DIY Pop Up Flash Diffuser

Say goodbye to harsh shadows when using your pop-up flash!  

Install in seconds and it'll cost you a piece of paper and tape!

This DIY photo equipment is inspired by Gary Fong's Puffer.  I simply cut two pieces of white bond paper exactly the size of an ATM card and attached it on my pop-up flash.  Quick and easy!

Here are some camera settings to get you started!  These cam settings are ideal for film and digital cameras that have automatic and manual features.  Although, you can try the DIY pop-up diffuser or other flash diffusing tricks in this tutorial regardless of the limitations of your gear.  Sizes of the DIY diffuser may vary on the size of your pop-up flash.  The DIY flash diffuser you see in the picture above fits for DSLR pop-up flash or alike.

Point and Shoot
For people who don't know about the ins and out of the camera.  Just simply attach the DIY pop-up flash diffuser weather you have a DSLR or a Point and shoot camera, you are ready to go!

GEEK TWEAKS
Fine tune your DIY pop-up flash diffuser by learning some camera tweaks!  Let us make experiments to define what camera settings to use in different scenes.

Toknene

Toknene soaked in custom made vinegar with minced lettuce and onion. 

Numerador

Each numerador have eight digit numbers from zero to nine.

NUMERADOR, that's how old folks in the printing industry call it.  In letterpress printing, minervista or a platen printing machine operator set numeradors laid-out in rama or a steel frame panel that holds the numeradors.  

In old fashion serial numbering of printing, Minervitas (Minerva is a brand of platen printing machine) use letterpress machine like Brandjen & Kluge letterpress.   They manually feed the gang up layout in the letterpress to imprint serial numbers on receipts, sales invoices, tickets etc.

Numeradors with blue ink.

The minervista is placing the rama with numeradors attached on the letterpress machine.

Aiming For Your Killer Shot

Fishing By The Bay - May 12, 2013, Harbour Square, CCP Complex.  Men fishing set aside the hazards of Manila Bay's dirty water.  Photo taken during a 1 on 1 Digital Photography Tutorials about basic camera operations.

When I was teaching Jeff, a client who wanted to learn how to operate his dslr, he asked me tips about street photography.

"Paano ba kumuha ng street photography? magagamit ko ba yung 55-200 lens ko? kailangan ba candid? Yung hindi ka nakikita ng tao?"

Well, there are lot of styles when capturing images in the streets: camera on waist level, shooting with a long or short lens, sneak a pic or try to get invisible.  Invisible?  Okay, okay.  When someone ask me how to be invisible on the streets I say, stay long enough in the scene until you get comfortable and people around you will get use to you, the person with the camera.  Then start shooting.

On Location Study

Jeff check out his shots.

I've been to Harbour Square in CCP Complex many times.  It is one most photographed place in the Philippines  where you can see Manila de Bay, Manila Yacht Club and Manila skyline.

Study your location.  See where is your main light,  the sun in this case.  When we was hanging around Harbour Square, it a was cloudy 3PM.  Fortunately the sun make through the clouds at around 4PM until sunset.  It is the best time for the bay area, where there are possible sunset  and silhouette shots.

Sample test shot for preferred exposure and enough shutter speed set
to freeze the action.

Set you camera.  Get ready to take the shot.  Set your camera to different scenes or action.  It is important to keep in mind what camera settings to use; aperture, shutter speed, focus mode, composition etc.  Take sample shots of every scene you want to photograph.  Now it is more easy to anticipate the shot when you are all set, all you have to do is to press the shutter when the action comes.

Shot list.  Now you've planned ahead, create shot list in your mind.  What are possible shots you can create?  For this photo walk, here are some basic shots we had in mind:

Sunset, silhouettes, portraits, the Manila skyline, fishermen in action, candid shots, behind the scenes, long exposures.

You can also include small and big detail images in your shot list.

All You Need is a Little Patience

Every thing is now ready; the scene, camera settings, shot list, now we need is a little patience.  Most of the time a lot of patience.  Photography is time concept.  Everything should set at the perfect moment, light, action, and time of the day.

Take several shots of the scene and wait for actions of people, animals, or eventualities. Stay at least five to ten minutes in one scene and see what happens.

One out of 15 images taken for comparison of composition.

  

The Killer Shot!

How do you determine your killer shot for the day?  Your killer shot is one of the photo who stands up among your images is the photo with the complete story.  

  

Parade on Sea

May 4, 2013, San Narciso, Zambales - During the town feast, San Narciso local catholics parade religious icons on fishing boats.