Road trips, and other “off the grid” travel adventures are a time for slowing down, for finding the unexpected, and for reconnecting with the world around you. Unfortunately, for us photographers, they can also be a time of anxiety and frustration. How can you keep your camera charged so it’s always ready when inspiration strikes? How can you handle batteries and backups of your photos so they aren’t lost in the mix before you return home?
As a consummate road-tripper and photographer, I’ve spent many years fine-tuning how to keep my camera charged, and my photos safe, for weeks of off the grid travel. Here are some tips to help you do the same.
Charging 101
Many cameras, from point and shoots to DSLRs, are powered by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Li-ion batteries are small, lightweight, rechargeable batteries that can tolerate hundreds of charge and discharge cycles.
They are recharged by an external charger, which comes with your camera when you purchase it. That charger plugs into a wall via a two-prong plug and feeds off your house’s Alternating Current power (also called AC power).
Here’s where charging off the grid gets tricky. Unless you’re staying nightly in a hotel room, two-prong AC plugs (and the charging capacity to power them) are hard to come by. In order to keep your camera battery charged, you will need to adapt.
Essential Charging Gear
Start out by purchasing a universal Li-ion battery charger. Universal chargers can hold almost any kind of small Li-ion battery, and come with a two-prong plug as well as a 12-volt Direct Current (DC) adapter. This adapter is cylindrical and fits into your car’s 12-volt port (traditionally called a “Cigarette Lighter” charger).
If you plan to drive for long distances each day and are only looking to recharge a camera battery, this may be all you need. If you plan to charge other devices—tablets, phones, and laptops—or won’t be driving, you’ll need a power bank.
Power Banks
Power banks are essentially big batteries. They receive a charge, either from a wall outlet or an alternative source like solar panels, and hold onto that charge until you need it. Power banks vary greatly in size, weight, and capacity. Small USB power banks are perfect for powering cell phones and tablets. Depending on their capacity, they can recharge a phone or tablet anywhere from two to eight times.
Though they are harder to find, some small power banks also have a two- or three-prong port for plugging in a Li-ion camera battery charger. For quick trips where a little backup is needed, these power banks are just right.
If a little backup isn’t what you’re looking for, it’s time to call in the big guns. Portable power stations range in size from 150 to 1250 watts and are designed to be a full-service power solution. Power stations offer three-prong ports for AC power, multiple USB ports, and a 12-volt port.
They can charge camera batteries, laptops, tablets, and cell phones with ease (charging capacity varies by model).
Portable power stations are relatively large, as well as heavy. To illustrate, they are great at a campsite but too bulky to hike comfortably into the backcountry. These power stations are recharged by plugging them into a wall outlet, or by connecting them to solar panels and allowing them to charge for 8-12 hours.
If you’re looking for serious charging power, or plan to be off the grid for long stretches, a portable power station is a wise investment. Note: Portable power stations cannot be brought on airplanes, though smaller USB power banks often can.
Photo Backups
Is there anything worse than returning from travel and finding your image files are corrupted or missing? A savvy photographer will avoid this scenario by doing daily backups of their images.
Backing up images online to the cloud is an option if you have fast, reliable Wi-Fi at your disposal. Set the backup to happen overnight, and you’ll wake up knowing your images are safe.
Fast Wi-Fi is hard to find. Hotel and coffee shop connections are often sluggish, so always be prepared with another backup plan. If you’re traveling with a laptop you can either back up the images directly to the computer or carry a rugged external hard drive. If the images are critical, such as a wedding gallery or a shoot for a client, back up the images to two different locations.
When traveling without a laptop, invest in a portable backup device like a Gnarbox. These small drives have an SD card slot and will copy and store all of the card’s images. Again, if the shoot is extra-important, be sure to back up the images to at least two locations.
Keeping your camera and other devices charged while on the road can be a challenge, but is made easier with a few pieces of essential gear designed to meet your charging needs. Together with regular backups, you can take images off the grid with ease and peace of mind.
With our phones becoming an essential tool in our lives, we’ve started integrating them into our daily routines. We use them to document events and milestones, and then share them on social media. One trend that seems set to continue is having photo booths at events and even gatherings. Guests are invited to shoot photos in front of a fun background to help document the memories of that special day. And photographers are always looking for great studio backdrops to help make portraits interesting. Keeping both scenarios in mind, I’ve put together three examples of easy-to-create backdrops that can be used in all sorts of situations. So whether you’re a serious portrait photographer who wants to create something unique for your business or a creative individual who wants to give your guests with something fun during an event, here are step-by-step instructions for creating some pretty cool backgrounds.
