Been ordering some new gear, and yesterday my new Olympus Zuiko 50mm f2 lens arrived. I didn’t have much time to play with it yesterday, but I did take a couple of photos. This is not by any means an exhaustive writeup or review, I need to use it more first. Immediate reaction though: WOW. This thing is crazy fast. Can’t wait to try it on my E-30 when it arrives next week. And I especially can’t wait to try it with my EX-25 for some serious macro work. I love this thing already.

And of course, I had to try a candid portrait with it. I need to work on this a little more, but I like it alot.

I was waiting to write today until the canvas wraps I ordered from Canvas On Demand had arrived. I have always wanted to do a canvas wrap of a picture, but never really knew which one to do.

As it turns out, we are decorating one room of our house in a ski theme, and the two pictures here seemed perfect for it. So last week I sent the pics off to Canvas On Demand and waited anxiously. Once I got the shipping notice on Tuesday, I knew they would arrive today.

They come packed very well so nothing gets damaged in transit. Standard shipping is via FedEx ground, but you can pay more to expedite it. The quality of these images is superb. After having these two made, you can be sure I will be doing more. Maybe some small 8×10’s of my flower macros. I could even add a water-color treatment in Photoshop first before I send the file in. I’ll bet those would look really sharp. I am glad I bit the bullet and did this. You should try it too!

This self portrait was taken using a homemade PVC/ Lightstand backdrop holder. I took the original idea from Martin Kimeldorf and, as usual, did a little of my own thing with it. The smaller images in this article can be clicked on to see larger versions.

The parts list for this is pretty easy. Two 2′ sections of 1/2″ PVC pipe (Schedule 40, Home Depot has pre-cut 2′ lengths for about $0.79ea), one 6″ section of 1/2″ PVC pipe (if you don’t have any laying around, get another 2′ section), one 1/2″ Sch40 T, one 36″x1/2″ wooden dowel, one lightstand, one backdrop, and two or three clips or clamps (simple binder clips would even work). I found that, with my particular lightstand, the 1/2″ PVC slipped right over the top and fit quite nicely. I then put the T on, put the 2′ sections of PVC into the T, and then inserted the wooden dowel to keep the PVC from sagging. Once all that was on, I draped the backdrop over the pipe, clipped it with the clamps, and was all done.

Overall I was pleased with how well it worked, and even more impressed by it’s portability and the ease with which it broke down. One con is that it takes up one of the two lightstands I have, but I have been meaning to get more anyway. Just in case I need a wider backdrop, I purchased two 1/2″ couplers and two extra 2′ sticks of PVC, along with an extra dowel. That will give me a lot of coverage should I need it, say for a group or something. Now I need to try making my own backdrops. If you have any nifty DIY things I should try, leave a comment or send me an email.

Besides being a photographer, I am also a website developer and consultant here in Colorado. It is a lot of fun for me when I get a project where I can use my skills from both areas. Such is the case this week, where I am working on a couple of websites for a Boulder glassblower. My existing light tent was not adequate for this project (no underlighting), so I set out to build a new one out of PVC. This isn’t rocket science, and a lot of people have done it, but I needed mine to be just a little bit different. I decided I was going to shoot the glass items on top of a glass riser, with a fluorescent light fixture underneath. To that end, I set of for Home Depot.

Shopping list:
- 8 1/2″ PVC Side Outlet 90’s
- 4 1/2″ PVC T’s
- 8 1/2″ PVC Male Threaded - Slip adapters
- 4 10′ x 1/2″ PVC Pipe
- 1 Low profile fluorescent light fixture
- 6′ 14/3, rubber coated extension cord (just cord, no ends)
- 15A Outlet Plug
- 1 18″x36″x3/16″ plate glass

Why I bought some of this stuff:
- The threaded male / slip adapters were because the side outlet 90’s have one outlet that is threaded. Instead of spending the time with a Dremel removing the threads, I just spent a few cents on the adapter and called it done.
- Fluorescent fixture and associated cord, plug was purchased because the selection of plugin light fixtures was not adequate for my needs. Total cost for the fixture, cord and plug was around $35, IIRC. If you are not comfortable with wiring together electrical devices, you should look for a pre-wired fixture suitable for your needs.

Construction was pretty simple.
1. Measure 14 sections of 30″ each (or whatever length you want to use) on the PVC pipe. After cutting, I used a file to clean up the edges.

2. From the remaining length of pipe, cut 4 pieces 3″ long. These are the risers to go higher than the light fixture (depending on your fixture, you may need to go higher than 3″).

3. Put together the 90° outs and the slip/ threaded adapters.

4. Using a rubber mallet, put one piece of pipe into one end of a 90° out. Continue doing this, making a square base such that the threaded/ slip adapters are facing upward.

5. Insert the 3″ lengths of pipe into the threaded/ slip adapters.

6. Attach 2 PVC T’s to a piece of pipe, and then set the completed piece on top of the 3″ lengths on the base. Do this twice.

