Sir Joseph Banks should be proud of this banksia flower

Still in transit at changai, and still on the nature trail, this time at the orchid garden. Most of these are available light, but there is just enough of it (providing I breath out as I press the shutter and have anti-shake turned on). Now it is time to get up close and personal (and switch to macro mode)

 

March 24, 2007 Update: Added examples for each of the three flash diffusers.

Hello.

This is a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guide to making some really good lighting tools. I cannot take credit for all of these, but hope this will be a useful resource.

There are several Flash Diffusers that are cheap (anywhere from free to a couple of dollars) to make, a homemade double-sided Reflector, and an excellent Light Box.

I'm all for finding new DIY items, so if you have something to share, please Email me. Let's get to it!

Flash Diffusers

There are three (four, if you include both film canisters) flash diffusers here. A yogurt container (for a slave flash), film canisters (for on-board flash), and a foam diffuser (for slave flash). Let's cover them in the same order as listed here.

Yogurt Container Diffusers



This diffuser is easy and inexpensive. It will really soften the light of your slave flash and is ideal for any macro shooting. First of all, it will move the actual light source forward (because light will radiate out from all parts of the container, and the end extends a few inches past the end of the flash head itself) so shooting objects close to the front of the lens will not have a shadow created by the lens. It also makes the light source very...

Several months ago (June of 2006, in fact) the light outside was perfect for macro work, but there was a problem: it was pouring rain! My camera is not even weatherproof, let alone waterproof, so I did not want to risk damaging it even for a couple of shots.

I was determined to get pictures, and was excited about the possibility of getting shots with waterdrops in them. The Weather Network for Halifax told me it would be raining for days, so I could think of only one solution - waterproof my camera! I equipped my Nikon D70s with a Nikkor 60mm Micro (with lens hood attached) and an SB-600 flash (for fill-light, if needed), then covered the entire camera in a large, clear, plastic bag.

The opening of the bag was at the bottom of the camera and I tied a knot in it there (right next to the tripod mount). I used blue mail elastics around the front of the lens hood, the front of the flash, the base of the flash, and around the viewfinder (with the eyepiece removed, there is enough of a lip there for the elastic to grab onto).

I then cut one hole for the front of the lens (I would keep the camera pointed down to keep the front lens element dry - the lens hood aided in this) and for the viewfinder. Elastics at both of these points are...