DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

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

Submit A Story

The StrobePack Is A Wearable Glittering DIY Lighting Studio

Jul 23, 2013 by Guest Author 19 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

The basic goal of the StrobePack, is to provide high-quality lighting at night and in low-light conditions, although it can be used in daylight, it really works best with low ambient light. It allows low-ISO, long-exposure, higher aperture shooting, which results in sharp, clean subjects while still soaking in ambient light sources.

StrobePack self-shot

The rig was originally built at Dragon*Con in Atlanta in 2011, with a military ALICE pack frame, two light stands, and some duct tape. In September of 2012, my friend Jason LaJudice fabricated a cross beam that provides a secure mount for the strobes and modifiers, it currently holds two SB-600s firing through 24″ white umbrellas, triggered by a Phottix Odin system. The Odins solved the last big issue in the project, which was remote power control, since once the pack is on my back, I can no longer reach the strobes.

2013 Dallas Suscon.

Rear view

The original light mounts were two Gorillapod magnetics, but they weren’t a stable mount on the ALICE pack, so I mounted the light stands along the side-rails of the pack. While this did increase stability dramatically, it also raised my center of gravity about four feet above my head, and made getting through doors a little difficult. In 2012 I switched from umbrellas to soft boxes, this was much easier to do once the crossbeam was attached to the pack, lowering the center of gravity and moving the mount points for the strobes to the sides about 2.5 feet. I recently switched back to 24″ white shoot-throughs to reduce weight.

dd1301230120

spoonfed353

spoonfed111

While photography is the primary purpose of the StrobePack, since its original creation, I have become involved with the local Burn community (“Burners” are people who attend Burning Man each year in the Nevada desert), and one thing Burners like is stuff that glows, blinks or flashes. The reason behind this, is that Burning man is in the desert, and deserts get pretty dark at night, so people illuminate themselves to avoid being run over by bicycles and other vehicles. I wanted the StrobePack to be obvious to avoid people running into it, and also to serve as a way to let people know I was taking pictures. I bought an LED strip lighting kit and wrapped the StrobePack with it, I later added a sound activated controller for the lights, as well as a speaker & PA system, essentially turning the StrobePack into a “DiscoPack”.

2013 Dallas Suscon.

The addition of the light & sound systems changed the way people interact with the StrobePack – while it has always drawn attention to itself, people now actively engage with it; this interaction is the basis for a media project that I’ve put together for this year’s Burning Man. The StrobePack will be used as a mobile portrait studio and dance party, randomly setting up at various points on the playa throughout the night. Again, because the StrobePack uses longer exposure times, the glow from Burner’s self-illumination will soak into the image, not be blown out by the flash.

The current setup uses two Nikon SB-600s, a Phottix Odin system, 24″ white shoot-throughs (which can be replaced with 24″x28″ soft boxes for shorter shoots where weight isn’t an issue). These are all mounted via a Cowboy Studio T-bracket, which is then attached to the pack mounts. My camera is a Nikon D90, although I’m hoping to replace it with a D7100 very soon. The LED lighting & sound system are currently powered by a Paul C Buff Vagabond Mini, although I’m trying to figure out a more efficient power source.

Astro Santas

About The Author

Mark Kaplan is a photographer based in Dallas, Texas. He runs Naked Lens Photography, documenting such subcultures as burlesque, body suspension and the Burn community. You can follow his utterly NSFW Flickr here. If you want to see him (and the SrobePack) in Burning Man, you can pitch in on his fundraiser here.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailStudio Lighting – Really cheap homemade diy studio – no lighting needed Default ThumbnailStudio Lighting – The Ghetto Studio Default ThumbnailStudio Lighting – Lighting Diagrams, Planning and Explaining Default ThumbnailVirtual Lighting Studio Let You Light & Shoot With No Studio

Filed Under: DIY

« Everybody Street Trailer Makes You Wanna Grab A Camera and Hit The Streets
Peter Hurley-ish Look On The Cheap With One Strobe And Reflectors »

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

  • Insta360’s new teaser says they’re entering the gimbal market
  • Users report blurry photos from Samsung Galaxy S23/S23+ cameras
  • Whale with severe scoliosis captured by drone video
  • Photographer builds 11-foot electronic waste skull to show Bitcoin’s impact on climate change
  • Fuji’x April X Summit reported to be cancelled

Alex 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

Dave 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 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 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