7. To the top of each T, insert a 30″ piece of pipe.

8. Same as step 4, construct a square frame from the remaining 4 pieces of 30″ pipe and the 90° outs (with the threaded/ slip adapters facing up).

9. Invert the completed square frame from step 8 and attach to the top of the frame from step 7.

10. Completed item should look similar to the photo above.

11. For good measure, I took a wet paper towel and wiped down all of the pipe.

That is all there is to it. You will of course need sheets or fabric to make the shell of the tent, and some kind of material for the backdrop. So far I used 3 single-size sheets to cover my tent, a piece of posterboard for the backdrop, and my clamp lights for lighting (I have 3 of those).

My immediate plan is to hit a fabric shop and get white and black muslin for the backdrop, and also get enough white fabric to make a proper slip cover for the tent. But for now this setup is working well. Here is a photo from the tent.

This tent is pretty big and portable. If it is too big for your needs, you could try this alternative design. I just might have to build one of these and try it out too.

I am having so much fun with new technologies. Really. It took me awhile to embrace digital photography, then again for me to be interested in cell phone cameras as the new Holga, and now for the next generation of the Polaroid. Honestly I cried every time Polaroid stopped production on one of their films and then when they ceased production all together of their instant films I wanted to lock myself in a closet and never come out. Polaroid is awesome in all of its’ horribleness.

I have an old land camera that was my mothers. She got it as a high school graduation gift, and I only recently used it for the first time. I found some old packs of Polaroid on Ebay, it said they had been discovered in the back of a church refrigerator, what better place to keep them relatively usable right? Well, whatever the truth may be, except for the initial bit of tape being decrepit and losing that first frame, the rolls of film worked well, and I had a blast using all 5 rolls and taking all 40ish pictures. (not counting mis-fires and my mis-handlings).

While Christmas shopping this year I happened upon a little pink Polaroid box, all shiny and new, packaged in the best plastic and priced to sell at a mere $89.98 at Sam’s Club. I thought it must be a new camera but upon closer inspection, found out it was a little instant printer. Don’t get me wrong, I like big prints. My current show features 20×30 framed prints. Big, I like. Big. But this little tiny pocket-sized printer was intriguing. The prints coming out of it are 2×3 inches, so petite! It had me reminiscing my first medium format camera, a Bush Pressman 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheet-film camera my dad had used in college working for the school paper. Back to the days of WeeGee.
I happen to love to shoot medium format, and when I got my Mamiya RZ 6×7 I was an addict. My favorite thing to shoot next to black and white, is color slide film. It is just so pretty in the larger format. Ahhh, but I digress.

Here is this little tiny printer, a polaroid instant printer at heart, 10 pictures to a pack of paper, portable and fun. I loved it the moment I saw it. The best thing about it, well I don’t know if it is the best but one of the fun things about it is its’ bluetooth capability. I paired it with my new LG Lotus and printed a few quick pictures. Fun, cute, prints! There is something I never expected from my cell phone camera! But there is more, USB capable it works with pictbridge so I can hook up my big Canons to it as well! Now I have to do some more experimenting with this little thing to know its’ full potential, but in reality, polaroid instant prints have always been a benchmark in professional photography. Even though it is unusable now I have a polaroid back for my Mamiya, because film is expensive and re-shoots are often impossible. Yes for many shoots in the digital age, the computer would be ready at hand for any serious work, but this little printer is so tiny, and handy, I can see using it for many things. Especially for travel and sharing images with my subjects.

I could go on and on, and really I already have, but this new little toy. How fantastic! I am already hooked.

My Pink Zink was about $90 at Sam’s Club and they run upward from there, available at Amazon.com to Target, along with the media.

I often work the sidelines. It is an exciting, but sometimes dangerous, area to work. The first time I got run over on a court I never saw it coming because I was at 200, and by the time I realized he was closer than close it was too late and he was on top of me. I lost my flash bracket in a freak wrestling mat incident last year, and I can’t even count the times I have almost been steamrolled on the football field. It is exciting work until someone gets hurt, which I did, I blew out my knee getting out of the line of a roller girl at a Derby match a little over a year ago. I was worried about saving my gear and not myself. 

My husband thinks it is funny and every time a photographer gets pummeled on live TV, he backs it up and makes me come watch the carnage. What a sweetie!

Anyway, I figured I needed to be as mobile as possible, so I started researching waist-packs for gear online, with prices upwards of $150 I knew I couldn’t do that so I tried to think of something else. I had to go to Home Depot for some knee pads and in the same aisle   were the contractors belts, so I decided to take a look. Not only are they expandable, but they are extremely durable and secure and many of them have built-in back supports and they even come in black. Turns out the hammer hook works great for holding a DSLR on a monopod which is awesome for when a team wins and I have to go in for the close-up victory celebrations. The big nail pockets are perfect for resting cameras lens down taking the weight off of your shoulders and putting it on your legs where it should be and the belt is normal sized for adding the lens cases you may already own. I can’t say enough about them, but I’ll just add one more thing, prices start at a mere $20.

