the room off. Turn the flash off, and if your camera has a "double exposure" feature, set it to that now. And take a picture. Do not move your camera at all. Turn on the lights, in the room (they wont hurt anything now), and turn the flash back on. And take another pic over top of the first one.
Option 2 : If your camera doesn't have a "double exposure" mode, look for a setting like "bulb" that will let you hold the shutter open manually. then just have someone hold a manual flash, or a cheepy camera with a flash. (anything with a flash) Turn off the lights in the room, and the flash (for now), and turn the lights on the saber on. Hold the shutter open for a little bit (us a tripod for this whole thing) then when you think you've got a good exposure of the lights on the saber, you, or your friend, should pop the flash once. This will have the same effect as the other method, but it takes a lot more playing around to get it right.
option 3: If your camera does not have a "double exposure" mode, or a way to manually hold the shutter open. Then just set your camera to auto. Turn out the lights in the room, turn the ones on your saber on, star your exposure, (on a tripod of course) and then when you think it's got a good exposure of the sabers lights, and before the shutter closes, pop the flash, it should cause the camera to end the exposure. This wont work quite as well, but it will still be better then letting the flash wash the lights on your saber out.
All of these should yield a good pic, of your saber, with the lighted areas having a nice glow to them. ( and it will work, weather you used a glow stick, LEDs, or bulbs..) If you don't get the pic you want the first time, keep trying, and you may want to play with the exposure setings.
(F stop, shutter speed, etc. )P.S If you don't think your camera has any of the above modes,, check your manual. If after doing so, you find your camera does in fact not have any of them, promptly walk over to the nearest trash receptacle, place your camera in side, and go out an buy yourself a real camera.
Oh, and of course, if your saber doesn't have any light up parts, that's just fine, you truly have as much of a chance of winning as anyone else. My Photo teacher always used to say, "you can put all the bells, and bows, you want on a pile of cat poo, but in the end it's still a pile of cat poo." (I cleaned that up a bit. :lol ) Not that anyone's saber looks like cat poo, lighted, or not, I'm just saying a good saber, is a good saber, with, or without a blade, with, or without, lights, with, or without a traditional design.
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00MrNotWrong00
Sr Member
:cry There was supposed to be pictures by now :cry
Na, like it says in the rules, I'm not posting pics until the entry period is over, so no-one takes anyone else's idea, and tries to improve on it. Plus I don't want anyone to be discourage by the work of others here.
But on the bright side, the entry period is going to be over in a little less then a week, and not long after that, the pics will be up.
Witch reminds me. I was thinking today, that I wasn't very clear in the rules about the deadline. It will be midnight December 1st as determined by the Internet. In other words, many of us live in different time zones, and I don't feel it would be fare to cut everyone off, just because it's midnight here in Columbus, Ohio. USA. so I will be going by the time, and date stamp, on your entry e-mail, or PM. So as long as your e-mail, or PM is dated before midnight December 1st you will be fine.
But on the bright side, the entry period is going to be over in a little less then a week, and not long after that, the pics will be up.
Witch reminds me. I was thinking today, that I wasn't very clear in the rules about the deadline. It will be midnight December 1st as determined by the Internet. In other words, many of us live in different time zones, and I don't feel it would be fare to cut everyone off, just because it's midnight here in Columbus, Ohio. USA. so I will be going by the time, and date stamp, on your entry e-mail, or PM. So as long as your e-mail, or PM is dated before midnight December 1st you will be fine.
Bizarro Lois
Sr Member
I'm glad you did that, because I might scrap mine if I saw what other people were doing. Just let me have these last few days to believe that mine looks good. :lol
fabrik
Active Member
I concur whole-heartedly! 4 days left to dream about that arc reactor paperweight.
Me too, dreaming of that Graflex until those dreams are smashed by some other persons work!
Kenobius
Active Member
And done! I really didn't have time for this contest, but something kept tugging at me to at least try it.
I had a great time stalking the dollar stores, I hope themed builds like this continue in the future. As someone who doesn't have a whole lot of fancy equipment, I can appreciate some challenges that makes you think outside the norm.
EDIT: Jason, my connection went a little loopy when I was sending over the PM, did you get anything? I'm honestly not sure if it sent or not.
I had a great time stalking the dollar stores, I hope themed builds like this continue in the future. As someone who doesn't have a whole lot of fancy equipment, I can appreciate some challenges that makes you think outside the norm.
EDIT: Jason, my connection went a little loopy when I was sending over the PM, did you get anything? I'm honestly not sure if it sent or not.
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Tan Djarka
Master Member
I've been in several dollar stores during the course of this contest and haven't seen a single thing worth making a saber out of. Where are you guys shopping?
There's one independent store I haven't been to in a while that used to have some decent stuff I can check. Maybe I can get it in under the wire.
There's one independent store I haven't been to in a while that used to have some decent stuff I can check. Maybe I can get it in under the wire.
fuelish
Sr Member
My advice* is put the traditional lightsaber out of your mind. You need a series of shapes to make an oblong object you can hold in one hand, that looks like a beam could come out of one end. Pick up some bottles and glasses, do they feel like a grip. Look for things you can cut apart to get a usuable piece, the end of a candle holder or a wheel off a toy car for the emitter.
Think about how it will look with a coat of paint and some dry brushing, this makes a huge(HUGE) difference.
You don't even need it to fit your hand. You could go super scale, the thing might be 8" in dia. but proportioned so that it appears to be hand held(I am making a bit of an assumption, but the rules don't say it needs to be hand held)
*This is the advice of someone that has never done this kind of scratchbuild before.
Think about how it will look with a coat of paint and some dry brushing, this makes a huge(HUGE) difference.
You don't even need it to fit your hand. You could go super scale, the thing might be 8" in dia. but proportioned so that it appears to be hand held(I am making a bit of an assumption, but the rules don't say it needs to be hand held)
*This is the advice of someone that has never done this kind of scratchbuild before.
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