DIYPhotography.net

I guess none of you'd be surprised if we start this post by saying that location matters. In fact it is probably one of the more dominant elements of a photograph.

This is pretty much what most photographers gather after a few months of shooting. Actually, it is bigger than that, a location can make or break a photo, and if you have a "picture in your head" the further your location is from your vision, the more work (or compromises) you'll need to get to your final image.

So, why am I telling you what you already know? Because until recently (actually until I made this very photograph) I have always looked for a location that would match my vision and will need as little changes as possible to get to that final result. Click to continue ›

Hypersync is a mechanism that allows shooting at a high shutter speed while still using a strobe.

Photographer Chris Garrison, who shoots for Red Bull has a great interview where he explains the concept along with several setups for water based action photography. Click to continue ›

I know that Flapjack sounds as far as possible from photography, but videographer Andy Bieber so cleverly made those into the most awesome grip ever!

Click to continue ›

The Frugal Film Maker by Scott Eggleston is a great resource if you wanna take DIYing from stills to Video. In this installment Scott talks about a his always-in-the-trunk lighting kit. The kit is basically a plastic tote that can be a life saver whenever you arrive at a location that needs basic lighting.

The kit includes a set of hacked worklights, clamp lights, various bulbs and extension cords, a few low wattage light sources and various other goodies. And, of course, gaffers tape.

This got me thinking about compiling a similar kit for photography, something that will have some very basic and cheap stuff that I can always leave in the trunk of my car and not be worried about someone stealing it. I will share more on that as the kit is built. In the meantime I was wondering about your basic kits. Share in the comments. Click to continue ›

It is probably no big wizardry to show up on scene with $20,000 worth of light and create a stunning lighting setup for an interview. Actually, even if you do own that much gear, you would still have to know what you're doing, but this is another story.

It is more impressive to show up on scene with $26 worth of light and come up with a decent interview light. Of course, this is not something I would do if I had a paying client, but it is a great way to play and learn about interview lighting if you are a starving student. Click to continue ›

If you go out on location alone you know that one of the more frustrating things are the walks back and from the car hauling gear. The other thing is that you have to reposition the lights yourself.

Photographer Joseph Philbert was inspired by Peter Nguyen with a clever way to solve one and ease on the other. He uses a golf cart both as a personal U-haul and a self contained mini studio with batteries, light stands, modifiers and wheels. Click to continue ›

Now, shooting underwater has a whole set of built-in challenges that we earth photographers don't really have to deal with on regular terms. The lack of breathable oxygen is one, mixing wet and electricity is another and the cream is that radio triggers don't really play nicely under water.

JP Danko from blurMEDIA Photography regularly shoots underwater so he had to come up with a solution that will both keep the strobes dry and just as important make them pop. Got to hand it to JP. He made a pretty smart rig (and I am not talking about the ducky float his assistant/wife uses to boom some light from above, which is simple yet genius). Click to continue ›

Kevin Good and the team at Weapons Of Mass Production put out an awesome primer on combining strobes and  continuous lighting.

Among the things they inspect is how DSLRs which use a mirror differ in sync speed from cameras that use electronic or leaf shutter like the Fuji X100. Hit the jump for the full video. Click to continue ›

If you ever dubbed in shooting landscapes photograph you know that cloudy skies make for a great dramatic scene. But what happens when clouds turn to rain?

Here is a smart solution: Equip your tripod with an umbrella holder. (and we don't mean a shoot through brolli). It only takes a few brackets and clamps to make a nice looking umbrella holder, and I estimate this as a 1 hour project including the trip to Home Depot. This will definitely keep you dry as long as you remember to sand the heck out of that tripod.

You can read the full tutorial over at Digital Camera World.

P.S. Think landscapes will get you wet? Try capturing lightnings.

[DIY Photography Hacks: stay dry with a hands-free umbrella holder for your tripod] Click to continue ›

If your baby has grown up and no longer needs a stroller, don't throw it away. Photographer Jim Davenport found a cool use for it replacing the conventional way to carry gear.

That may sound trivial, the stroller is capable of carrying a full small on the go studio. in one load.  As anyone who carried babies for long durations knows, It is way (WAY) easier to carry lots of gear in a stroller, rater then in on your back / hands.

Adn if that was not enough, the stroller (plust some velcro straps) doubles as quick on the go lightstand support, eliminating some of the need for sand bags.

Plus This is how Jim describes it:

"For the time being I am using velcro straps to connect the light stand to the stroller handle. The straps work pretty well but I do want to customize the stroller a little. My bag and tripod fit on the stroller, my softbox fits in the pocket on the back, and my box with remote releases, filters, etc., fits underneath so it work pretty well as it is'

If you have a photographer as significant other, this may be the card in your sleeve for convincing them to get that high-end stroller for your new born.

[Jogging Stroller 2 via Jim Davenport's photostream] Click to continue ›