Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Getting a monitor on a DSLR* can be tricky. Base plates, cages, and magic arms all come to mind. If you want something a little more compact, cold-shoe ball mount is the go-to option.
Caleb Pike has a sweet little solution that uses GoPro parts that make a mount that only tilts and does not rotate or pivot. This makes it extra easy to tilt the screen with one hand and not worry about it rotating around. It stays perfectly aligned.
One of the biggest advantages of mobile photography for me is geotagging. An iPhone has been my go-to location scouting camera for about the past five years now. In an instant I can bring up a map of the world. Then scroll through it to find my images and where I shot them. More recently, I’ve switched over to using a DSLR with built in GPS. Flicking through Google maps with a mouse is ok, but it’s just not the same.
Well, Switzerland based designer by the name of Caroline Buttet has come up with an amazing solution. She’s made her own interactive touch-sensitive globe that controls the images shown on her monitor. All you do is tap the country you want to see, then spin the globe to browse the images.
If you’re looking for a neat and simple way for storing light stands, tripods and booms, guys from The Film Look have come up with a simple solution and they share it in their latest video. All it takes are some screws, hooks and two pieces of bungee cord, and you’re all set.
The stands and tripods usually end up crammed in a corner of the room or behind the door. This makes it difficult to reach the right one, especially if you’re trying not to tip over all the others. The storage hack from this video helps you organize the stands better, make them easily accessible, and also use up the otherwise unused space. And you’ll have to agree, it’s always good to use the extra space to the max.
Tripods have been here for ages. Probably way before cameras existed. Heck, they were used to cook animals over an open fire. And weight matters. The load capacity on a tripod is one of the first features a tripod lists (along with self-weight and max height).
But, if you can’t find a tripod that is sturdy enough, pipe maker Simplified Building, has a build for a QuadPod. It’s not very portable, not very light and definitely not fancy, but it can carry heavy gear to impressive heights.
If you are asking yourself why you would need such a tall and sturdy tripod, look at the Mega Mast, which is the non-DIY version of this device. (DIYP reviews the Mega Mast here)
In light of all the recent reports on Sony cameras getting hot during shooting, it is no wonder that the community is turning to self-made solutions.
And since may of those reports focus on heat coming from the overhead sun, photographer Senya Alman came up with a small camera personal roof. this roof is made from a small cold shoe adaptor, a basic swivel and a small black and white foam board (you can probably use white foam board as well).
It was a while ago now that I posted about using a single light to create a stunning beauty setup with only an additional reflector. At the time that article was shared and posted everywhere including all the big photo sites. In fact it seemed so popular at the time that the link I shared within the article that linked back to a cheap reflector sold nearly 60 of them in a couple of hours hahaha (if only I’d been selling reflectors that day 😉 ). But if you missed it, here’s the basics; the setup requires a medium sized silver reflector with a lens sized hole in the middle of it and a large softbox…that’s it.
For the complete article and details please follow the link here, Simplest and most effective single single light setup I’ve ever used.
So now that you’ve read that and you now have your reflector with a hole in it, it’s now time to take it to the next level. As those that have been following my work for a while will know, it was only a matter of time before I added some colour to this technique and although this won’t blow you away with colour, it’s a subtle look that can certainly add a little more interest to a currently simple looking shot.
We have shared plenty of great ideas for making your own DIY ring light. Now, another cheap and quick solution comes from The Lighting Channel. They have shared a tutorial on making your own ring light using only three items, and it’s all done in a couple of minutes. And it’s not only quick and easy to make, but the components will cost you less than $20.
A professional leather harness can cost up to a few hundred dollars. If you want to save some cash and still have a great-looking and safe harness for your gear, there is a DIY method to do it. Duncan Dimanche will guide you through it in his latest video. You will need a couple of items for around $70, and in about half an hour you can make a sleek leather harness on your own.[Read More…]
Guys at raw.exchange offer tons of great resources for photographers and retouchers. They are devoted and serious and put a lot of effort in their packages, and for this article, they shared with us how they built a “rusty wall” background – out of wood!
“Why would you make a DIY rusty wall” you may ask. Well, one of the very attractive packages is their Rusty Wall background textures. It features 82 hi-res background textures of a rusty way, taken from different perspectives. And although they are master retouchers, their background is a real deal. So, if you’re less into Photoshop and more into DIY and building, or just curious to see how raw.exchange background comes to life – carry on reading. The kind guys from raw.exchange shared with DIYP how to make the rusty wall background out of wood.
There are some non-photographic things photographers always have around. It’s not only gaff tape, but Foamcore or foam board can be your best friend in many photo and video projects. Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter shows you five ways you can use it for photography and video and improve your work on the cheap.
You can find foam board online or even in dollar stores. It comes in different sizes and colors, but Caleb particularly talks about black and white and how you can use it for photography and video shooting. So, here are some ideas.
You can find out more about John on his website or follow him on Facebook and YouTube.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
