Why, hello there! My name is Courteney, and I am the one that fills this little corner of the internet with whatever my heart desires. I dream in eras gone by and are yet to come. I fancy myself an artist of sorts, and enjoy practicing many different expressions of the fine arts. Want to know more? Check out my 
Oct
24
2009
Aha!
“I have a cunning plan.”
Baldrick, Blackadder
Yes, cunning indeed.
So the above picture may not seem like it’s groundbreaking to you, but to me, it was quite the accomplishment.
Here’s my predicament:
As a new photographer, I’m constantly hearing “get your flash off your camera!” And I’m continually seeing examples of how taking your flash off of your camera can give you a lot of potential creative lighting to work with. But here’s the kicker: There’s this little doo-dad thingy to mount your flash to a tripod. And I don’t want to complain, but seriously, this little hunk of plastic is $30. Thirty dollars!!! For something that cost 10 cents to manufacture!!! (**side note** I have a bit of an aversion to camera gear and it being so ridiculously overpriced. I wanted a flash diffuser, and it was selling for $70. I sewed one myself out of some leftover material and it works just as well.) Despite all that, I still need it if I want to experiment with lighting and all that jazz. I’ve continually tried convincing Dave to let me buy it, but he continually says “Later.”
This evening I had an epiphany. I have this old camera that I don’t use anymore. It attaches to a tripod. And my flash attaches to the camera. Shazaam! I’ve mounted my flash.
So I trudged on out to the yard (in the pitch dark) in my pajamas, winter boots and a towel on my head (I had just come out of the shower) with my camera gear in tow and set up to test my theory (when I get an idea in my head, I can’t wait for things like hair to dry) And there I was, lying in the dirt, wet hair, pj’s, and a camera taking pictures of a tree like it was a model, and giggling profusely because it worked like a charm. The above photograph is my result. Again, nothing new, but certainly an exciting day of learning for me. Now that I can practice utilizing this technique, I can justify buying that little doo-dad.
*MONDAY OCT. 26 UPDATE*
I’ve got the little doo-dad!!! I’ve got this big bag of random camera accessories (most of them obsolete) from my father-in-law. I mentioned my plight to him, and he said that there might be one in the bag…which there was! I was so stoked. $30 saved! Huzzah!
