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If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for a cheap and easy way to light something while you’re trying to photograph it. Most folks are quick to pop their on-board flash up and fire away, but I generally hate using the flash. With that, I’ve become more of an “available light” photographer and, with that, have developed my eye for lighting.

I’ve been looking for a good way to setup a cheap photography “studio” — for portraits, product shots, and a handful of other tasks — and finally found two DIY projects to help me get there: a softbox and a lightbox.

With a little bit of engineering, you might be able to make one box serve a dual purpose … put the flash on the outside for a lightbox, move it inside for a softbox. Throw in a decent portrait lens (lots of folks rave about 50mm f/1.8 primes, usually available for under $100) and you’re on your way to doing headshots, product shots, and whatever else your $50 in lighting gear can handle.

Softbox: http://lactose.blogspot.com/2007/03/hobo-diy-softbox-for-perfect-portraits.html

Lightbox: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

PC World has posted a handy video demonstrating how to install and configure a dual-monitor (often called “dual-head”) setup for your workstation.

The video shows you how to upgrade your video card, explains the differences between analog and digital connections, talks about adapters, and wisely suggests that you backup your PC before you get started.

We’re big fans of the productivity gains from dual-head workstations.

View the video here:
http://www.pcworld.com/video/id,367-page,1-bid,4/video.html

Do you have wifi in your house/apartment/whatever? Are you irritated w/ the range of the router?

Don’t want to spend $50 on a bigger antenna or two?

Here’s your solution: freeantennas.com EZ-12 Parabolic Reflector

It’s pretty simple really:
- It creates a parabola. Parabolas reflect things.
- You cover it with tin foil, thereby providing an RF-reflective surface.
- It’s dirt cheap. Like less than $1 cheap.

There’s a cool side-effect to this, though. In reflecting RF from the router, you’re also dampening the RF field behind the reflector. This is a great solution, not only for boosting coverage in your house, but for getting rid of the pesky bandwidth leeches next door.

Do you own a camcorder? Do you use it? If so, then you’re familiar with the all-too-common problem of camera shake. Here’s a quick and dirty DIY solution.

For $20 in parts and less than an hour of your time, this project will create a shoulder bracket for your camcorder that attaches to the tripod mount and helps give your camcorder a more solid basis to sit on. The result? A more stable image.

Read the tutorial here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/EYCLDWU142EQ6T257Y