Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Over the years, I’ve invested in many ways to hold lighting equipment, but recently I found a light stand that seems to get very little attention. The K&F Concept Heavy Duty Light Stand.
Now the name a little misleading. This light stand is more of a sturdy travel light stand, and you should use it accordingly.
C-stands are undoubtedly one of the most important tools for a setting up (big) lights and other heavy equipment. But while using a C-stand may seem trivial, if not done in the right way it’s just begging for a broken rib/light/head or possibly all three.
The combination of “heavy” with “high” does require some know-how to avoid an accident. And the team at RocketJump Film School share the three critical tips to avoid a stand falling on your head.
Well, there are the trivial ways for mounting a microphone when shooting with DSLR (or with any camera actually), some sometimes, the traditional ways are just not compact enough, or versatile enough or quick enough. And this is where this quick video from DSLR Video Shooter comes handy.
Add to this Rode VideoMic Pro or VideoMic GO and you can create some interesting setups that can really up your audio game. At the end this is about how far away you (or your talent) are away from the mic, this video has five quick (and mostly cheap) ways to mount your microphone for either field or studio usage.
Here is a clever way to attach a GoPro to just about anything. The best thing, it will cost you almost nothing.
Videographer Dustin McLean found out that you don’t need a fancy branded $50 clamp mount for a GoPro, you can actually build a good one yourself for about $20.
If you have your GoPro connected to a tripod mount (which you really should have) then it’s one of the easiest DIYs you saw here on the blog. It involved a Spring Clamp, A Small ballhead, a machine screw and two nuts.
DIYP reader Maor Cohen of Kaveret sent us this sweet tip about using suction pads for securing light stands. It has some huge benefits over carrying several kilos per stand in sand bags. Of course they are easier to carry, not as messy, and provide more security.
The idea is kinda self explanatory from the photo, but Maor sent us some more details about this hack. The suction pad used is a triple suction cup capable of carrying up to 309lb, and originally intended for lifting glass or fixing car dents. (you can also use a smaller double cup version which will support up to 130lb). Next you will have to secure the base of the stand to the suction mount and make sure it is tight and this is it.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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