DIY

While on a kayaking trip in the Great Lakes, I stopped just after sunset to shoot some images on the beach. The sky was still bright and very saturated, while the sandy ground was losing light and getting dark in my exposures. My kit was small, and I had no graduated ND filter, but I came up with something that worked well in a pinch.

We all know and love the classic round Bokeh we get when shooting in shallow depth of field. It adds depth and interesting effects to the final result. The round Bokeh is a result of having a round (kind-of) Aperture blades, but have you ever thought what will happen if you change that Aperture shape? By adding a piece of thick black paper to the front of the lens and cutting a shape in it, you can shape your own Bokeh. Instead of round Bokeh, you can have stars, hearts or even your name as a Bokeh. Check out these cool examples showing some of the different looks you can get by just using a piece of paper (or cardboard/plastic).

“Dress for the job you want, not the job you have”. I’m sure we’ve all heard this saying at one point in our lives. Even though I never took the advice (In your face Mom!) it can easily be reworked into something I firmly believe. “Film for the job you want, not the job you have”.

As photographers and videographers we often obsess over our cameras, lenses, stands, lights, etc. But often times, the most important tool in your bag is from the hardware store, something that allows you to temporarily fix an unexpected situation, whether it's a gear failure, or the need to fix something in an awkward space. Here are 10 items (in no particular order) that I recommend.

Ease of use and equipment safety are two things that can always improve our lives as photographers and videographers. With few small add-ons and hacks you can save precious time on your shoots, and on top of that make your camera safer. In the video above, Griffin Hammond is showing you the 2 items that will make your Tripod (and Glidecam, shoulder rig and monopod) just way more user friendly: the Giottos M621 and the Manfrotto 555B.

When people think of high end commercial automotive photography, they’ll sometimes call to mind images of cars with that distinct light streak down the side. That light streak that so many automotive photographers lust after is actually not a product of black magic, as it seems to be when you’re starting out, but actually incredibly easy to replicate with a technique called light painting.

DigitalRev's Pro Tog challenges are back, this time with a DIY theme. In this video see Pro Photographer Mark Chung create a continuos ring light using some basic hardware store materials, then use them in a fashion shoot.

I've seen a lot of DIY setups over the years, but every now and then one comes along that's so unstable it's scary and yet way too cool not to try. You can tell by the title that this isn't going to be some amazing setup with a hundred cameras arrayed. This is what it sounds like...A GoPro on a ceiling fan whipping around your subject while

Imagine a colorful self-setting rubber that you can keep in your camera bag and bust out at any time to repair on-the-job cracks, breaks and tears. Sugru is such a product, a moldable Play-Doh-like synthetic that can also be shaped into custom camera grips, monopod and tripod mounts and can add color and texture to existing buttons on your DSLR.

What is "perfect lighting?" It will differ for every style of photography and every photographer's style. For my food photography, I think the perfect lighting is the soft, beautiful, natural light found from a large window with indirect sun coming through. Unfortunately, most of the locations where I have to go and shoot food don't have this light that I am looking for. In order to get the shoot done, I have to to create the light. What if I could create this "perfect light" and have it for every assignment?

One of my favorite 'old school' photo tricks is the macro reversing ring. When you turn your lens around - literally having the mount pointing at your subject - you will notice a pretty interesting effect. The lens (whatever focal length it is) becomes a macro. Of course, holding a lens over an open camera body is a pretty terrible idea. This is where the reversing ring comes in.

Tom Parker, avid aerial photographer and videographer from Cambridge, UK, decided to try and make his own homemade MōVI rig without losing all his savings in the process. Parker is a Product Design and Manufacturing student at the University of Nottingham, where he got the knowledge on how to design and build the rig for his GoPro camera. The final result works great, and all he had to pay was $200. Not bad if you compare it to the $15,000 it will cost you to get the MōVI. Check out how he did it.

Last week I was at Disney with my family and had my DSLR with me to get some good photos, but I hadn't planned on shooting video and there was no way I was going to haul a video rig with me around the park even if I had planned on it. When I shot video I made sure to lean on something stable and let stationary objects do some of the work for me without the shake of my hand affecting the shots.

