The Secret Of The Medicine Pouch
There are many places where they don't like photographs being taken.
These include museums, public buildings, the interiors of historical edifices, churches and cathedrals, especially when services are being held, etc. etc.
Often enough the reason isn't so much in taking the photos as such (of course it all depends on how you go about it), but in the annoying effect of firing off the flash. Apart from that - a scene lit by the built-in flash is mostly flat, bland, causing undesired reflections and so on and so forth.
Any halfways decent camera will allow you to capture still scenarios quite naturally using only the available light. Such shots are accomplished by exposure times of up to several seconds or even more than that.
But this isn't feasible without a tripod.
Or is it?
One thing is for sure: ambitious photographs sometimes demand reliable support for the camera - e.g. if you want to record the poorly lit atmosphere of a particularly moody scene in order to condense it into a lasting picture.
There are also countries where they take the usage of a tripod for evidence of professional shooting and extort outrageous fees as soon as you try to set up your equipment.
Besides there are many situations where fiddling about with such items appears inappropriate, be it by the occasionally noisy handling, or by attracting more attention than you (or the subject of your photograph to be) can possibly use, or that you devolop a talent like I do when it comes to finding ways of trapping your fingers somewhere...
All of this hassle can be easily avoided by the use of this almost magical miraculous Medicine Pouch!
And in many respects it is nevertheless a universal, almost full-featured tripod for every camera, even if the tripod thread is damaged or completely missing!
Got A Nickel Or A Dime?
It really isn't going to cost you much more to equip yourself with an essential utensil. As far as I am aware of you cannot buy these. So what do you need to make one?
- One oversized balloon
- Some sand
- A fabric pouch of appropriate size to cover the balloon
The photograph shows an additional plastic clamp which came with the balloon and which has proven handy for easily sealing and re-opening it (like for the photo above). Of course you can also tie a knot in the neck of the balloon...
The sand should be sieved and sterilized in your oven. That way you avoid problems later on. I recommend 'yellow' sand - the sort which contains enough finer particles to make it keep any form it is shaped to.
Completely fill the balloon with the cooled down and somewhat dry sand, without stretching the rubber very much at all (it must also never have been inflated!)
Before sealing it you should also press out as much air as you can. This is essential for proper operation!
This photo shows the balloon filled and ready for packing into a suitable fabric pouch. It needs such a cover for some basic protection against pointed, sharp, or edgy rocks or the like where you might use it.
Wherever you find any solid support, be it some cumbersome rock, a branch of driftwood or whatever outdoors, be it a banister or anything rigid you can think of to support your pouch in a cave, building or any other interior place where you want to take pictures - you will almost everywhere find something to safely place or press against the little sandbag with your camera on top for firm positioning and stable, unblurred picturetaking.
Hints for practical usage
This picture shows the camera ready for shooting in position on the Medicine Pouch which supports it like a custom made contour bed.
It was the first time the camera took a self-portrait in a mirror (not visible here)...A small digicam like this one is well served and supported with a pouch of approximately one kilogram (some good two pounds) of sand in it.
For a conventional SLR camera i would suggest to use about one and a half times this amount.
I know there are tripods weighing less, but hardly ones attracting less attention.
As an example: when I visit a museum I put the camera in one trouser pocket, the Medicine Pouch in the other one. Without much ado at all I can e.g. place the whole thing on a showcase (even while a guided tour is going on), take a picture, move it some inches and take the second one in order to create a stereoscopic picture pair, which is my preferred method to conserve and make memories which last and are portable.
Naturally there is not much gain of height with the Pouch compared to the traditional tripod which it is not at all my intent to replace. But you often find ways to use it nevertheless. Like I just recently pressed the package against an upright showcase in order to take long-exposed pictures of the displayed objects inside.
Worked like a charm!In any case I do not want to be without this inconspicuous little helper ever again! Just give it a try and see for yourself!
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Unapproved rumours have it that even fabric patterns differring from the one shown above do the job.
The balloon colour's influence on the other hand has yet to be scientifically examined ...-
Disclaimer If you manage to cause any damage whatsoever in an attempt to prepare or to use the equipment described above - it is entirely your fault and I cannot be held responsible in any way, implicit or explicit.