Some nice DIY budget photography suggestions

Flash diffusor has been made. The white canisters (Fuji and Kodak use different varieties) can be cut with scissors (use ones that you're not going to use on fabric though) which makes it easier to cut nice straight lines, but on my 30D the canister barely fits...

A trick I heard of a while ago: cut strips of about 2mm wide out of white masking tape and use these to tape a grid over a pop-up flash. Seems to work wonders against red eyes.

Derk
 
Box for 6 film rolls

Box for 6 film rolls

For those who carry film rolls inside a bag, one of those plastic boxes used for developed slides may be useful. Each one takes 6 closely packed rolls - and no more cannisters scattered everywhere inside the bag... A very basic sugestion, but I found it useful.
 

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Joao said:
For those who carry film rolls inside a bag, one of those plastic boxes used for developed slides may be useful. Each one takes 6 closely packed rolls - and no more cannisters scattered everywhere inside the bag... A very basic sugestion, but I found it useful.
Click to expand...

Genius! Looks very useful. Thanks for the tip.
 
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I remember using the slide containers for film etc. Now I am using Camerahunters boxes. Great idea and you can take along 20-30 rolls in just 3 smalls boxes - and/or dedicate one box for finders, batterie etc. Fuji used to make them and Bellamy re-started the production last year. One of those things that you can't figure out how you survived without - when you get them. Another advantage is that when you go through security at an airport - you just have to pop the lid off and the film is easily checked. I also find that you can stick Leica IXMOO cassettes and Nikon cassettes in them - rather than the rather "clunky" IXMOO bakelite containers or the somewhat fragile Nikon Rf cassette containers.
 
Joao said:
For those who carry film rolls inside a bag, one of those plastic boxes used for developed slides may be useful. Each one takes 6 closely packed rolls - and no more cannisters scattered everywhere inside the bag... A very basic sugestion, but I found it useful.
Click to expand...

awesome!!!!!! great idea!
 
I make 120 film canisters using two 135 film canisters. Cut one inch off the top of one and use electrical tape to join it to the top of the other, whole canister (3 inch total height). Cover the entire canister with electrical tape (not light tight, but reduces light).
 
Nothing like a big board of styrofoam with a hole in the middle for the lens/camera. shot against the sun, or at an angle using that as a fill and get nicer results than with most light settings. Then add different reflective material and carry on playing...

GLF
 
I use a opaque milk carton as a diffuser for macro photography. Just cut the top and bottom off and have your flashes on the outside.

I also made a ringflash from two bunt cake pans from Walmart then used an old flash as the light source.

This not a DIY, but Roger Hicks turned me on to diagonally hanging drying film so drops drain off.

Also, a flash limiting device, I can't remember the name of product, maybe snoot, using card board and masking tape to build a tunnel that fits on the flash.

Get some light white cardboard and a good rubber band and make a reflector for your flash, if you have a mobile headed flash.

With a digital camera DSLR, put the flash into the bellows of a folder or large format camera and fire taking a picture of light leaks.
 
I'm sure almost everyone has heard of this, but since no one has said it yet: String Monopod

Get 7 feet of heavy duty string (or very light weight rope), a 1/4" bolt with a ring on one end (eye hook) and a nut (both threaded the same as a tripod screw). Tie one end of the string to the loop in the nut, and tie the other end into a loop to put your foot through. Get the length right to your shooting height. It weighs nothing so you can leave it in your bag all the time. When you're travelling, pull it out, attach it to the camera, put your foot in the loop, and pull up on the camera to keep it tight. You now have a monopod that'll get you about a stop better shutter speed than pure hand held (well, it gets me one stop, but I don't have the steadiest hands).

Here's a link from somone who can explain it much better than I can. http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/
 
I found one of those older Manfrotto tripods at a give-away price. This thing is so heavy it may require an earthquake to move it after a proper setup. However. .. ... its heavyweight that helps with the stability also makes it loathsom to bring with. I have found that in a golf bag, the 15lb (all by itself) pod fits easlly in a bag with no separation bars. the bag in turn travels along nicely with my other gear, on a golf bag cart, the two wheeled kind. Bag, cart totaled only ten bucks.
 
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