This is one of the most interesting, and almost bizarre behind the scenes video I've seen. Musical artist Jack Conte came up with an idea for a video to go along with a music track he created called "Pedals", and through building his own spaceship set, using real working robots, and even getting Jeff Orlowski to shoot it, everything came together for an inventive final product.

So as a lot of you have probably seen, you can now record full 1080p 14Bit Raw video on the Canon 5D Mark II and Mark III. This is truely incredible. However, you can not just import the video and get to editing right away. To be able to use the RAW video, you have to convert the RAW files to DNG. Here is a quick workflow tutorial on how to do that. It's really not that hard to do, just a little time consuming.

Do you remember 14 years ago when the Matrix came out and blew some of our minds with filming techniques? One of the most ingenious scenes at the time was the wrap around bullet shot where the camera spun around the actors on a large dolly while they were suspended in mid air. Popular Youtuber Mark Rober has come up a really simple and cheap way to replicate the rotational filming effect of that scene.

To see more of his creative videos, check out his channel.

via Awesomer

About a month ago we featured a video from the guys over at Neko Neko Films. In this video, they cover a mix of tips that while some may be no-brainers, you might find some very helpful if you having a tough time figuring out where to begin. We interview people all the time and I can't emphasize enough just how important the little things are to create an engaging, yet informative video.

One of the most frustrating things that can happen in photography is seeing a perfect moment and snagging a shot, only to get back to your computer and find out the picture was barely out of focus. As a wedding photographer, I can't count how many times my couple has been composed perfectly with that magic moment that only lasts one frame, and my autofocus drags away from their eyes. To be fair, there is a lot of human error that goes into focus problems. However, did you know the problem doesn't always lie in the user?

The use of smoke machines in photo shoots can be amazing. With the flip of a switch, you can provide a moody environment to your backgrounds. However, many times, when shooting on location, power just simply isnt accessible. So how do you get the same benefits from a smoke machine, without having any electricity at all?

We all have been in the situation. A great shot pops up through a building, plane, train, maybe even a submarine window and you snag it. Only to see after that you got more of your reflection then the scene. Well photographer and web designer Michael Courier has a simple DIY project he discovered while preparing for a train trip.

Yes, that is a bold claim, but hear me out. Sometimes something so creative yet so painfully simple comes along and just blows me away. This timelapse/hyperlapse video created using Google Street View is just one of those things. My mouth was agape the entire time I was watching this. Teehan+Lax Labs created this project by recording Google Street View movements all over the world and

If you have an interest in electronics and computing, then you probably already have heard of Raspberry Pi, the credit card sized ARM based computer that runs linux and can be had for under 50$. These computers have been mega-popular with the DIY and electronic hobby crowd, and as you might has expected, there have been some great project ideas that people have cooked up. Of course, in that mix there was bound to be some photography related projects.

If you are like me, then chances are, you find yourself constantly detaching and reattaching your camera strap. When I'm shooting long exposure shots in a breeze, I don't want the strap whipping in the wind. Removing the strap while not rocket science, can be a bit time consuming, and I am the type of photographer that finds myself in ever changing situations where adding and removing the strap is not always the best use of time. Now I could spend forty plus dollars on a quick release strap and be done with it, but personally, I get more pride out of making things. Oh, did I also mention I am cheap?

As photographers, we usually focus on matching photography parameters with other photography parameters: matching ISO to F-stop, matching exposure to ISO and so on. But have you ever tried matching a photography parameter with sound parameters? By matching the frame-rate (fps) on the camera to the Hz units coming out of the speaker you can create magic in video, without any editing. Create something your naked eye will never see.

A couple weeks ago I posted a lighting diagram showing how you can emulate Martin Schoeller's lighting by using gaffers tape and foam core. One reader commented that the catch-light makes the subject's eyes look like a cat. This got me thinking about what would happen if I were to change the pattern of the tape into various shapes. Here's what I discovered.