1# String and a Theme
For this creative effort all you need is a lot of string and some paper clips. I’ve used this technique with everything from displaying art to creating a fun backdrop for portraits in support of Down Syndrome awareness. (The creases in the fabric can easily be removed in Photoshop. I just wanted to show exactly how it looked.)
Created using some friends’ socks, two pieces of white fabric and some push pins.
The steps are quite simple.
Get some string. (I’m partial to either black string or brown hemp-based string.)
Using strong tape or hooks, run the string back and forth across the area you’ll be shooting. This works best on a blank wall or a plain backdrop cloth. (If you don’t have a backdrop cloth, iron a bed sheet and hang it up using thumbtacks.)
Attach whatever theme items you’ve chosen at random places along the string using paper clips.
Take some test photos to make sure you like the look of your backdrop.
I hung the socks from the string using bobby pins.
Here’s a background we made for a school. The design was created for World Down Syndrome Day. Everyone was encouraged to raise awareness by wearing crazy socks. So we created this simple background and then took photos of the students in front of the socks. It was easy to set up, and a lot of fun to shoot.
2# Paint Splatters and a Tri-Fold Display Board
Remember those tri-fold display boards we all bought to make our science fair projects? Well, here’s a backdrop you can make using that school day staple. It’s also easy to transport – just fold it up and away you go. It’s also a great way to use up any paint you have sitting around in the basement.
I used some acrylic paint and a palette knife for this background. I decided to smear it this
time, but you can also splatter the paint.
Buy a tri-fold display board (black or white) from the dollar store.
Choose some paint colors that go with your theme (or use whatever you have lying around in the basement). If the paint is too thick to splatter, adding water can help make it more pliable.
Take the tri-fold board outside (or put down a lot of newspaper on the kitchen floor).
Using a variety of brush sizes, randomly drip, splash or flick paint onto the tri-fold.
Let it dry for several hours before moving the board.
If you load the knife with a few colors and drag it across the palette you get lots of mixing and
color variation.
Here’s the full tri-fold display board. While the background isn’t very big, it’s quite portable. However, it does limit how much you see. But keep in mind you can always use a zoom lens and have your subject stand at a distance from the background. After all, a lot of DIY is about making do with what you have.
A simply white tri-board can be really useful. And in a pinch it can also be used as a reflector.
3# Brown Paper and Old Books
For this one you’ll need a roll of craft paper, which you can either hang from a studio backdrop or improvise by taping it to the wall. But you’ll have to be gentle with this backdrop, and if your guests or clients aren’t careful they could easily rip the paper. Next, choose some books that have significance to your event. If it’s a baby shower, old children’s books might be a good choice for the background. (I realize that some people think dismantling a book for a backdrop is blasphemous. Personally, I think it’s a great way to give it another purpose instead of having it just sit on the shelf. If this really bothers you, use newspapers instead.)
Gather up old books you won’t be reading again, or visit the library and ask for any damaged books they’ll be throwing away. Flea markets and garage sales are also great places to find books.
Cut pages out of the books that you find visually appealing
Glue the pages to the long strip of brown craft paper you hung up
Apply as many pages as you see fit. (You may want to use only a few pages, while someone else may want to completely cover the brown paper.)
Carefully adjust the roll of paper so guests can easily stand in front of your backdrop
I used pages from an old Writer’s Market to create this background. The nice thing is I
can roll it up and take it anywhere.
I also like the look of this background with a black and white treatment.
A classic black and white portrait in front is quite pleasing.
Other Ideas
Here’s are some more ideas for backgrounds.
Run party streamers diagonally down the wall in a variety of colors.
Hang homemade snowflakes from the ceiling.
Hang Christmas lights behind a bed sheet for a glowing look.
Collect fall leaves and glue them to brown paper.
Use old rolls of wallpaper and drape them behind your subject. (No gluing required.)
There are countless ways to create an inspiring look for portraits. Don’t be afraid to be creative and use items you have lying around the house. And please share your ideas and examples. We’d love to see what items you use to make something truly fun and creative.
