Remember the TV show MacGyver from the late 1980’s? The central premise of the show was how the main character, secret agent Angus MacGyver, was going to defuse a bomb or disarm the bad guys using a paper clip, a hair from his head and some bleach, or something equally inventive. His ability to creatively solve a problem using everyday common objects even led to a verb, “MacGyvering” a solution. Well you can learn a lot from MacGyver when it comes to shooting photographs in the field without some of your basic accessories. Here are a few tips that even Angus himself would be proud of.

Lighting Tips

---

Shooting outside in bright sun is a real challenge. Bright sun is not flattering to your subjects, but sometimes you have no choice. Here is how MacGyver would handle it.

Tip #1 – Shade your camera. Get a scrap of cardboard from the trash that is big enough to shade your camera from direct sunlight. Simply hold the cardboard a few feet above your camera to put it in shadow. This prevents reflection in the lens and allows the built-in light meter to accurately expose the subjects.

Tip #2 – Shade your subject. If the subjects are squinting into the sun, and you can’t reposition them, get a bigger piece of cardboard from a dumpster and have someone position the cardboard between the subjects and the sun, shielding them from the direct sunlight. This works well for close-ups, not so well for group shots (too large a piece of cardboard).

Tip #3 – Reflect light. When the sun is behind the subject and their faces are in shadow, use a car dashboard reflector to reflect the sun back onto the front of the subjects. Position the reflector next to your camera so the reflected sunlight bathes the subjects’ faces.

You can use the dashboard reflector when the sun is overhead too. Have the subject hold the reflector out in front of them (but out of camera range obviously) reflecting sunlight onto their face. A bright white piece of cardboard will also work as a reflector.

Tip #4 – Built-in flash - Your camera’s built-in flash gets a bad reputation (too harsh, frontal illumination etc) but outdoors it can be your friend in an emergency. I always use the fill-flash setting when shooting close-ups outdoors. It balances the overhead sunlight and softens the harsh shadow effects.

Tip #5 – Use a wall - As a last resort try to find a large light-colored wall that you can position your subjects next to, but just out of camera range. I know, this is pretty restrictive in terms of posing choices, but for a close-up it can work in a pinch.

Tripod replacement Tips

---

When you want to get into a group shot or are taking a long exposure at dusk or in low light, you need to hold the camera steady. No tripod? No problem. MacGyver it!

Tip #6 – Trashbag tripod - Get a plastic grocery store bag and fill it half-full with sand, gravel or even dirt. Tie off the bag and you have a stable pillow to set your camera on. I call it a “TrashPod”. You can nestle your camera into the pillow at any angle and it will remain steady during the exposure.

Tip #7 – Duct Tape - For a more elegant solution, go to the grocery story and buy a bag of rice. It works the same. I keep a small bag of rice that I have wrapped in, yes, you guessed it, duct tape, in my car for emergencies.

Tip #8 – Be a purse-grabber - You can use your camera bag, purse or bunched up shirt as a camera pillow too as a last resort.

There you have it. 8 tips to get you out of a jam when taking photos in the field. All it takes is a little dumpster-diving and some creativity.

If you enjoyed this post please share with your fellow photo buffs, and visit www.PhotoArtPeople.com, where we transform your special photos into canvas works-of-art.

This article submitted by Bill Loeber, photographer and founder of PhotoArt People.

Tags: photo tips, photos on canvas, photos to canvas

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 2:39 pm and is filed under Articles & Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.