Category: DIY

  • DIY Camera Wrist Strap Paracord

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    Jan
    in

    I haven’t used a regular neck strap in years. In fact, I rarely use a strap at all. When I do use a strap (mainly when shooting a wedding and I’m using two bodies) it’s a sling strap. Most other times I shoot out of a bag so long straps just get in the way.…

  • DIY Photography Light Stand Sandbag

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    Jan
    in

    If you don’t have the luxury of a “voice activated light stand” when using off-camera flash, then sand bags are often a necessity, especially when working outdoors. I knew I could make a better sandbag for a lot less than what’s out there, so I did! I also wanted a specific color webbing handle so…

  • DIY Elinchrom Ranger Quadra Speed Ring

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    Jan
    in

    I have a 53″ Rotalux that I use for my main light but I wanted another softbox (with grid) to use for rim lighting or when I don’t need something so large. As seen in my other blog posts, I have a 2×3 Amvona softbox, which has already been through two iterations (Mod1, Mod2) so…

  • Design-Your-Own Custom Camera & Photography Gear Bags!

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    Jan
    in ,

    As a photographer, I know all about the endless quest to find that perfect camera/accessory bag. Well what if you didn’t have to search for it and could have it made? I haven’t seen any places offer this so I might try to fill that niche, as I already have the tools and materials to…

  • How to store & organize Strobist gels for Speedlites

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    Jan
    in ,

    Gels are thin translucent sheets of “plastic” used to alter the color of lights and strobes. They can be used for interesting effects like adding a colored background to a portrait, or to “correct” the lighting when multiple kinds of lights are used. For example, fluorescent lights, incandescent lights and speedlites all operate at different…

  • DIY tilt-shift/Lensbaby lens with autofocus confirmation

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    Jan
    in

    Tilt-shift lenses have a few specialized uses. For example, they can alter the plane of focus by “tilting.” This can be used to create a sharp focus along something that is not perpendicular to the film/sensor, or to create an interesting depth of field that can’t be achieved with a normal lens. Depending on the…

  • DIY Speedlite Beauty Dish

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    Jan
    in

    I recently upgraded to Elinchrom strobes but speedlights will always have their place. This post is long overdue as I built this beauty dish over a year ago… In an effort to make my speedlites as versatile as possible, I thought a beauty dish would be a nice addition to my collection of light modifiers.…

  • DIY SLA Battery Pack for Speedlites

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    Jan
    in

    When you don’t mind packing some extra weight and bulk, sealed lead acid (SLA) battery packs are great. They last forever and recycle the flash very quickly (like fresh AAs). Just be careful when shooting at full power that you don’t melt your flash head! I also like that SLA batteries are supposed to be…

  • DIY DC jack in 580ex Speedlite for external battery pack

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    Jan
    in

    I wanted to make an external battery pack but I didn’t want to use “dummy batteries” to connect it to the flash, I wanted a jack. Whenever I modify/make something I try to make it look as though it came like that from the factory, or could have. That was my goal for this, a…

  • DIY Dual Speedlite Bracket for Amvona Softbox

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    Jan
    in

    As promised, here is the dual speedlite bracketry for the Amvona softbox. The single speedlite version was more than adequate for most situations but I wanted something that could easily overpower the sun behind a model.

  • Quick, easy and cheap “business cards” — using film

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    Jan
    in

    I haven’t designed a real “business card” yet but I wanted something I could hand out in the meantime to those who ask about my work (I know, I know, my gallery still isn’t up…). All I know is that when I finally design one it’s going to incorporate spot glossing/UV, which isn’t exactly cheap…

  • DIY velcro speed strap for speedlites

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    Jan
    in

    I’d like to start by giving credit to Honl Photo for the design idea. I had the supplies already so I wanted to see what I could come up with. For those of you who don’t want sticky-backed velcro on your flash, this is the perfect solution. It’s quite simple to make and only takes…

  • How to modify an Amvona softbox for use with speedlites

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    Jan
    in

    I was in the market for a softbox and came across a great deal on an Amvona Dynaphos softbox that I couldn’t pass up. The softbox came with a speedring, which was just a flat, circular sheet of metal with a pattern cut out of the middle that allowed Amvona hot-lights to be removed with…

  • How to make a $2 softbox in 5 minutes

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    Jan
    in

    I had a shoot to do but my “real” softbox hadn’t arrived yet so I had to improvise. I had everything at my house except for the diffusion material, which was only $2 at a local fabric store. Here’s what you’ll need: Large cardboard box. A cube will work best but use what you have.…