I don't know if any of you read the
Strobist's blog. But if you do, you probably already have an idea of what I'm about to write about. Also, if you're big fans of
Nick Turpin's photography you'll really find this contraption interesting.
While reading my daily feeds a few weeks back, I found out about a new way of lighting people using a small flash mounted on a boom arm (lit from above). Then came a series of links of people who tried to find a way to do the same. Some used stripped down light stands and a ball head. Others used a custom made aluminum bracket mounted on a painter's pole with expensive clamps to do the same. So I suddenly got the urge to get another gadget I know I won't use. But I wasn't about to lay a ton of cash on it like some did. Expensive hardware was totally out of the question.
I had noticed that painter's sticks have the same threaded end as a broom stick. Well, that was a start since I already had a small telescopic broomstick that came from I don't know where. The tube was slightly curved so I had to lightly step on it to bring it back into relative good shape.
I also thought about the option of using a ball head, which is simply too complex a design (and also way too expensive) since the only required movement is from front to back. I already had a broken Swiffer like broom head that I had bought at the Dollar store. I decided to replace it and keep the broken parts for this project. It has a nice small fork like adapter with a nice broomstick thread on it. Perfect for what I had in mind.
I still needed a way to mount the flash on the whole contraption. So I went through my junked camera box and found parts of an old magazine subscription type camera I had dismantled years ago. I had kept the top because it had a flash hot shoe.
Bingo! The plan was hatched. I cut a piece of 2x4 so it would fit into the Swiffer part. I ended up with a T shaped piece. The top was cut so it would fit inside the fake prism housing on the cheap camera. I put both the fork and the piece of wood together and using a drill press to make sure it was really straight, I drilled a hole for a simple screw and a butterfly nut (which I eventually changed to a small brass knob and a washer). Now, all that was left was to attach the hot shoe (which I didn't bother connecting electrically so it is now officially a cold shoe) to the piece of wood. Since I didn't know if epoxy would stick to the cheap plastic, I opted for something a bit more gooey: silicon caulk. It took about a week to fully dry but I am now guaranteed that this thing won't be going anywhere soon. To make it a bit nicer, I used some black ink to color the wood in a more "photographic" color.
So here is my better and improved Nick Turpin Flash on a Stick. Hope you find it inspiring and useful.
Enjoy!
[Sorry, image deleted during forum software upgrade. Please re-upload if so inclined.]
