Archive for April, 2006

From disposable to slave flash

Disposable cameras have a lot of re-usable electronics in them. The flash unit, for example, is perfectly usable, even after the 27 exposures have come and gone. So what do you do? Well, DIY live decided to turn the disposable camera shell into a slave flashgun. It ain't for the faint of heart, this project, but if you are handy with a soldering iron, it may just be of use. Or you could of course buy one. But what's the fun in that?

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Creating a photography portfolio

You are into taking photos, obviously - so what do you do with them? Many of you probably make online galleries, or you create prints to hang on your walls - or perhaps you even sell prints to others. Eventually, as photography progresses from a mild interest via passionate hobby and into the realms of what could be seen as a professional career, you are going to have to create a portfolio of your images, to show to prospective clients. Heck, even if you have no clients, you will still want to make a portfolio. Imagine how great it'll be to show the grandkids!

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Build a Stereo-Zoom Microscope

Not strictly photography, but this project carries the Do It Yourself torch with such passion that I couldn't let it go! Besides, if you decide to buid one of these, all you have to do is to add a photo camera to the end (it's as easy as taking a compact camera and gaffer-taping it to the end of one of the eye-pieces), and you can use it for photography purposes! A stereo-zoom microscope is a stereoscopic microscope in which the variation of magnification is continuous. The advantage is that you are able to adjust the magnification to suit yourself. You can pass gradually from one magnification to another, without losing sight of the sample. What makes this type of instrument astounding is that increasing the magnification will make it appear as though you are "diving into" the sample. The first time you do this, it will take your breath away.

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Stabilising a cheap tripod

Tripods are cheap as chips nowadays, but the cheaper ones have a few flaws. Most importantly, they are too light, and too unstable. So what do you do when you are working on macro stuff, and your tripod won't stop vibrating, or the high winds are trying to disturb your photographic peace?

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Soldering

Hi! Just a quick one - I just stumbled across DIY live's How to Solder guide (including the links at the bottom of that entry - pure gold-dust!.

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Getting the most out of a compact digital

Daniel posted a blog entry with a lot of valuable tips about shooting with the limitations of using a digital compact camera - most of it is common sense, but if you've never thought about any of it, it's definitely worth a quick read. Some of the points he brings up is using a low ISO to reduce noise, using custom white balance, using program mode, getting in close, and take a lot of pictures, to increase the chances of getting the shot.

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Is Your Darkroom Safe?

I stumbled across an article by Michael Fulks, which serves as a reminder that photography can be dangerous:

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Compact camera flash deflector

It's an old trick, but it's a goodie: If you find yourself in a pinch and need to bounce the flash off a compact camera, grab a piece of white card (my credit card has come in more times than I care to admit - good job they wouldn't give me a Mastercard Gold, because that would have eskewed the white balance :), and hold it at a 45° angle in front of the flash. That way, the flash will bounce via the ceiling, and you get far softer lighting than with a direct flash.

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Umbrella helmet lighting

People get extremely creative when it gets to getting the lighting right. My old mate Ed just tipped me off about one which is particularly weird. But as far as making people laugh, it works. The bonus? it means you can get some excellent lighting for impromptu portrait photography!

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Full photo studio for $77

Another of my avid readers dropped me an email to tip me off about an article in Design In-Flight, on how they recommend you outfit a studio. They go to great detail explaining the hows and the wherefores, and even have a shopping list at the end of the article. The price tag for the whole studio? $77! (as an aside: Do you know of any articles that deserve being featured on Photocritic? Drop me an e-mail!)

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