Self-Publish Your Own Photo Book

Joe Farace of Shutterbug.com has posted an informative article explaining easy ways to self-publish your own photo book.

Read entire article.

DIY Bounce Flash Attachment For Pennies

It’s amazing the things lying around the house that can be used as photo equipment. In an effort to save pennies whenever possible, I’m always looking for Do-It-Yourself accessories. I realized that I had a bounce flash attachment that costs just a few cents while eating a piece of delicious cheese cake. Actually the bounce flash attachment was under the cheese cake, and a package of one hundred can be purchased for a couple of bucks at a local grocery store.

I’m talking about common, small, white paper plates. These generally are around five to six inches in diameter and come in a fifty or one hundred count package. Sure you can pick up a LumiQuest ProMax Pocket Bouncer for only about twenty bucks online, but you lose the arts and crafts experience that comes with this ‘el cheapo’ solution. This solution is so simple, just take one paper plate and cut a 90 degree section out of each side at about one inch up from the bottom and from the side. See the example. It’s so easy and quick I didn’t even bother to cut straight lines. If you want professional looking paper plates, just use a steadier hand. I’m a slacker.

Once the ‘base’ is cut out, use a rubber band to attach this high-tech device to the back of your off-camera flash unit. This inexpensive solution will work on most flash units, but higher-end units that swivel vertically and/or horizontally will provide even better functionality. ‘duh.’

The first image sample was created using this classy attachment on my Promaster flash set at TTL metering and at a 90 degree angle. The flash was off-camera to the left of the lens. Since these paper plates are indented in the middle, the edge provides an additional down angle toward the subject. This portrait only included another small Quantaray slave flash to light up the background. The subject was completely lit with my Promaster flash and this top-of-the-line paper bounce attachment. I think the results were pretty good. The light is even and soft. I was only a few feet from the subject.

The paper plate attachment also does a pretty good job with product shots when the camera and flash are much closer to the subject. I placed my son’s Mickey Mouse baseball on a high-key muslin background and hand-held the camera and flash at about a foot from the object. The flash was set at 75 degrees. Again, this was a quick grab shot to show that it can be done fairly well. The off-camera flash with paper plate bounce was the only light source.

I now keep a couple of these in my camera bag with a few rubber bands just in case I need them. In addition to being cheap and a conversation starter, they take up little room in a camera bag and are easily replaceable. Not to mention they’re great for holding cheese cake.

Amvona Provides Affordable Muslin Backgrounds

I love to save a buck, so much so that I’d roll around naked in a bed of cash if it wasn’t such a disturbing cliché. So whenever a bargain or DIY situation comes my way, I’ll usually try it. This is very true for photography equipment, which can empty my wallet almost as fast as my wife.

A case in point: muslins, those wonderful and versatile backgrounds that can cost hundreds of dollars. If you’re a ‘photog’ on a budget like me, you’d rather spend that kind of cash on lenses, lighting, or a Nintendo Wii. Hey gotta do something with the kids during off hours.

How does a high-quality, hand-painted, fabric muslin for 20 bucks sound? That line is always an attention getter. Drum roll please…Amvona is the answer. Well, actually “Are you kidding, a $20 muslin background sounds friggin’ great!” is the answer, but Amvona are the folks that can provide it. If you have never EBay’d you’re not a true photographer on a budget. In addition to providing affordable, new and used camera gear and accessories, EBay is the home of Amvona, a company that offers several, actually lots and lots, of online auctions of among other things, muslin backgrounds.

I must admit to being skeptical at first, but after reading the information in their many auctions and customer feedback (a must if buying on EBay), I decided to take the plunge. I won a blue, hand-painted, 10x12, 100% cotton fabric background for a whopping 16 bucks. See the sample above. Amvona muslins feature 4-inch loops for background stands on one end, and five 1-inch plated eyelets for ceiling mounted rail systems. Their hand-painted backgrounds are not washing machine safe, but can be hand washed and lightly ironed. Don’t be surprised if the color is slightly different than their auction sample image, these are hand-painted and will vary. The one that arrived had a brighter blue appearance, which I actually like better.

Being a man of little willpower, I also bid for a white, high-key background. These are more popular and I lost three auctions before prevailing by winning at the wallet-splitting price of 26 bucks. Unlike the hand-painted variety, this white muslin is machine washable, but also includes the 4-inch loops and metal eyelets. So for two 10x12 fabric backgrounds, I paid 42 dollars. Since I won multiple auctions Amvona discounted my shipping slightly, which came to 27 dollars, and they were on their way after a quick 69 dollar Paypal transaction.

I did not spend less than 70 dollars for two backgrounds in vain. Both muslins arrived quickly, and well packaged. I must admit that the white, high-key background material is a little thin, and I wouldn’t recommend draping it in front of dark walls or objects unless it was folded at least once. Otherwise, for the price, these can’t be beat. I’ve also included a sample of the high-key background.

As a budget conscious photographer my background hanging system consists of two large, rubber coated ‘C’ hooks (the same kind I use to hang bicycles from my garage ceiling to save space) and a 10-foot, hollow, white metal bar. All items can be found for around 15 bucks at Home Depot. Simply screw the ‘C’ hooks into the wall studs (less than ten feet apart and about eight feet high) and suspend the 10-foot tube between them. Drape the muslin over the tube and enjoy an instant photo studio background. The ‘C’ hooks provide a couple of inches of clearance from the wall, and multiple muslins can be suspended, just push the ones not being used to the sides.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Amvona EBay auctions. If these prices are still too high for your budget, I suggest hitting the local Goodwill or thrift store and pick up some used bed sheets for a few dollars each. These make acceptable backgrounds when using solid colors or muted patterns.