Think of all the extra cash for getting other new toys or hardware for building equipment. A bit of foam, or even the pads out of an old camera bag provide the extra bit of protection you may want if it makes you nervous and there are tight secure pockets for things like Ipods, wallets, a bit of cash or a cell phone.

You may or may not be a sports-shooter, but this setup would work good for nature hikes, fun-runs, long walks or trips to the zoo without a stroller as well (I know I was sad when my kids stopped riding on wheels. Strollers are the best gear-humpers ever)

Just a thought.

Quick and dirty pictures of my shooting gear for sports

You can see in the images, on the left is my light meter,
my Quantum Turbo battery pack and the back left is my 70-200 case.
You can see the monopod is put through the hammer hook which also has these great little clips
(also from Home Depot) attached to it.

The hammer hook is great for balancing a loaded camera

You can also see the main big pocket is deep enough for my second flash,
and the front pocket is perfect for card cases.
Behind the pocket is a slim tight pocket perfect for essentials like ID, cash, and personal stuff.
I also slide a reporters notebook in and there are pen hooks right on the side for pens.

I have to be honest. When I opened my Gorillapod GP3 as a gift last year, I wasn’t terribly excited. I already had an Ultrapod II and it was working just fine for my needs. I really didn’t see where I would use it in place of the other one. Now, over a year later, I see it for what it is and what it can do.

The unique design of the Gorillapod enables you to make micro adjustments to the height or tilt of whatever you have sitting on top. Not as smooth as a pan/ tilt head, but it isn’t meant to replace a full fledged tripod. The GP3 is the model designed to hold DSLR’s, but they have a range of models for different size cameras, and at different prices.

Mine has been used for taking macro shots, mounting the camera to odd objects (the rubber feet hold it on windows well, as long as you straddle it that is), even wrapping the legs around small fence posts and such. Just the other day I was doing taking some pics in a warehouse and didn’t have a lightstand with me. There was a small step ladder nearby, so I grabbed the Gorillapod, put the Cactus trigger and flash on it - instant lightstand with great “fine-tuning” ability.

It is also quite a conversation piece. I keep it latched onto my Caselogic Hardshell Backpack at all times, even while traveling. People are always asking me “how do you like that? I have been thinking about getting one.” I understand their curiousity and, perhaps, hidden skepticism. I felt the same way. But now I am a believer. If you don’t have one, you don’t know what you are missing, but I would encourage you to get one and try it for yourself.

This weekend I decided it was time to build the homemade softbox featured in my article of Do It Yourself Ligh Modifiers. With shopping list in hand, Natalie and I went to Michael’s to get everything we needed (and a craft for her to do at the same time).

Once we were at Michael’s, I had to make some substitutions. They want $35 for a piece of mat board, so I opted instead for a 3 pack of white poster board pieces. Also, the staff there had never heard of mylar drafting film. Wasn’t totally sure what to do, but as I was walking down the drafting/ needlepoint supply aisle, I spotted something called “plastic canvas”. I grabbed a couple sheets of varying sizes and hole densities and figured that would work.

Than I got into the construction phase. Cutting the foam was pretty straightforward (the authors tip about using a thin sheet of plywood for a cutting board was perfect). Then I started cutting the posterboard. In the authors revised directions, he indicates you should leave extra around the edges (on the trapezoidal pieces). I did this, but I am not sure what function that serves. As I was finalizing construction, These oversized pieces were difficult to work with and I still don’t see the point. Somehow I managed to get it all together though.

Since I wasn’t using the drafting mylar (I’ll check Hobby Lobby next time), I needed a different way of adhering the diffuser. I used 12 velcro squares and cut them all in half. I then mounted the hook pieces to the 1″ strips of foam on all the sides of the box. I glued two pieces of the plastic canvas together (hot glue is awesome) and trimmed it to fit the opening in the softbox. Next I mounted the loop parts of the velcro on the plastic canvas to match the locations on the softbox frame. Pressed it all in and voila - softbox done.

The photo above is one of the sample pictures I took. The photo at left is another. Since I was using the flash off camera with my Cactus remote trigger, I had to fiddle with the flash settings a few times. The photo at left is still overexposed, but a quick treatment in Lightroom makes it suitable, as you can see in the photo at right.

In the time since I made my original post, I think the author of the instructions for this softbox has made some revisions. I’d love to see more detail on why the trapezoids should be oversized, since it caused me problems. But overall, I am happy with the output from this box. I am actually going to be playing with it later today when I do “class photos” for my daughter’s small preschool class here in Lakewood. I’ll post up another time about how that shoot goes.