DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Eight ways to use a garbage bag in your photo and video shoots

Jun 22, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic 3 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

A plastic bag is one of those things that are always handy to have in your gear bag. In this video, Dave Knop a.k.a. Knoptop shows you eight ways a simple garbage bag can make your life easier. So, here are the “trashy” shooting hacks for shooting photos of videos.

1. Window light diffuser

If there’s a harsh sunlight coming through a window, you can use a white garbage bag to diffuse the light. Just throw it over a window and attach it with some Scotch tape, and voila.

2. Reflector

Again, you’ll need a white garbage bag for this “trashy” hack. You can use it as a reflector to fill in the shadows on your subject’s face. It does the trick.

3. Ground protector

If the ground is wet or dirty and you need to lay your gear down – a plastic bag comes to the rescue. Just put it on the ground first and then you can safely lay your gear on top of it.

4. Rain protection

In case of a sudden rain, it’s always good to have a plastic bag. You can wrap it around your camera and lens and keep shooting. Or you can wrap it around the entire bag and run for cover, like I did here:

5. Rain foley sounds

Who would have thought: you can make a sound of rain with a plastic bag. And it sounds pretty decent!

6. White balance

If you don’t have a grey card but have a white trash bag, it can help you tune white balance properly.

7. Sandbag

If you need a sandbag, you can fill up a trash bag with sand or rocks. And in a matter of seconds, you’ll have a DIY sandbag to use in the field.

8. China ball

Blow a white garbage bag and mount it over LED lights. And you’ve got yourself a DIY Chine ball (sort of). Just remember not to use it with hot studio lights, because it will melt.

Bonus tip:

If your garbage bag has a drawstring in it, you can pull it out and use it as a marker when you’re out in the field. use it when you’re doing location scouting or if you need to mark important things like low branches, tripod or production gear.

Personally, I always have a plastic bag around, and it’s definitely one of those things you can find handy in plenty of ways. How about you? Do you always have one in your gear bag? And are there any tricks you’d like to share?

[8 Trashy Filmmaking HACKS! via No Film School]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How to take awesome paint splash photos with a speaker, a garbage bag and some noise Five creative ways to use smoke bombs in your photo and video shoots Insta360’s new Titan houses eight Micro Four Thirds sensors and shoots up to 11K 360° video Satellite photo shows the garbage Perseverance put on Mars

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: bag, Dave Knop, garbage, knoptop, plastic, trash

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« 3 easy and inexpensive setups for shooting product videos
How to avoid checking in when flying with camera gear »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Fujifilm announces shipping delays for the new Fuji X-S20
  • International Photography Awards reveals breathtaking 2022 winners (mildly NSFW)
  • 7artisans launches a 24mm f/1.4 lens for only $109
  • DIYP Quiz: So, you think you know film cameras?
  • Jollylook Pinhole SQUARE DIY pinhole camera kit shoots Instax square film

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy