Topic: Your household photography equipment

[ManuelL]

Hello,

Apart from the regular photography equipment (tripod, filters, light meter, etc.), simple household items can often be used to solve common problems and make a real difference to the photography experience. I would be interested to hear what common (or obscure) items you are using for your photography.

For me the following things have become quite important:
- Zip freezer bags: keep the 4x5 holders dry and keep the dark slide in.
- Wellington boots: have made some locations much more accessible for landscape photography. (However, I recently found that they are not really suitable for longer hiking).

Especially for pinhole photography:
- Rubber bands: perfect to keep different film holders in place (use them especially for the 6x12 holder on the 4x5 camera)
- Scotch tape: to tape small pieces of gel inside the pinhole camera

I have never tried it myself, but I heard that some people are using shower caps as effective rain protection for their cameras.

Looking forward to some more inspiration, what could go in my camera bag.
Manuel

[Indofunk]

I've used plastic shopping bags + rubber bands for rain protection. I'm shooting a Holi celebration later this year (as I did last year, without protection ), so I'm going to try it there too.

[jharr]

Not sure it is a 'household' item, but down here in So. Cal. people use collapsible silver mylar reflectors in their car windows to try to keep their cars cool when parked. I have one of these to use as a reflector if I am doing people shots outdoors. It is small when collapsed (about 5" dia) and expands to probably 25" diameter. It's a cheap alternative to the reflectors from B&H.

http://www.autozone.com/sun-heat-protection/sunshade/alpine-gear-pop-up-sunshade/338301_0_0/

[Kayos]

I use various household bottles and tubs to hold stuff, my waterbath is an old toy box as it is strong plastic with a hinged lid

[Bryan]

I use a lot of zip freezer bags.  Like Manuel I put my 4x5 holders in them, with a rubber band to keep the dark slide from moving.  I also keep my cameras in them when I go kayaking or anywhere they can get wet. 

I use Q-tip cotton swabs to clean hard to reach places on cameras. 
Wood tooth picks for cleaning as well.
Very fine paint brush to apply grease onto shutter gears. 
I cut up old cotton T-shirts to clean film, mostly 8mm movie film. 
I always have a coin handy to open battery compartments.
Old springs, tin foil and electrical tape to make off spec batteries fit.
Tin foil to wrap medium format film rolls after they have been exposed to prevent light leaks.

[limr]

Rubber bands hold my pinhole camera closed, and the shutter is a magnet. Made the film holder from a used Fujifilm 100C cartridge, which is not really a 'household' item, but it was certainly repurposed!

[Paul Mitchell]

Black bin liners - great for putting your bag down on when there's wet sand, grass etc.

Those foam kneeling mats gardeners use - saves the pain on your knees especially on a pebbly beach!

Loo roll and wet wipes - you never know when you might be caught short!

[zapsnaps]

The wife - to carry all the gear. So that I can 'create' & 'visualise' unencumbered 

[SLVR]

Maybe not household but Ive used the fuji 35mm plastic canisters for flash diffusion before. Just remove the cap and cut off the closed end. Slit down the middle and it will clip over any flash.

[Francois]

Well.... I used to carry a shower cap to put on the camera if it starts to rain.
I use kid's puzzle tile foam flooring to pad bags that are too thin.
I use a meat thermometer that goes down to freezing temperature in the lab.
ID card laminating plastic is ideal for pinhole exposure compensation charts.
Electric tape... we all know this one.
Cheap off brand imitation post-it notes for removing stuck on dust on the negatives. (original ones are too sticky and make a mess)
Acrylic frame with the foot slightly unbent over the stove attached with a rubberband to the flash... very good bouncer.
Crumpled aluminum foil glued to foam core makes a perfect macro reflector.

[ManuelL]

Great stuff!

Paul, the kneeling foam thingy is a really good idea. I still got an old foam sleeping matt. I might cut it up an take a piece.
Zapsnaps, last summer I met someone who let his wife carry around his RZ67 with multiple lenses and tripod throught the complete vacation. Was that you? 
I try to avoid having my partner hoist around my gear, although I have to admit that she helps me occasionally by carrying the tripod.

[Adam Doe]

zip freezer bags for storing film in the fridge. But now that I've read about there use for 4x5 film holders I'm going to be all over that, thanks guys!

Cotton Swabs (Q-tips) and alcohol for cleaning.

And not quite household, but gaffer tape has been an incredible help in too many ways to mention them all, but here's a few: I've used to to seal light leaks, for temporary repair of cameras while out and about, for insuring my Holga doesn't suddenly open with film in it, for labeling a camera with what film is within (Use  a light colored tape for that), holding up a sheet paper as a background. I always have some with me when I'm out shooting. If I'm traveling light, which is most often, I'll take some from the spool and wind it around a 35mm film canister and shove it in my bag.

[Bryan]

zip freezer bags for storing film in the fridge. But now that I've read about there use for 4x5 film holders I'm going to be all over that, thanks guys!

Cotton Swabs (Q-tips) and alcohol for cleaning.

