DIYPhotography.net

Some time ago, I was contacted by B&H to do a review on Impact's Collapsible Background (Black and White 5' X 7').

I love using collapsible backdrops on location as they give me some freedom with regards to choosing a background. While I prefer working with existing walls / plants / fences to crate appealing backgrounds, this is not always possible. And this is where the collapsible comes in handy. Click to continue ›

A few days ago I was shooting Brith Party. Actually, I was not shooting the Brith itself, but an after party taking part a few days later. (Heavens help me if I had to shoot the actual ceremony).

Since I get a lot of how/what-to-pack questions, I thought that my preparation process is worth sharing via a post. While this may be very trivial for some, it can be a life saver for others. And even if you are doing this for a long time, it is a still a great thinking experiment.

Well the uncomplicated truth is that I use Check Lists. Read on to hear how and why. Click to continue ›

Four days ago, we had a post about making gloves that fit taking pictures in a cold weather. We also had a giveaway for Etre Touchy gloves.

Well, the Etre Touchy Contest is over and we have our three winners. Scroll to the end to find out if you are one of the Lucky bare handed who get a pair of the coolest photog gloves ever. We had 215 submissions, some had some great tips, some were hilarious to read (yup, I read them all) and some were simply opt-in which is also cool. Thanks for everybody who took the time to chim in.

Random.org provided us with the winning numbers. However, just before we announce the winners, I'd like to share some of the really useful tips we got through the comments Click to continue ›

Have you ever tried to photograph a wolf on a wild terrain when it is sub-zero outside? If you have, you must know that gloves are a photographer's friend. Of course, gloves can be a nemesis as well, if they are making you clumsy and take away your ability to press them little camera buttons.

I am going to show three ways to handle gloves clumsiness fever and then we will have a giveaway at the end. Click to continue ›

UPDATE: IanW has a good point in the comments that flashes can go thermal on you. He is right. Pop to hard and too fast and you will overheat. "Fire a flash too frequently with this setup and you will destroy it due
to overheating, unless it's got a thermal cutout (most don't)."

UPDATE 2: if you're gonna do this, make sure you're doing this on a 6V flash, i.e. 4 AA batteries. This will fry your flash if it is a 3V flash (2 AAs)

We write quite a bit about portable strobes. If you've been around for a while you may remember an older version of those strobes. The Sunpak family. While I have not used them myself (too young, sorry), those behemoth shoot at a staggering GN of 48 (meters) and have the look and feel to support it. That makes them ideal for sun swamped on location lighting. The nice thing is that they are old enough to be bought at ridiculously low prices second hand.

The following post about portable power source for small flashes (and Sunpak 611 in particular) is written by John Hagar (blog). Click to continue ›

The following guest post about the best invention since the invention of the power cord (and saving space while traveling) is made by Simon Williams of Simon James Williams Photography.

You’ve been looking for something that will change your photography forever, something you’ve never quite been able to put your finger on, the “Zen” some people say that you have been looking for.

You have the best camera that your wife (or husband) will allow – in fact you’ve got more mega-pixels at your disposal that the Hubble space telescope. You are in more debt than the Lehman Brothers website designer because of it. Click to continue ›

This is a quick photo-travel tip by DIYP reader Don Simpson. Actually it may be really obvious, but I learned that it is better to show the obvious than to assume that everyone already knows it. Actually, it is also a more general travel tip that applies to more than carrying photography gear.

Don't you hate it how your cables fly about in your bag, and when you are trying to pull out  the batteries charger cable you also fish the USB cable, the pc-sync cable, the super long TTL cord, the power cord, the strip, and a bunch of other cable you did not even know you have?

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If you've read the small backdrops post on Studio @ home, you know I am now on some R&R with wify. Of course I am packed for the ride with my photography gear. Aside from a camera I wanted to share how I pack my flash things. I got this tip from a long while ago at Strobist and here is my adaptation: The Portable Flash Pack.

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So, I'm going on a few days trip abroad, let's see what's in my bag: Laptop, Image bank, battery charger for my flash batteries, Camera battery charger and cell phone. Socket adapter for laptop power charger, power line for laptop charger, Socket adapter for cell phone charger, socket adapter for Image bank, power wire for battery charger ... Are you bored yet? What's with all those wires and socket adapters?

Here are two tips for the traveling photographer that will save you precious suitcase space and money. Not to mention reduce the number of items you need to cross of your traveling check list.

Of course, you can always take your power with you and avoid the need for any adapters, but some why I think that an 8 Kg battery will consume you entire suitcase.

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