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Band Your Cables for Orderly Photography Travel

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This is a quick photo-travel tip by DIYP reader Don Simpson. Actually it may be really obvious, but I learned that it is better to show the obvious than to assume that everyone already knows it. Actually, it is also a more general travel tip that applies to more than carrying photography gear.

Don’t you hate it how your cables fly about in your bag, and when you are trying to pull out  the batteries charger cable you also fish the USB cable, the pc-sync cable, the super long TTL cord, the power cord, the strip, and a bunch of other cable you did not even know you have?

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Take Long Distance Self Portraits With PocketWizards

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This self portrait on the left by Reuben Krabbe was taken (believe it or not) by Reuben Krabbe. Now, I know that you know that time/space fabric will tear if a person is present at two different places in the same time.

So, once we remove the impossible option we remain with the possible option – Pocket Wizards. 

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Camera Shutter Release Cable Extension Kit

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We’ve had our share of photography cables, dead mouse included. We even had a flash TTL extension cord.

This project from Brian Carey – whom you may remember from the camera stock project – is not a typical cable, but more of an extension cord. The nice thing about it is that it lays out the basics for almost any cable work.

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Calling All Agents: Kilometers Long Remote Camera Shutter Trigger

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While this is not the first shutter release cable project that was featured here (we had a vanilla shutter release cable and a mouse one before) it is definitely the first to feature a walkie-talkie, and the first to beat the 3 meters range.

As a kid I was fascinated by walkie-talkies. Mind you this was way before the days of twitting-via-your-iPhone-while-getting-your-kids-picture-in-mail-and-SMSing-your-boss-that-you-are-going-to-miss-the-meeting-cause-your-stuck-in-traffic days.

The mere concept that I can talk to a friend hundreds of meters away… And do it with a Spiderman looking device…

Now, would it be nice if the same distant magic could apply to triggering your camera? Sure, you can do this with a pair of pocket wizards, but not for that distance and not for this price. Marco Jetti pulled this off. Read on for the full story.

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Two Power Tips For The Traveling Photographer

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So, I’m going on a few days trip abroad, let’s see what’s in my bag: Laptop, Image bank, battery charger for my flash batteries, Camera battery charger and cell phone. Socket adapter for laptop power charger, power line for laptop charger, Socket adapter for cell phone charger, socket adapter for Image bank, power wire for battery charger … Are you bored yet? What’s with all those wires and socket adapters?

Here are two tips for the traveling photographer that will save you precious suitcase space and money. Not to mention reduce the number of items you need to cross of your traveling check list.

Of course, you can always take your power with you and avoid the need for any adapters, but some why I think that an 8 Kg battery will consume you entire suitcase.

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What to Carry; How to Pack; Where to Travel

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How to Pack: Chase Jarvis has done it again. In a series called Chase Jarvis Tech, the Seattle based photographer let us in on the ins and outs (literally) of his photography bags. In this video Chase give us the packing angle. (And as always it is fun to see what’s in the pro’s bag. You can start drooling now)

If you are a photographer on the go, always going from one place to another enjoying them fancy airport lounges this is definitely the vid for you (it beats the hell of caring your gear in a gun case).

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DIY – The Photography and Weapons Store Connection

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Have you ever noticed the weird connection between photography and hunting? You go out to “shoot”; You are “taking shots”; And best of all when a bunch of us photographers get together we call it a “big shootout”.

It turns out that there is yet another connection, the gear connection. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not pro weapons of any kind (other then shooting this person that keeps clinging to me on the bus…), but some of this gear used for guns and rifles can be really useful when dealing with photography equipment.[Read More…]

DIY – The Cheap Yet Shamefull Underwater Camera Housing

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It is reported that Navy SEALS commonly use two condoms to seal firing assemblies for their underwater explosives, having thus coined the term: “Dual Waterproof Firing Assemblies”. This article is a tribute to their ingenuity, and it expands on the concept of the waterproof condom, in order to make a waterproof housing for my digital camera (and other consumer electronics).

(OK, OK, the original title was “Dual Waterproof Consumer Electronics – the condom housing”)[Read More…]

DIY – Release Cable for Canon DSLRs

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This is a very simple diagram and instructions for building a shutter release cable for a canon DSLR.

Cable release is that thingamajig you use when you want to activate your camera, but you do not want to touch it. Why would you want t do this? I can think of two reasons: 1 – you do not want to move the camera by pressing the shutter release button. And 2 – you need to stand away from the camera. Compared with Cannon’s RS60 E3 this is a real nice deal.[Read More…]

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