One of the greatest photographic accessories of all time (and I’m not kidding) is the simple spring clamp. These clamps, also known as A-clamps, are available in a number of sizes, and you’ll continually find uses for them.
Spring clamps are available in many sizes.
Three cheap tricks at once. Steel pipe nestled on spring clamps supports seamless paper while another clamp keeps the paper from unrolling.
Insert the post from the light stand as far as possible into the clamp.
Studio shooters can save money by shopping in hardware stores.
For example, you may have looked at dedicated background stands and crossbars. If you’re a location shooter traveling with your gear, you may need a setup with dedicated stands and a retractable crossbar, but a basic setup will set you back at least $100. Studio shooters, however, can nicely get by with less.
Take two existing light stands and attach a medium or large spring clamp to the top of each one.
Run a 10 foot 6-inch aluminum top rail through the center of a roll of seamless paper or use more clamps to hang a muslin background from it. The background hanging arrangement (sans light stands) costs less than $12. You could also use a 10-foot length of steel electrical conduit which, at current prices, will save an additional $5.
Secure Seamless
The seamless paper is supported by a 1-inch diameter length of steel conduit, set onto two large spring clamps. A medium clamp prevents the paper from rolling off the core.
Ingenuity
This simple setup can be used for other things as well. Problem solvers might paint a section of top rail to simulate a ballet barre or raise it higher between two sturdy, well-anchored stands for a fitness shoot.
A Tailored Look
A woman wearing a man’s dress shirt is something of a staple in beauty and glamour photography, although care is taken to get a shirt that flatters the model. For boudoir work, a woman will just bring one of her partner’s shirts. Given size differences between men and women, a large man’s shirt will be enormous on a petite woman.
A painted section of top rail makes a believable chin-up bar.
Small spring clamps work much better than traditional clothespins for taking in some of the extra fabric when a shirt (or any other article of clothing) is too large because they exert more pressure, have rubber tips to grab the cloth, and don’t stick out as far as clothespins, so it’s possible for the subject to rotate farther.
Clamps can make fitting difficult oversized garments easy.
No one sees them, and there’s no need to be symmetrical; just use them where they’ll do the most good.