Among my photography friends I am know as cheap. Last summer when we were shooting fireworks some “professional” looking folks showed up with some fancy black pieces of plastic and other gizmo’s to block of their lens’ between rocket bursts. Our little newly formed group members started questioning themselves back and forth as to what the items were used for. I chuckled to myself because I had taken the time to research ‘how to shoot fireworks” on the net. So, I knew what the cards were used for. I too had a card. Yep, a piece of crooked old cardboard that I stuck black sticky paper too. Everyone just looked at it and kind of grinned those oh yeah right that sucks looks on their faces. Well it worked – it did the job. This was my first home made piece of photo equipment.
I have made clamp jungles, used silver gift boxes as reflectors, old foil gift bags to bounce light, and colored cellophane as gels. My flashlights have been used as lighting. Until I could afford a tripod I used an old walking stick as a monopod by changing the bolt on to hold a camera. It has kind of turned into “a thing” with me. If you can make it on the cheap – why buy it?
After acquiring my R1C1 speedlight kit I contently played with the two little lights in different positions and light power settings. Next, I used the four little gels that came with the lights but I wanted more colors! Back to the internet where I found out that most theater suppliers have books of swatches of every imaginable gel made and then some – for free! The size of the samples are big enough to fit over my little lights and the new SB800. Coolness for the price of a trip to the theater supply warehouse.
This brings me to my current project. How do they do that with a speedlight? Seems there is something out there in the photographic equipment world called a snoot. A what? A snoot. Wow I think to myself, I need a snoot. Whoa, snoots go from 18 bucks on up to over a hundred. I must once again thank “the google” (remember Pres. Bush ?) as the top returns on snoot are for DIY snoots. So, once cereal box later I am well on my way to owning a snoot. Not just any snoot – this is going to be one fine snoot.
I can not wait till our next photo group meetup so I can show it off and maybe get back my some of my homemade reflectors while I am at it.
GUESS WHAT ^ it is???