The obvious way to improve your photography is to study photography. But once you’ve had some success with the main principals of photography, you’ll be eager to go deeper and learning more photography principals won’t get you there. Rather than piling on more and more knowledge, you first need to go deeper with what you’ve already got.
Use journal writing to pull yourself out of a rut as a photographer.
Journal writing is the best way to go deeper with your photography. Through journal writing you discover what you’re actually struggling with, hone your creative vision, and measure your growth over time.
Great minds throughout history have kept a journal of some sort. A journal is like a laboratory where you can get messy with your thoughts, vision, and creativity. You can work things out in the pages of your journal and bring them to life in the real world. Journal writing will take you into a deeper creative mindset, helping you do far more with those photography skills you’ve learned. The problem is that many photographers aren’t sure what to write in their journal.
Here are several ways to use your journal to achieve deeper creativity with photography:
1. Don’t worry about writing well
Allow your journal writing to be a complete wreck.
If writing well comes easily for you, then go ahead and write well in your journal. But if writing doesn’t come easily for you, do not try to write well.
You’re not writing for the sake of writing well, you’re writing to stir up your creativity and improve your photography.
“There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he
does not know till he takes up the pen to write.” – William Makepeace
Thackeray
2. Write to get out of ruts
As photographers, we find ourselves in a rut every now and then. We become dissatisfied with our photography, our photos don’t excite us anymore, and we begin to hate picking up the camera. If this hasn’t hit you yet, be ready. It seems to come out of nowhere, and can be devastating.
Ruts will cause you to quit unless you figure out how to get out of them. Your journal is the perfect place to do that.
At first, it will be difficult to be honest with yourself as you write. You’re always hiding what you really think from other people, and it’s rare that you actually go deep into your own thought process. But you need to be honest in order to get yourself out of a rut.
I hit a rut a couple of years ago and discovered these things about myself through journal writing:
I have no vision
Photos I love the most feel raw
I wish I could be a kid with a camera again
The idea behind a photo is more interesting than the photo itself
I’m so awkward when it comes to people
Chaotic photo sessions are my favorite
Unless I’m working, I don’t pick up my camera anymore
The things that used to excite me don’t
I don’t know what to say about my photos
Do I hate photography?
As negative as many of those thoughts sound, I learned a lot from them.
I learned that I love to explore the world with my camera. There is joy in finding a chaotic scene, looking for patterns, and then bringing some order or beauty to the scene through my photos.
Sometimes you have negative feelings for different reasons than you think. I didn’t actually hate photography, I just had blocks that I didn’t know how to get past. Once I got things out on paper, I could see what was standing in my way.
In the middle of my photography rut, I took a camping trip with friends. I decided to just follow the kids around and join in the play with my camera. Being able to do whatever I want, even exploring crazy ideas, seemed to make all that frustration and hatred of photography melt away.
To me, simple things like kids eating dirt are a joy to photograph. I included the whole door
of the trailer to make him look smaller.
I came in close to see that he is covered in mud.
Finally, I pulled back and dropped to a lower angle to make the shoe mat part of the scene.
If there is something that really bugs you about your photography, or you have a vague sense of disappointment in your work, writing in your journal will help you identify your specific frustrations.
3. Track your improvement
If you don’t track your improvement, you will have no idea how you’re doing.
When you’re tracking a goal, it’s better to measure how far you’ve come rather than how far you have left to go. It can be discouraging to look ahead at how far you still have to go, but encouraging to see how far you’ve already come.
Tracking your improvement will help you to understand how far you’ve come on your journey. Many people are discouraged simply because they have no way of seeing how far they’ve come. Write it down so that you can see.
I felt stagnant with my family photo sessions so I began tracking how I felt, what went well, what went wrong and ideas that I had toward improving.
I had in mind Robert Capa’s idea, “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close
enough.” I got as close as I could to that teeter-totter.
4. Clarify your vision
“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” – Jonathan Swift
Vision is an aspect of photography that very few people work to develop.
We can see with our eyes and organize our photo according to the rule of thirds, but how do you see things that are invisible? How do you put invisible things in your photo?
Writing in my journal helped me to see the invisible things that I already love to photograph.
Spontaneity, chaos and awkwardness are not things that you can see, though they can be expressed visually. It’s in the fleeting expression that a portrait subject gives, the unpredictable nature of toddlers, even in the ability to push through and photograph a bridezilla well.