Magic lantern is by far the best thing to happen to the DSLR cameras. It offers so many options not given to you by the normal Canon firmware that it should be sin not to install it. This is a quick little walkthrough on how I use ML for easy, accurate free-lensing.

Most cloth backdrops I have found cost between $70 - $100, but today I was turned onto a cheaper alternative. Photographer Elena Jasic posted a tutorial today on her blog on how she made her on distressed canvas background for around $50. The materials can be purchased at local stores such as Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart.

Last week I tried my hand at emulating Martin Schoeller's portrait lighting with a single bare-bulb speedlite. Though the experiment was technically a failure, it still produced a nice portrait. Since then, I have tried two more lighting scenarios before finally nailing it on the fourth (please excuse my OCD tendancies) and final attempt.

Patric Bergkvist is making a strong case as one of the better Swedish liquid photographers with his fantastic handle on the ideal lighting in very humble shooting spaces. We featured his exploding coffee and milk photo tutorial in early February and now he is back showing how to make a perfect shot of Whiskey. Photo that is.

Israeli based photographer Dima Vazinovich is specializing in news, documentary and wedding photography. One thing that separates him from other photographers in the industry is the unique and creative look his photography has. Recently Dima decided to try adding a new kind of look to his portfolio, and the results are truly amazing. The idea: “Freelensing” / tilt shifting with a cheap broken 50mm 1.8 lens to create magical images.

Calvin Frederick is an experimental animator who put some fantastic thought and creative talent into this trippy work called "Bermuda." By using an LED panel, a motion control rig, and a bunch of mirrors, Calvin managed to create this piece without any visual effects or compositing in post. Before you click play, brace yourself for the twilight zone.

So, how do you shoot at the legendary Disney Concert Hall without breaking their rule of 'No Professional Photography'? You do it with finesse. Benjamin Von Wong was faced with the task of shooting the Trio Dinicu at the location without looking like a professional photographer. In this behind the scenes video he shows you how he accomplished that and also walks you through cleaning any distractions from your photo using Photoshop.

Timelapses aren't just for moving clouds and the northern lights (but they sure are pretty) but in fact their use for studying earth sciences is becoming a key part in learning more about our landscape and using the images to educate and inform the masses. I interviewed Forrest Pound of San Francisco based Kontent Films, who was tasked with building custom timelapse rigs to document parts of the Colorado River. He has shared this DIY project step by step, so read on to learn more.

One thing I love about the Fstoppers Facebook Group is seeing all the amazing work our readers publish. Taylor Tupy is a pretty awesome fashion and editorial photographer based out of Minneapolis. In this video he shared on Facebook, Taylor brought in gulf coast white sand into the studio to produce an awesome effect. Taking your production value to the next level is probably the most important thing a photographer

DIY photo/video gear projects can almost always save you a few bucks if you have the skills and time to make it. But there are a few DIY gems out there that can save you hundreds of dollars, if not more. One of these gems is stillmotion's tutorial on 3 point lighting for video interviews made from a whopping total of $26! They did a great job of pinching every penny while still yielding a great DIY product. If you end up trying this (or variations of it) we'd love to see your outcome in the comments below. Enjoy!

Alright, just when I thought he couldn't do anything more amazing, he proves me wrong, way wrong. If you have seen any sort of sports portraits, they usually do something different then your normal portrait. Adding cool lighting effects, lots of post work ect, not Wyn. His story for this shoot is a must read and great advice for anyone wanting to blow away their competition in their town. The way Wyn went about getting this all organized, shot, and edited is a pure masterpiece.

Ever have a filter get stuck on the front of your lens? I personally have not, but I can imagine how irritating it can be. Travel photographer (and friend of mine) Craig Pulsifer posted the method he was instructed to use by Canon Professional Services to his blog. His warning: this is not for the faint of heart.

This Do-It-Yourself equipment video by Jay P Morgan of The Slanted Lens features Cinematographer Lars Lindstrom as he shows us how easy it is to build your own camera shoulder rig. To make this rig all you'll need is some standard PVC piping and a few other items from your home-improvement store. If you're in a bind and can quite afford one of the more expensive rigs, this is a great alternative for just under $10.