Automagisk blog

There are a lot of interesting things that can be done with some clamps and radio triggers. Mark Rebilas has done some great stuff with motorcycles and airplanes. I did my own little project in the garden, using a more modest machine: A lawnmower.

Equipment list:

• Camera
• Flash
• TTL cord, like the Nikon SC-29
• Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp and a suitable tripod head
• Lawnmower
• Lawn
• Curious neighbour watching me through the window, wondering what I’m doing (optional)

The machine, ready to go:

Superclamp detail:

Result:

Details: 1/3s and f/16. SB800 1m up left of camera, on-camera flash (Nikon D300) used as control only. Flash -1 step and ambient +1 step.

I took about 200 images with a lot of different settings, but I still want to go out and redo this one – one day. I’d like to try a shorter shutter speed to avoid some of the blurring that’s due to shaking, and should probably use more flash and less ambient – hopefully without too much drop-off. Maybe also use a softbox?

And I also have plans for attaching the clamp to other moving things.

The main task this time was actually to mow the lawn, although it took a long time before I finished it.

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