Speedlite Flash Bracket
Came across the CheetahStand site the other day while researching some options for Speedlite compatible softboxes. Their gear looks impressive – I’m especially tempted by their octobox, which is something I’ve long lusted after. But what caught my attention right away was this: the Cheetah Speed Pro Bracket.
Pretty ingenious – by mounting the Speedlite horizontally [...]
Small studio? No problem!
Some days you just want to kick yourself for being dense. There was an active thread on FredMiranda.com the other day, asking about using a 20×20 foot room as a studio space. Now as studios go, 20×20 is rather small (think bedroom sized), and the challenges of making photos in there become more pronounced. Nevertheless, [...]
Bird Studio – What kind of bird feed?
As interesting as the final results of a project such as a bird studio are, I’m always equally fascinated by the things I learn along the way. This project has been especially enlightening in little ways. For instance, bird feed. I always assumed that bird feed was bird feed – that there really wasn’t [...]
Bird Studio – Feeders
As my project to build a backyard bird studio gets underway, the first step is finding a bird feeder, because they’re not going to just show up on their own and twitter, “Hey, we’re here!” (Of course, this presupposes that you have a location for the feeder; if not, then you’re SOL.)
My mom had [...]
Backyard Bird Photography
Over the past six months I’ve devoted a lot of my photographic energy to tackling bird photography. It’s a field that I find very rewarding and continue to have a lot of fun with, to the extent that I’ve adjusted some of my equipment to meet its specific conditions.
What hasn’t changed, however, is that [...]
How to practice lighting without models
I’m sure I’m not the only photog out there who gets the urge to setup the strobes and play with light now and then. Maybe you saw a photo in a magazine or online that you want to try and imitate, or you read about a new technique, or you’re just bored and want to [...]
So you’re going to an event
You’re going to an event. One of those arena-based performances that cost too much, where they try to hawk trinkets and cotton candy at you during intermission. Where you have to pass through a ridiculous bag check at the door, where they tell you that “professional” photo gear isn’t allowed. Which to the people running [...]
How to make a DIY Flash Extender
A flash extender, in case you’re wondering, is a device designed to extend the range of a flash (duh), most commonly a hotshoe-mounted Speedlite style flash. They are of particular use to bird and wildlife photographers, although they can be used by any photographer who works with telephoto lenses and needs some extra punch from [...]
Make any setting a portrait setting
Portraiture requires a number of specialized tools – and that number increases depending on who you ask, and how serious a portrait photog you are. At the most basic level, a lens well suited to portraiture work and some form of lighting are needed; at the other end of the spectrum are photos with [...]