Prior to journaling, I had no vision – after journaling (for a few months) I could finally see. My vision is about bringing order and beauty to raw, chaotic scenarios through my photography
You can take your photography to new places and new levels once you have vision. You will gain vision when you write about invisible things and can see them in front of you.
I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to photograph moments like this. But “accidentally
falling into the water” is just the sort of awkward moment I’m after. Anything to get out of a rut.
5. Quotes
Keep a list of your favourite photography quotes, they’re likely a clue to who you are as a photographer.
On improvement
“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
“If your pictures are not good enough, you are not close enough.” – Robert Capa
“The eye should learn to listen before it looks.” – Robert Frank
“I don’t just look at the thing itself or at the reality itself; I
look around the edges for those little askew moments – kind of like what
makes up our lives – those slightly awkward, lovely moments.” – Keith
Carter
On portraits
“The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have
to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt.” –
Henri Cartier-Bresson
“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes.
But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their
souls!” – Ted Grant
On the camera
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” – Dorothea Lange
“For me, the camera is a sketchbook, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
“The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong.” – Susan Meiselas
“Don’t pack up your camera until you’ve left the location.” – Joe McNally
On the nature of photography
“I tend to think of the act of photographing, generally
speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never
been.” – Diane Arbus
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” – Diane Arbus
“The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself.” – Edward Steichen
“I realize more and more what it takes to be a really good
photographer. You go in over your head, not just up to your neck.” –
Dorothea Lange
Your favorite quotes are a clue to who you are as a photographer, and they’ll help you see that you’re not alone in your approach to photography.
A lovely moment.
A slightly awkward, lovely moments.
6. Dream up the future
Dream big in the pages of your journal. While you’re at it, dream too big. After a little while of dreaming too big, you’ll be far more capable of doing those big things you never thought you could before.
You’re already working through frustrations and tracking your progress toward goals. This means that you’re learning to create the process that helps you achieve those (too) big dreams.
Maybe you’ve got this wild idea of taking a long trip and documenting your journey. You’ve got yourself fired up within the pages of your journal. But is it realistic in real life? Probably not. Can you afford it? Can you handle it? Not likely.
Go ahead and feel the frustration of dreaming too big, and having that dream start to fade away. Feel it until you realize it as a deep frustration. Now work through that frustration in your journal. Fight your way to make it real.
Thanks to my journal, I almost signed the lease on an expensive studio space. But backed out at the last minute. I had dreamed a little too big.
However, I’ve grown a lot as a photographer since then. I kept working through my frustrations and weak points. One of the problems was that I didn’t have a proper vision for the studio. So I’ve been refining my vision and building a community of amateurs and professionals whom I will share my studio with. I’m building something now that will already be alive and ready for a studio.
I dreamed too big. But now I’m quickly growing into that dream thanks to my journal.
7. Don’t write at all
Your journal isn’t only for words – put sketches in it too. Even if you can’t do it well, a basic sketch can help capture an idea you have for a photo. Don’t be concerned about buying proper pencils and a sketch pad. Just cram everything in your journal.
You might even consider printing your “sketch photos” to put in your journal. Sketch photos are the photos you take on the way to capturing your final image. Sketch photos are a way of photographing a scene in a variety of ways, making subtle changes until you get your photo just right. Sometimes the process takes a few minutes, but it could take months or years.
The perfect journal
Many people will avoid writing until they find the perfect journal. They’re waiting to find a journal that inspires them to write. Perhaps a hand-crafted, leather-bound journal with beautifully textured paper. After purchasing such an exquisite journal, they’re still not able to write. Don’t let this be you. You don’t need a nice journal, you just need to get your thoughts out (get the nice journal later on).
You don’t need to feel good to journal. In fact, journaling when you feel miserable may be more helpful. Get it out and written down. Confront it, and begin to grow as a photographer.
The perfect journal is messy, full, and always in use. And it will help you to become a better photographer.
I’m a minimalist gal when it comes to most things, and photography equipment is no exception. I know that some people love equipment and gear; the more the better. But when I think about lugging lights, reflectors, and flashes around, my creativity takes a nosedive. My favorite light source, hands down, is the sun. In the words of John Denver, sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy!
I’d love to share some dos (because who likes to be told what NOT to do?) to help you harness the power of the giant lamp in the sky. Hopefully you’ll gain a new appreciation for this natural light source, whether or not you hate lugging equipment around like I do.
