The Creative Exchange, February 27th - March 2nd

It’s an Arts and Crafts Day today at The Creative Exchange!  Smocks are in the closet, so help yourself!

If you’ve ever done any macro work outdoors, then you know that your biggest enemy is the slightest breeze.  Even if you are “being good” and using a tripod, it’s of no help if there’s a breeze, so today we are making a breeze box.  I’ve made a couple of these, and have been meaning to share it here, but just never got around to photographing the process for you.

A couple of things…

First, this is not my “invention.”  There are plenty of how-tos online for various types of these boxes.  Second, I am sorry about the iPhone shots, but it was simply with me when I put this one together.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED:

~~Four 16”x16”** pieces of 1/8 inch thick Plexiglas.

~~Sixteen, 17-inch lengths of Gorilla brand tape (duct tape works also, but is not nearly as durable over time).  You may want to cut the lengths of tape before beginning, to make things go quicker.

~~An Exacto knife or scissors.

Place one sheet of Plexiglas on top of another sheet and tape together on one side, by folding tape from one side to the other.  Trim ends of tape with the knife or scissors. 

 

Now open this up and lay it flat to tape the inside (so it won't be sticky).  Trim ends of tape.

You now have one hinge made! 

With the taped side facing AWAY from you, place a third sheet on top of the first two.  Tape all 3 together on the side facing you, and trim the ends of the tape.  Open it up, tape the inside, and trim once again.

With the 3 pieces opened up and lying flat, place the last piece of Plexiglas on top of the middle piece.  Tape in place on the side facing you, and trim tape.  Open up to tape the inside.  Trim tape.  You now have the top completed. 

Tape and trim remaining sides so that you do not cut yourself when handling the box. 

Your box will fold quite flat, which makes it very easy to carry with you.  If is not completely flat, it will come to be over time, as the tape stretches a bit.  If you want to hurry the process, place a heavy book on it for a day or two.

Note that you can and should adjust the front opening so that you can just fit your lens inside.  This will eliminate as much breeze as possible.  You can still use a tripod, but you’d need a tabletop one, or one that can get close to the ground for you.  If using a tabletop tripod, be VERY sure it will support the weight of your camera and lens.  If glare is a problem, you can use a diffuser.  No diffuser, no problem; a piece of white cotton will do!  You do not want any sort of thick material, as this will cause you to lose light.

Yes, it may get scratched over time, but remember macro photography makes use of a very shallow depth of field, so this should not be an issue.  Yes, it may fog up depending on weather conditions, so carry some paper towels with you!

**A 16”x16” is good for low-lying flowers, etc.  For taller ones, I use a 16’x32’.  If you choose to make a 16”x32”, you will need three 16”x32” pieces of Plexiglas, and one 16”x16” piece for the top.  The box you are seeing in the photos is an 8”x8”, simply because it was easier to photograph, and I had some leftover pieces from previous projects.

If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments section here, and I will do my best to answer them in the comments section also.  Happy Monday to you!!

SoftBox Pro

If you have an iPad or an iPhone, you may want to look at an app called SoftBox Pro by EggErr Studio.  First to be very clear, this is not a camera app.  It is a lighting app to be used with your camera.  Now, I cannot remember the last time I used a flash of any type with my camera.  I love natural light even when it is very difficult to be found, but there are times when a little extra soft light comes in handy, and that is what SoftBox Pro is about.  Now you are not going to light a studio with it, but for small subjects or a soft wash of light on larger subjects, this app really does a nice job.

When you first open the app, you are presented with this screen (above).  From here you can adjust the brightness of the light, the color (just like a filter), and select a shape and/or pattern if you choose.

 

Light Screen (no shape or pattern)

Possible Shape Choice

Possible Pattern Choice

Once you have done this, you simply tap the middle of the screen, and your iPad or iPhone screen will fill with your selections. 

You may now use it to light your subject.  Once done, simply double-tap the screen to return to the selection screen.  Too simple.

One thing I must say, and I am sure it is something I am missing here, but I just don’t know how or why I would ever use any of the patterns included!  Pretty wild.

The app is available at the iTunes Store, and costs $2.99.  The same app is also available for your iPhone for $.99.  I have not tried to use the iPhone app strictly for static lighting a subject, but I have tried light painting with it, and have gotten some very nice results.  Hopefully I will have some time to practice more with light painting, and then we can talk about that here too!

 

All iPad screen shots were taken with my iPhone.  I grabbed the first thing available for the shot above, which happened to be the remaining bud on a Christmas Cactus.  It was taken handheld with a Nikon D300 (40mm f/2.8 macro, at f/3.2, 1/80, ISO 400) in a dark room using only the SoftBox app for lighting.  I used a piece of white poster board for the background.  Except for crops, all shots are SOOC.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me, or ask in the comments section here.  If you ask in the comments section, I will answer your question there.

~NOTE~  From time to time, I like to bring you little bits of info such as this.  If at any time I am compensated in return for sharing my thoughts/experience I will fully disclose that.  I will also be completely honest in my opinion both good and not so good.  Please know that it is my opinion based on my experience.