Photo Tips to Shoot on a Budget

These are a few of my photography tips which were recently published in Amateur Photographer magazine in England, first published in 1884.

Gaffers Tape

Gaffers tape is essential with untold uses. It comes in large rolls which a cumbersome to carry. I use the plastic or card receipt roll cores form a local supermarket and transfer from the large to a smaller more convenient roll.

A4 DIY Bounce Reflector

 

A bounce card or reflector will soften the light from your Speedlite. Very useful where there’s no suitable wall or ceiling to bounce light from. This one is very easy to make from a sheet of self-adhesive white craft foam for children, 2mm aluminium florists wire & bright silver plastic.The white side gives a softer light, whilst the bright side reflects light with more contrast.

Bean Bag

You can use dried beans from a supermarket. The beans could rot or even germinate when wet, so I recommend ceramic baking beads in a plastic bag. Reinforce the edges of the bag with gaffers tape to prevent splitting. When placed on a uneven surface the bean bag shapes to the surface and camera & provides a stable platform to steady the camera for long exposures or low-down point of view shots. I use a micro fibre cloth between the bean bag & camera to reduce damage to the plastic bag. Micro fibre cloths are also useful gear wraps & for drying/cleaning gear. You could also sew two micro fibre cloths together to make a bean bag.

White RipStop Nylon

White Ripstop nylon is used for making kites etc. It’s available online and from high street fabric shops and makes a perfect diffuser. In the studio I use it clamped to a boom extended with a length of PVC plumbers waste pipe, and on location a frame made from plumbers waste pipe to diffuse either hard direct sunlight or flash.

Window Suction Cup

Suction lifters are used to move glazing panels and tiles, this one is rated at 100kg load! I’ve used one of these 3 suction cup lifters to mount lights to windows and even lightweight video camera to car hoods with the aid of additional grip gear. Available on store and online from major building suppliers.

Foam Core Board A1

Foam core boards are one of the most useful accessories in my studio and location kit. White makes a great reflector which can be clamped to a light stand. Cut through the card on one side and fold to make a self-supporting v-flat. Cut shapes to make cookies (cucoloris) to add patterns to your lighting or use to block or flag light from the frame. Available online and from art & craft suppliers.

Wooden Clothes Pegs, Clips and Clamps

 

You can never have too many clothes pegs, clips and clamps. I have a wide variety accumulated over the years. Wooden clothes pegs are cheap & have been used by film and TV lighting gaffers for decades to attach gels and diffusion to lights mainly as they don’t conduct heat, don’t melt, are cheap and readily available! I carry them for attaching gels inside & out to soft boxes and other modifiers.

Clear Plastic Bags

Every photographer working outdoors in UK should carry a couple of (heavy duty) clear plastic bags in their kit. I use them to cover my flash when working in the rain and also my cameras. All you need do is cut a corner from a bag and slice it down one side to make a camera cover which is attached to the lens hood with gaffers tape or elastic bands - don’t use electrical or duct tape as they leave a nasty residue when removed. Supermarkets sell these bags as Clear Storage Sacks or Strong Tall Bin Liners.

First published in Amateur Photographer magazine dated Saturday 24 August 2019, pages 16 - 21 30 tips to shoot on a budget.

https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/about