The sun is unique
One thing I love about the sun is that it is never the same. Although having an unpredictable light source can be a big challenge, I love that every day, every shoot, every photo, is unique and special. I couldn’t recreate any given day’s exact lighting even if I wanted to. Some days everything works together like magic, and I call that a gift.
DO pay attention to how the light falls on your subject’s face
I see many amateur photographers take photos like the one above, with harsh light and shadows on the face. Most of the time they are paying more attention to a pretty background than the lighting. If the sunlight is very bright, such as midday, or early afternoon, this can be a big problem.
Sunlight is a beautiful light source, but you have to work with it, and position your subject in the correct place, since try as you might, you’re not going to be able to move the sun (unless you want to wait a couple of hours, and let it move itself).
DO try backlighting
This means that the sun is behind your subject, facing you. This method of using the sun is my absolute favorite, because it makes your subject just glow. There are a few things to keep in mind as you try backlighting:
DO use backlighting at any time of day. You get different effects backlighting with the sun in different positions. It’s an effective tool to use even when the light is harsh, since it softens the light on your subject’s face, and helps them not to squint. It’s also an ideal tool to use when the sun is low, golden, and gorgeous.
DO move yourself around. Slight differences in angles can make a big difference in the look you get. I like to have the sun behind and slightly to the side of my subject (as you can see in the photo above). If the sun is directly facing your camera, you may get flare in your lens that can totally wipe out your subject. You can get beautiful lens flare effects if you find a spot somewhere in between the two. Experiment to find exactly the look you are going for.
DO use poles, trunks, bushes, or whatever is there to manipulate the light to your advantage. If the sun is positioned behind leafy trees, you can create beautiful soft bokeh. The trees filter the light a bit so it isn’t so harsh, and you get beautiful warm, soft, lighting. You can position yourself where the sun is partially behind a trunk or pole off to the side, which will cut some of the harshness and glare in your lens. The trunk doesn’t need to be in your photo, it’s just working as an assistant for you.
DO pay attention to the clothes YOU are wearing. Try wearing light/white tops as the photographer, and avoid wearing bright colors. It may seem strange that it matters what the photographer is wearing, but when the sun is reflecting off your chest, it can cast colors onto your subject that you weren’t intending, and put odd colored highlights in their eyes.
DO use your subjects and your own body to work with the sun. You can position yourself so the sun is directly behind your subject, so your subject filters the light a bit and cuts the glare in your lens. This can create a beautiful glow, or a starburst effect. Sometimes if there is just a little too much glare on my lens, I hold my hand off to the side of my lens (not in the photo) and achieve just the amount of sun flare that I want, without all the washed out glare.
DO experiment with the sun directly lighting your subject
There are lots of great advantages to this type of lighting, including the beautiful sky captured in the photo. When you backlight, your sky is usually washed out in order to have your subjects properly exposed. You can add a sky in post-processing, but when you shoot with the sun behind you, and toward your subjects, you can expose for both at the same time. A few more tips for front lighting using the sun:
DO keep in mind that it is usually hard for people not to squint when they are looking into the sun. If it’s a particularly bright day, you may have to have your subjects looking away from the sun. Some people are extra sensitive to light, and you may not be able to use front lighting unless the sun is really low in the sky, almost ready to set. Squinting eyes aren’t very attractive, neither are watery eyes and scrunched up faces.
DO use front lighting when you want a dark background. If you position your subject near the opening of a shed or garage, the background will fall into darkness, since you have your exposure set for the bright subject in the front.
DO use front lighting for drama, and for high key photography, but be careful that you don’t lose too much dimension and end up with flat images.
DO use the sun for beautiful portraits
When the light is soft, either when it’s almost down, or with a few clouds over it, you can light your subject from the side to get dimension. You can get dramatic moody portraits, soft flattering portraits, fun happy portraits…the sky is the limit!
DO become a light watcher
I can’t talk to someone without noticing how the light falls on their face. I look at how shadows fall at different times of the day. I study the quality of the light constantly, and take photographs with my mind all day long. The more you know about how the sun works, and how you can work with the sun, the better your photos will get.
Lastly – just one little don’t
DON’T be discouraged if the sun is hiding behind clouds. If you’re lucky, they’re thin clouds, and you can still harness a bit of that magical sunny glow. If it’s overcast, just remember that you’re still using the sun as your light source, and be grateful for the ease of using the whole sky as a giant soft light. Don’t forget; in the words of Annie, the sun will come out tomorrow!
