Get better portraits with DIY clamshell lighting setup

     One way to get good portrait lighting is to use "clamshell" lighting, and there's a way to do it without without triggering Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

    It's a lighting technique that can work with all sorts of portraits. What it does is uses a light source from above and one from below to light the subject. It's a relatively soft light and does not create harsh shadows.

    But you don't need an elaborate studio setup to pull it off, as Alastair Currill, an English photographer, demonstrates in this Youtube video. You can do it with one flash, a modifer to soften that light and a reflector to bounce the light back up to the subject.

    You can use a speedlight for the flash, and if you don't have an umbrella, you can use the DIY softbox and light stand we talked about earlier. As for the bottom light, you can use a table with a white cover or a foam board from the local big-box or dollar store.

    He also has another video demonstrating the principles behind clamshell lighting, albeit using more expensive studio gear.

Photographer's Companion a Swiss-Army-Knife app for serious shooters

    There are lots of apps on the market that can help with your photography.

    You can find apps that will turn your phone into a light meter, tell you when blue and golden hour are in your area and do a variety of functions.

    But if you have limited space on your phones (because companies will make it virtually impossible to delete some of the apps on your phone even if you'll never use them), you may find yourself picking and choosing which program to use.

    Or, you can just download one that can do most of the tasks you'll need.

    I would submit that the Photographer's Companion, available for both Android and iPhone, fits the bill nicely. Developed by Stef Software, it comes in free and paid versions, with the main difference being that the paid version has no ads and a few extra features.

    Personally, I've found the free version suits my needs, as most of the additional features in the paid version are things I wouldn't use or, in the case of flashlight and level, I already have on my phone or on my camera.

    

    For starters, this program gives you at the very minimum a reflected light meter. If your phone has a light sensor on it (this is usually used to adjust your screen brightness in relation to ambient light), you also get access to an incident light meter. This can come in handy when you're shooting manual or, as I did when I did a little photo project with my mother's old Argus C-3, the camera you're using doesn't have a light meter.

    You can also select your camera model or input the specifications, so it will be able to calculate things such as field of view and depth of field for your specific camera and lens combination. You can also use it to calculate proper flash settings, which is helpful in studio work or if you're using a non-dedicated flash on your camera.

    It can also show you when sunrise and sunset will occur in your area, as well as when to expect blue and golden hours, those times when light is at its most magical for photography. It can also show you the phase of the moon and the optimal exposure time for getting a picture of the moon or a moonlit scene.

    For those into astrophotography, it also uses the NPF rule for calculating the best exposure time to get no star trails.

    And each section has a help button that takes you to the website to get a tutorial on how to use that particular part of the app, as well as explain the principle behind it.

    This is not sponsored content, and I only use the free version, but I recommend it as a way to get some good high-quality photo apps without straining your phone's memory.

How to know the spare battery in your camera bag's at full power

 

 

 (Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash)

    Unless you're using your cellphone as your camera, batteries are going to be one of those accessories you'll need for your camera.

    It's usually a good idea to have more than one battery for your camera, as it gives you backup if you are out shooting for an extended period.

    But with multiple batteries you need to come up with a way to ensure that your batteries are fully charged. Trust me, there's nothing more frustrating than being out shooting and discovering that your spares are deader than Elvis.

    There are a few methods for doing this. One involves putting a little stick-on slider device on the battery, where the green side means the battery's good and the red side means the battery is due for a date with the charger.

    Those work fine if the battery clips to the outside of the camera or light body. My wife's camcorder batteries are mounted on the outside, so a setup like that would work just fine.

    But this doesn't work with the tight tolerances of an internal battery compartment.

    I've come up with a simple system, particularly after acquiring a second camera body and purchasing additional batteries for it.

    First, I've numbered each battery to ensure that they're all getting equal wear and tear, as well as knowing that the next number in sequence should have a full charge.

    Then, I added a rubber band to the battery and the plastic bag it sits in. If the battery's good to go, the band is wrapped around the bag. If the battery's spent, I put the rubber band in the bag with the battery, giving me an additional visual cue.

    I do something similar with the rechargeable AA batteries I use for my voice recorder and speedlight. If the batteries are wrapped with a rubber band, they're charged. If they're loose in their bag, then they're dead soldiers.

    What are your suggestions for tracking your batteries?

Need to RTFM? There's an app for that

    For a lot of people, the manual that comes with your camera or other equipment might be something you read once — if at all —and put it away.

    But with today's cameras being essentially computers with a lens, it doesn't hurt to keep the manual handy, especially when you need to remember how to use a feature that you've only operated occasionally.

    The obvious answer is to keep the camera manual in your bag, but that puts additional wear and tear on a cheaply made paperback. Heck, even the cover's paper, so it's not going to last too long in your bag.

    Or you might be like me, and there's no room in your bag for all the gear you carry.

    (For the record, I've never regretted having something in there and not using it. On the other hand, I've kicked myself plenty of times because I didn't have a piece of gear I realized I needed.)

    But there's a high tech way to carry the manual for every piece of kit you have without it taking up any additional room, or getting chewed to pieces in your bag.

    Every manufacturer has downloadable PDFs for their manuals on their websites. All you need to do is log in with your phone/tablet and download the file, where you can read it using a PDF reader on your phone.

    Personally, I also upload the books on to Play Books, Google's e-book reader, which can also handle PDFs. It allows me to access the books from my phone or any computer. You can do the same with the Books app on the iPhone.

    Since there's also a local copy on my phone, I can access the files on my phone even if there's no service.

    In addition to my camera manuals, I also have the instructions for my digital recorder and my speedlight on the virtual bookshelf.

Recycle film canister as DSLR pop-up flash diffuser.

    While the pop-up flash on many DSLRs are a way to get some extra light in a picture, it's not the best.

    These flashes, which take up the top part of the pentaprism, are typically tiny and work best at the range of 12 feet. It's also a hard light, which means a subject is going to have hard shadows around it and be harshly lit.

    I only use mine in situations where there's no other way to get the picture or as a wireless trigger for other flashes.

    But over on Instructables, user deth2all presents a way to take some of the harsh edge off the pop-up's light, and even add some color to it as well. And if you used to do a lot of film shooting with Fujifilm, or know someone who did, you can get the main part you're going to need.

   (deth2all/cc-by-sa)

    The diffuser consists of the plastic film canister that protected the film cartridge before use and later when sitting in your gadget bag. It has to be Fujifilm, which used a white, translucent plastic to make its cases; Kodak's canisters are all black.

    The project involves cutting away part of the canister's side wall, so it can fit over the flash head. He also cuts a slot in the side of the cap, which is glued back in. That slot is used to insert a colored gel for various effects, as well as balancing the flash with another light source.

    (He recommends getting sample packs of gels from art-supply stores, but those have since stopped providing them. You can make some of your own by cutting up colored plastic report covers.)

    The results he posted on the site show some reasonably good results. If you're looking to improve your flash photography but aren't ready to make the leap to speed lights, this is a good option.