And not quite household, but gaffer tape has been an incredible help in too many ways to mention them all, but here's a few: I've used to to seal light leaks, for temporary repair of cameras while out and about, for insuring my Holga doesn't suddenly open with film in it, for labeling a camera with what film is within (Use  a light colored tape for that), holding up a sheet paper as a background. I always have some with me when I'm out shooting. If I'm traveling light, which is most often, I'll take some from the spool and wind it around a 35mm film canister and shove it in my bag.

I'll second that about the Gaffers Tape, great stuff.  It may be expensive but a roll will last a long time.  I like your idea to wrap a little around a film canister!

[Late Developer]

Before I disposed of my Holga, I used to use black insulation tape to hold the camera back in place so that it didn't fall off at the least opportune moment (not that there are actually ANY opportune moments when it comes to the back falling off a camera) and waste yet another roll of 120 film.

[KevinAllan]

Before I disposed of my Holga, I used to use black insulation tape to hold the camera back in place so that it didn't fall off at the least opportune moment (not that there are actually ANY opportune moments when it comes to the back falling off a camera) and waste yet another roll of 120 film.

I do the same with my Holga pinhole, after the back fell off after an 8 minute exposure which I had to repeat with a new roll. Maybe Holga should actually sell a bundle with some tape and charge double for it ?

Also, I use anglepoise desk lamps from Ikea for all my "studio" shots - one or two as required. If shooting colour, replace the supplied bulb with a daylight-temperature bulb. I sometimes tape a bit of cardboard to the side to create a partial barn-door shade to darken the background. Before I purchased a cheap studio background kit, the backgound was often an Ikea black blanket.

[rotarysmp]

My Mum always uses film canisters to make a one person portion of oil and vinegar dressing for her salad.

Mark

[imagesfrugales]

Many and all kind of plastic trays, mugs etc. from food packages for darkroom work, weighing chemicals or processing sheet film or small photo paper.

Many empty glass bottles of all sizes (20 ml schnaps to 1 l wine) with metal screw caps to store solutions in the darkroom always filled high to prevent from oxidation. Labeled properly with blank mailing labels, keep out of reach of children!!! Lighter gas = Protectan spray.

Coffee, vitamin c and washing soda to develop film  dito paracetamol pain killer tablets (Parodinal). Bubble ex for water beds = sodium sulfite. Ethanol (spiritus) and Isopropanol for all kind of mild degreasing, e.g. lens or shutter cleaning.

[Francois]

I didn't know that the stuff you put in water beds was sodium sulfite...

[Indofunk]

Before I purchased a cheap studio background kit, the backgound was often an Ikea black blanket.

This reminds me, I bought 10'x20' sheets of black and white cloth to use as backdrops. I generally fold them in half to 10'x10' sheets and hang them on the wall, but I think in retrospect I should have bought much larger sheets so that I could drape them well onto the floor to imitate the sheets of paper that studios pull out from the ceiling onto the floor. I don't know what they're called, but I like the "no corners" effect they give.

[LT]

food grade citric acid as a stop bath.

[ManuelL]

Before I purchased a cheap studio background kit, the backgound was often an Ikea black blanket.

This reminds me, I bought 10'x20' sheets of black and white cloth to use as backdrops. I generally fold them in half to 10'x10' sheets and hang them on the wall, but I think in retrospect I should have bought much larger sheets so that I could drape them well onto the floor to imitate the sheets of paper that studios pull out from the ceiling onto the floor. I don't know what they're called, but I like the "no corners" effect they give.

My father was a professional product photographer in analogue times. He often went to the local newspaper that gave the residual paper rolls from the printing process away for free. In the printing process the rolls had to be exchanged well before they were empty to avoid any damage to the print machines or slow down the printing, so you got rolls that were about 1 or 2 meters wide and had at least 50 meters paper on them. The stuff was great for creating large neutral backgrounds. (As a kid I also loved it for drawing, and once I built a 2 meter paper plane - but it didn't fly very well).

[Francois]

Before I purchased a cheap studio background kit, the backgound was often an Ikea black blanket.

This reminds me, I bought 10'x20' sheets of black and white cloth to use as backdrops. I generally fold them in half to 10'x10' sheets and hang them on the wall, but I think in retrospect I should have bought much larger sheets so that I could drape them well onto the floor to imitate the sheets of paper that studios pull out from the ceiling onto the floor. I don't know what they're called, but I like the "no corners" effect they give.

Just look for seamless paper...
As for nice cheap backdrops, you can look at painters drop cloth at the hardware store. It's usually seamless and quite large and cheap.

[Adam Doe]

... Oh, and as detailed in the thread that devolved into a discussion on the merits/evils of Marmite:

Empty Marmite jars to allow easy syringe drawing of Rodinal/R09/Adonol.

[Terry]

Has anyone ever tried to develop film with Marmite?

[Kayos]

Has anyone ever tried to develop film with Marmite?

You will either love it or hate it

I'll get my coat

[Francois]

It'll probably just eat through the film