Have you ever noticed how the subject stands out in professional portraits? How about the beautiful contours of bottles and glass objects in advertising photography? Do you wonder how they do it? You can achieve these and many more effects with backlighting.
Keep reading to learn what it is and how to DIY your way into it.
Backlighting means that there is a source of light coming from behind your subject and pointing directly (or almost) at your camera. This can be used as the only light source or as a supplement, and it can create depth in the image.
For example, in the above photo, I used backlighting to highlight the feathers and clearly separate the subject from the background. This is often used in portrait photography to highlight the hair of the model.
1. Wider light sources
The sun can be an excellent source for backlighting even if you are indoors. Just by placing your subject in front of the window, you are already using this technique. Although, more often than not, it will need some form of manipulation. For example, if the view from the window is not the best backdrop for your subject or the sun is coming in too bright, you can add a diffuser.
A cheap and easy solution is to tape some oven paper, tracing paper or a thin white fabric to the window to soften the light.
The photo on the left doesn’t use a diffuser. The sun was so incredibly bright that I couldn’t blur the background with a shallow depth of field. The shadows were also very dark and distracting.
In the image on the right, I had a white, even background to showcase the subject, which also worked as a diffuser to soften the shadows.
This kind of lighting works well for transparent objects. However, you can always complement with another light, or you can put a reflective surface in front to bounce the light if your subject (or part of it) is opaque.
To show you how it looks, I used the same setting for this bottle but placed a hand mirror in front of it next to the camera.
Most locations are bound to have windows unless you find yourself inside a dark room or something with a specific use where daylight is not wanted. However, if you find yourself in one of these places, you can always use the screen of your computer or tablet. You can look for a nice booked photo, or just open a blank document to create a white background.
2. Narrow light sources
Narrow light sources such as small spotlights create a very bright center diffusing towards the edges, and it’s usually a hard light, so it creates strong shadows. To create this effect, you can use a lightbulb, a candle, a torch or even the LED light from your smartphone. Add a creative element into it, by putting some color in it, like this example:
To create the silhouette of this little coyote, I placed the figurine in front of the background, which in this case was a red semi-transparent folder.
Remember we are getting creative here. If you don’t have a folder like this, you can use other things as long as they are thin enough or transparent enough to let the light pass through.
After this, as backlighting technique dictates, I placed a smartphone which was my light source directly behind the red background pointing directly at the figurine and the camera. Also, I used clothes pins to hold everything in place and for standing them up.
Keep in mind that the closer you put the light, the smaller the light spot will be. So move the phone (torch or whatever you’re using) back and forward to achieve different results.
These DIY hacks don’t substitute professional lighting equipment. However, they certainly allow you to get some creative images, practice your photographic skills and keep your budget intact. And, the most important thing is to keep practicing.
Have fun and let us know any other tricks you come up with in the comments.
If you'd like to show some of your photos on Youtube you can make a brief video like this one by using "Windows Movie Maker" software or just hire someone at Fiverr.com to make it for you.
Which Size Lensball is Best for Crystal Ball Photography?
The world is in your hands, well it can certainly seem that way when you do crystal ball photography. The crystal ball allows you to take refraction photos, which reveal the background scene within the ball. It’s a great technique, with which many people are having a lot of fun. The photographic technique has now become so popular that photographers have re-branded the crystal ball as a lensball! So the question that’s often asked is which lensball size is the correct one to buy? Let’s take a look at the various options available when buying a crystal ball, and decide which is the best for you.
Which size of the lensball is the best? There are three here, an 80, a 120 and a 60mm ball.
Small Lensball
The small size lensball is anything less than 60mm, so all the way down to a marble. These balls are the easiest to pack and are considerably lighter than the other balls. So what are the strengths and weaknesses of this particular size?
Strengths
Weight – These add almost no weight to your bag at all, and this also makes them easier to use for handheld photos.
Size – Again owing to their small size they’ll be easier to pack, giving you more space for other items. The smaller size also allows you to place the ball in gaps where the larger balls won’t fit.
Handheld – This size makes it easier to hold the ball between your finger and thumb, which becomes more difficult at larger sizes.
This position to rest the ball is only possible with a small lensball.
Weaknesses
Weight – This is also a weakness. Once a heavy ball is in place it usually stays there. The problem comes on a windy day, where the wind can move a lighter ball much more easily.
