Using a monopod can elevate photography to new heights

    Sometimes, the difference between a good photograph and a great photograph is a matter of perspective.

    Just getting a higher view can provide a better perspective at times. But sometimes getting that angle is more easily said than done. There may not be a place where you can climb up, or bringing in a ladder would be impractical.

    Drones offer one way to get your camera above the crowd, but they can be expensive, sometimes require licensing to use and in some places are illegal.

    But there is a way that you can get at least some altitude with your camera even in places where you can't legally deploy a drone.

    In a 2013 video, Joe Edelman suggests using a monopod to elevate your camera to get a better perspective. He suggests putting the camera on the monopod, activate the self-timer and then hoist it up and wait until the shutter trips.

    There are a few caveats. You have to use a wide-angle lens and a small aperture in order to get the greatest depth of field. And, unless you're working with someone who can monitor the camera through wired or wireless tethering, it might take a few tries to get the shot right.

    I decided to give it a try with a veterans memorial in Sunnyside, Wash. The memorial consists of tablets on a block-long plaza. As you can see from a straight-on shot, it doesn't look too interesting.

    But raising the camera more than 10 feet creates a better perspective. 

    While Edelman suggests tipping the monopod forward to get an angle, I have a tilt-pan head on mine, so I could adjust the angle before raising it.

    In the video, Edelman suggests using a painter's pole if you want to get more elevation. Frankly, I wouldn't put a really good camera up on one, for fear of an accident, or make sure it was the best pole ever made.   

PVC stand attachment provides extra "hands" for using poster board reflectors

    This post is a bit of a two-for-one deal. Two DIY projects in one post.

    The first one is a DIY reflector to bounce light on to your subject. You can use these indoors or out.

   There are expensive models, but a couple of photographers, including Joe Edelman and Daniel Norton, recommend using white poster boards. Norton calls the ones he uses "Brooklyn Reflectors." The boards are inexpensive — you can get them for $1.25 a piece at the so-called dollar stores, or your usual big-box store.

    With it being back-to-school, you may be able to get them on sale.

    Here's Edelman's demonstration with one.

   
    You can use the reflector with a voice-activated lightstand — also known as an assistant — but if you're shooting alone, it could get tricky trying to take the picture and hold the reflector yourself.

    Edelman proposes building a PVC holder for the reflector that lets you adjust it and put it on a lightstand. This allows you to use it hands free, and the rig can also hold flags (the light-blocking variety, not the state or national emblems) and Gobos, which go between a light source and a subject to create a pattern of light, say simulating light coming through a Venetian blind.

    Edleman's plans are in this video, although I would probably also use a joint to mount it to a PVC lightstand.