Posted by Bruce King on December 28, 2011 at 1:07 PM
I've been thinking about getting a plamp for holding flowers steady in a breeze and also holding a diffuser/reflector. I see that most models clamp to the tripod which I think is probably a bad idea. If there is a breeze and I attach my 30 inch diffuser to my tripod it seems the diffuser would be blown around transferring movement to the tripod. Of course a good tripod would lessen the problem but probably not eliminate it completely. I also see that Mike Moats sells a plamp that stakes into the ground. An excellent idea but only if the ground is soft enough. (I refuse to carry a hammer, my pack is already at 30 lbs. ) He doesn't say how long the stake is either. I think it would take a fairly long stake to hold a large diffuser up even with no wind, if it's blowing....forget about it. Any thoughts or experiences?
Posted by Craig Strand on December 29, 2011 at 1:40 AM
Bruce,
I have and use 2 plamps and mostly love them. I purchased one at the longer length and generally use it to steady the flowers stem. They work very well as long as the breeze that your countering is gentle. On floral shoots as the breeze's build thru the morning a point is reached where the plamp holds the stem but the flower petals are still moving. Usually by that time everything is moving and so I wrap it up. I also purchased a second, shorter, plamp which I use as needed to hold other blooms or foliage away from the field of view. A nice thing on the plamps is you can coil them up and stick them in your bag, backpack or just leave them attached to your tripod.
Craig
Posted by Pete Jacks on December 29, 2011 at 1:45 AM
HI Bruce, I carry a couple of stackable light stands in the car for that type of situation. They are not too heavy,but stay in the car until needed. At my age I don't pack things far. I use a converted golf caddy to transport most equipment. If you are packing things very far all weight becomes oppressive. The golf caddy also becomes a support via super clamps and flexible arms. I think similar to the plamp. When it comes to hiking into the hills with a pack, I used to use a collapsible hiking stick with a spike. That might work to jab into the ground and it has a camera swivel mount on top to serve as a monopod. I think they are still available and handy for walking also. The plamps appear to be a useful tool also but of lite construction.
Posted by Mark Seaver on December 29, 2011 at 7:27 PM
Bruce, I take the cheap and highly portable approach. I find a stick of the right length, sharpen it a bit with my pocket knife to make sticking it in the ground easier and carry a couple of twist ties to gently hold the flower stem to the stick. This probably won't work with your diffuser, but works well for plants. If I'm flying and carrying my camera gear, that's my carry on. My clothes and knife get checked so I'm rarely without the knife.
Discussion
3 repliesI have and use 2 plamps and mostly love them. I purchased one at the longer length and generally use it to steady the flowers stem. They work very well as long as the breeze that your countering is gentle. On floral shoots as the breeze's build thru the morning a point is reached where the plamp holds the stem but the flower petals are still moving. Usually by that time everything is moving and so I wrap it up. I also purchased a second, shorter, plamp which I use as needed to hold other blooms or foliage away from the field of view. A nice thing on the plamps is you can coil them up and stick them in your bag, backpack or just leave them attached to your tripod.
Craig