Focus and distortion – This lensball size will have a smaller sweet spot for focus, and a greater proportion of the ball will be distorted. Using a smaller aperture can help, as more of the ball will be focused.
Lens required – You will need a macro lens when using a small lensball if you wish to fill the frame with the ball.
The small size is perfect to hold between your index finger and thumb.
Medium Lensball size
This refers to balls at 80mm in diameter. Many photographers see this as the ideal size for their refraction photography. There are a lot of good reasons why you should also use this size of lensball. Let’s break it down, as this is the crystal ball you’ll likely be using.
Strengths
Weight – This is a little heavier, but still not noticeable. So it’s a nice thing to carry in your camera bag to add a bit more creativity to your work.
Size – This is a decent size, though you might not fit this ball into a small space. The ball will fill a nice portion of your frame with a standard lens, using a macro is optional at this size.
Focus and distortion – By this size, the sweet spot area of focus within the ball dominates the scene inside the ball, and distortions at the edge are much less noticeable.
Weaknesses
Size – There are very few weaknesses in this size of a lensball. However, if you wish to take a photo where you frame just the edge of the ball this is more difficult. Likewise using the ball to eclipse a background object is also more difficult, as the ball is that much smaller.
The lensball is ideal for many kinds of creative takes on typical scenes. Here it’s used to
capture a road lined with cherry blossom trees.
Large Lensball
The large size refers to those balls that are 100mm or over in diameter. This size is not common amongst most photographers, though this is the size I cut my teeth on for crystal ball photography. Even with the extra weight, this is often the preferred size for me personally, it just gives better quality images in my opinion. Whether this is the size for you will come down to if you want to carry the extra weight or not.
Strengths
Optics – This size offers the best in optics, a larger proportion of the ball will be in sharp focus.
Handheld – This is a much more natural size to fit in the palm of your hand or someone else’s palm. One classic crystal ball composition is that of a hand cupping the ball.
Size – This makes it far easier to fill the frame with your ball, and even hide some background elements behind the ball.
A larger size ball will both fill the frame more easily and cover up the background
when it’s close to the camera.
Weaknesses
Weight – The obvious weakness here is weight. Those not used to carrying a heavy camera bag should avoid this crystal ball size. The weight is equivalent to an extra lens in your camera bag. It comes down to whether you want an extra lens or the larger crystal ball in your bag.
Size – While optics are better when photographing this size, the larger size is not so good for storage. This will take up a large space in your bag.
This particular way of holding the crystal ball is one of the classics. It’s not so natural looking
with a smaller sized ball.
Safety
The crystal ball is a really great photographic tool to play with, though there are some safety issues you need to be aware of. You will also find that staff in the airport may consider the crystal ball a lethal weapon! This means you will have to put it in your checked luggage, hand luggage is not an option. So what are these safety concerns then?
Fire hazard – Keep the crystal ball stored somewhere out of the sun. The glass will act in the same way a magnifying glass does, and while this will usually only result in smoke it can lead to a fire as well. Oh not to mention, it can burn your hand when you are holding it as well!
Gravity – Due to its spherical nature the ball is liable to roll. If it rolls off the edge of a tall building it can cause damage to whatever it hits. Take care with the ball in such situations.
Having a small crystal ball with me enabled me to fit it in the gap of this fence.
Conclusion
Asking which size if crystal ball you should buy is a little like asking which is the best tripod. Everyone knows the sturdiest tripod is best, but that it’s impractical to carry around for the whole day. The same is true of the crystal ball, the 80mm medium sized ball then is probably the best choice. There is certainly a case for the smaller or larger size of balls though, so if you decide to get a second ball how about a different size?
Using more than one ball at a time can also be fun!
As mentioned in this article, the 80mm is both not too heavy, yet doesn’t sacrifice the image within the ball making this a good size. Have you bought a crystal ball, or are you thinking of doing so? We’d love to see your comments, and images – please share below.
Simon Bond is a specialist in creative photography techniques and is well known for his work with a crystal ball. His work has featured in national newspapers and magazines including National Geographic Traveler. With over 8 years of experience in crystal ball photography Simon is the leading figure in this field, get some great tips by downloading his free e-book! Do you want to learn more about crystal ball photography? He has a video course just for you! Use this code to get 20% off: DPS20.
