Analogic street photographer Eddy Pula uses a DIY light modifier with wax paper and aluminum foil to shoot the Boston Marathon

Read the complete post | Video by Jeremiah Burbank

On April 16th 2012 was the 116th running of the Boston Marathon and like many years before Street Photographer Eddy Pula was there to capture moments in time on 120mm Black and White Tri X but unlike other years there was someone filming the hole thing.

This is first of many videos to come as I am in the progress of shooting a hole Documentary about Eddy.

Eddy sends us information about how he uses a self-designed "DIY light diffuser" :

Eddy Pula self-portrait with DIY light modifier

I love using fill flash in daylight, its really freeing, once you try it you realize that it gives the ultimate control, for me its f-stop, shutter speed, flash power.

The iso/emulsion never changes from tri-x, which I've found is very forgiving of over exposure. When I'm really close in, like 1-2 feet I must be over exposing it by like 2-3 stops, but I pull it a bit in development D76 1-1 and I get great results from kodak products almost right out of the box.

Metz mecablitz 45 CL-4

The flash is a hyper-mega-blitz-krieg cl4-45, basically the greatest german flash of the 80's and you can pick them up for like $100-$200 and they are just about as powerful and tuff as the traditional normans, you could use sunpaks but I started with metz and I have soo many accesories at this point it would be silly to switch.

Eddy Pula with DIY light modifier ( wax paper and aluminum foil )

I experimented with the canon auto everything wonder flashes but they go to sleep all the time when connected the old fashioned way with pc cables and they didn't have the power I need.

And I need that power for my garbage light modifiers! I got the idea from the old press photographers beauty dish and gary fong and the strobists diy section.

Eddy Pula with DIY light modifier ( back side with aluminum foil )

I just asked my friend what diffusion material he had, and it turned out he had some wax paper and aluminum foil from a falafel wrap, I gaff taped it together and even as I could smell the tahini sauce fry a little, I was seeing in the mamiya (tlrs don't black out the way a hassy would) that everything was illumnated.

That evolved into 8x10 glassine artifact holders (like for negs and prints) that you can get in packs of 100 from calumet, for nothing and a bit of tinfoil gaff tapped in to give it a bit of direction (and also to insure its only my subjects who are blinded by the light!)

Yeah I would love some of the bendy white light scoops people are making but they are heavy and my rig is already too heavy, and it only takes a couple minutes to make, if you had a suitcase or back pack and some gaff tape you could make it on a park bench in 5 mins!

Plus it turns my camera into a thing of wonder and strangers ask to have there pictures taken when they see my metz blow up a white envelop.

Tell her a joke and watch her laugh

Some examples with and without DIY light modifier:

Without DIY

With DIY

Thanks Eddy for this incredible post. See you.

More inspiration: Eddy´s website | Flickr