Mike Hagen - The Enthusiasts Guide to DIY Photography: 77 Projects, Hacks, Techniques, and Inexpensive Solutions for Getting Great

64 Projects, Hacks, Techniques,
and Inexpensive Solutions for Getting Great Photos

MIKE HAGEN

THE ENTHUSIASTS GUIDE TO DIY PHOTOGRAPHY:
64 PROJECTS, HACKS, TECHNIQUES, AND
INEXPENSIVE SOLUTIONS FOR GETTING GREAT PHOTOS

Mike Hagen

The Enthusiasts Guide to DIY Photography

64 Projects, Hacks, Techniques, and Inexpensive Solutions for Getting Great Photos

Mike Hagen

www.VisAdventures.com

Project editor: Maggie Yates

Project manager: Lisa Brazieal

Marketing manager: Mercedes Murray

Copyeditor: Maggie Yates

Layout and type: WolfsonDesign

Cover design: WolfsonDesign

Indexer: Maggie Yates

Front cover image: Mike Hagen

ISBN: 978-1-68198-294-6

1st Edition (1st printing, December 2017)

2018 Mike Hagen

All images Mike Hagen unless otherwise noted

Rocky Nook Inc.

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San Rafael, CA 94901

USA

www.rockynook.com

Distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services

Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017949800

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Printed in China

For my daughter, who loves to tinker and explore. I cant wait to see what you create.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I GREATLY APPRECIATE the Rocky Nook team, who works hard to ensure every book is excellent. A special thank you Scott Cowlin, Ted Waitt, Joan Dixon, and Maggie Yates, who worked diligently with me throughout the entire process of writing, editing, layout, and production.

I greatly appreciate my wife and children and want to thank them for putting up with me as I worked on this book. Book projects take months of time and effort to complete, and this one required more hands-on labor than any other book Ive written. I spent lots of late nights and long weekends building projects. Thank you for lending me your helping hands time and time again.

INTRODUCTION

DIY STANDS FOR Do It Yourself. The DIY and maker movement has grown quite large over the years and now has its own magazines, YouTube channels, and MeetUp groups. DIY-ers know the joy of building projects with their hands and putting them to use in the real world. I wrote this book specifically for DIY enthusiasts who love photography and love working with their hands.

Ive personally built and used every project in this book. As a professional photographer for 20 years, I can confidently say that the projects demonstrated here will help you produce professional imagery. I know, because Ive published and sold images produced from these projects.

Ive tried to give enough instruction to build each project. That said, I have made some assumptions with respect to your skillset. In some cases, I wont give specific dimensions because a project needs to be customized for your needs or specific camera. In other cases, I am a bit vague on screw sizes or specific tools since there can be a lot of leeway when building these projects.

Im assuming most DIY-ers have at least a little bit of mechanical ability, but if you ever have questions about a specific project, feel free to shoot me an email or contact me via social media and Ill get back to you right away.

Mike Hagen

CONTENTS

1

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

CHAPTER 1

Lighting equipment can be some of the more expensive gear you purchase for your photography. For most photographers, the thought of outfitting their studios with a bunch of new equipment like softboxes, continuous lights, and background lights can seem overwhelming. This chapter is written to help you create inexpensive lighting equipment that produces excellent results. Ill cover a number of projects related to LED lighting, fluorescent lighting, and speedlight modifications. Ill also cover some specialized projects, such as a light saber and using a projector to create backdrops.

1. LED STRIP LIGHT PANELS

THESE LED PANEL LIGHTS are wonderful to use in the studio. They are really lightweight and can be incorporated into all types of lighting scenarios. I encourage you to build at least two units.

They are constructed with LED strip lighting that you purchase in rolls. These are readily available from all kinds of sources such as Amazon, eBay, and your local big-box retailer. They are designed to be installed underneath cabinets or along stairwells, but with a little ingenuity, you can repurpose them for very capable studio lighting.

You can make these light panels as big or as small as you want, just make sure your mount is strong enough to hold the weight of the panel. For this project, I made a smaller lighting kit for easier portability.

Parts List ()

• LED strips with included power supply
• Glue (Gorilla Glue or similar)
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• 24-gauge wire
• Wire strippers
• Flat panel approximately 12 to 24 on each side
• L-bracket and screws/bolts