DIYPhotography.net

Here is a neat idea. If you are shooting against the sun a lot you are probably have your favorite way of blocking the sun to avoid flare. Maybe a fancy lens hood, maybe a nasty flag or a Coroplast frame or maybe even your hand.

If you want to stay consistent and focus on creativity, the folks at Digital Camera World have a great idea for you - build your own super versatile flag.

Using a wire, a few clamps and some bolts you can build a tripod attachable flag that can move around and protect the lens from that killer flare.

[DIY Photography Hacks: build an anti-flare shield with wire and black card] Click to continue ›

Our How I Took I contest is quickly gaining critical mass with all the great tutorials being submitted by you guys. Got some great news on that, the folks at Rosco just chipped in with a LitePad Loop kit.

Raj Khepar submitted a cool tutorial about how he built a rain machine for one of his shoots.

While we have had a rain machine before, this one is quite different in the way it was built and in the final effect it creates.

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In this tutorial Andrea Cosentino shares his technique for getting a very distinct soft light look using a wall and one strobe. This is Andrea's submission for our How I Took It Contest, there are some awesome submissions so far, we'll keep sharing them, you keep 'em coming.

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A while back we did a piece about how to manage your batteries on location. It turned out we left an important bit out of the equation.

We left the actual batteries :) So this is what this poll is about. What batteries go into your strobe? We wanna hear in the comments.

While this question may seem trivial, there is a huge difference in some aspects of the batteries you use: Click to continue ›

If you thought that carrying a gun on a flight can get you in trouble, think again. Haje Jan Kamps shares an interesting tip on how to use a gun to make sure your photography equipment does not get lost (or accidentally lost) by an airline.

A gun tucked with your luggage forces the airline to take extra precautions that it wont get lost, otherwise it is a big mess for everyone.

Here is the nice thing, you dont even need a "real" gun. A starter gun is under less regulation and in some countries does not need a permit, but will get you the same treatment. Click to continue ›

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that we are a big fans of reflectors. I would say that the 5-in-1 reflector is probably one of the most useful items a photographer can have in their bag. It is cheap and can serve for shade, a backdrop in a pinch and, of course, reflecting light.

The only caveat with the 5-in-1 is that it is usually a rather smallish item. Maybe 43" in diameter.

So, it has become kind of a ritual. Every year I take portraits of every kid in my daughter's class. This has been the 5th year and it got me thinking about stuff.

But first, here is the general idea. Each year I go to my daughter's school and take pictures of all the kids in her class. There is no preset date for this, but I try to hit one of two events: Purim (where everyone shows up in a custom) or very close to end of year.

I do not charge for these pictures, nor do I hand businesses cards to the parents. The teacher and parents are free to use the pictures as they please and more than once, the pictures found themselves in birthday calendars, fridge magnets and T-shirts.

I use a very similar setup each year, with the same collapsible backdrop. Usually with one strobe and umbrella on the kids and another gelled on the backdrop.

There is no monetary compensation in doing this kind of project, but I consider it to be one of my best personal projects as it intertwines with so many aspects of my life.

If you've been reading the DIYP for any length of time, you know that we love jibs. We love them because they provide an easy way to get high production value. Our last few jibs were the kind of jibs you make by going to home depot and spending an afternoon of screwing, bolting and hacking at pieces of metal.

On the other hand we never show the really high end jibs as those can be really expensive.

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New York based photographer Ian Spanier had Muscular Development ask him to shoot pro bodybuilder and four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler.

For budgetary reasons, Ian was sent solo with no assistant. Not wanting to shoot available light on one hand and not wanting to have setup time interfere with the flow of the day, Ian came up with an original solution.

Ian rigged a Photoflex OctoDome nxt to a Lowepro Scope Porter 200 AW Backpack to get a nice diffused light coming from over head (or slightly sided if he bent his neck the right way).

It turned out that the scope porter, originally intended for bird watchers was also a perfect rig for a light-in-a-bag. Ian mentions a Velcro pad that he could move to change the height of the octadome as well as use it to place a large capacity  battery.

While kina funny looking, Ian tells that is was a great lighting setup and definitely worth the staring eyes.

For the full story and loose instructions, head over to Ian's blog.

[Gotta work solo but want a nice light? This may help via Ian Spanier] Click to continue ›

I know that usually this site is about more gear, but this post is about less gear. Michael Sasser of Sasser Stills uses nothing but good directing an assistant and one 5-in-1 reflector to produce gorgeous results in a senior portrait session.

I know that I am totally stealing his cat walk move from 0:30

[via SLR Lounge | Fstoppers] Click to continue ›