Aidan Briggs
12-28-2009, 10:19 PM
For those of us who don't have a lot of money on hand and enviously think about the people who can't decide between a 500 f/4 or a 600 f/4 (me included), set-ups can be one of the best way to fully take advantage of our shorter focal lengths. Unfortunately the cost buying the feeders, birdbaths, water drips, bird seed, pond liner, tripods to hold the perches, etc. etc. can quickly add up.
But if you start keeping your eyes open, you can acquire these items, or useable substitutes for much cheaper. An old frying pan can become a birdbath. Old water bottles, vases, and cups can hold up perches and keep them fresh at the same time. Old plastic bottles can also become water drips. Unused cement cinder blocks can raise birdbaths off the ground, or if you sprinkle seed on the top part, can become feeders by themselves ( or very uncomfortable chairs in my case).
For example in my backyard I found an old broken dish. I used some rock slabs to angle it so the water wouldn't pour out, and it became my birdbath. I use an old vase to hold my perches. I got used camouflage netting from a military recycle store and use it as a bag blind to cover me, my tripod and camera, and my cinderblock seat. I use a small table I built from scrap wood and put seed in a dish on top to act as a tray feeder.
Here is my water drip set-up (sorry about the poor IQ). The only thing that I had to pay for here was the water-drip, and if I wanted to, I probably could have used an old milk jug instead. I have purple finches, Lesser and American Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings, and Northern Mockingbirds coming to this specific set-up. Titmice, sparrows, and jays, come to my tray feeder.
Does anyone else have some good money-saving photography tips? I would love to hear them.
But if you start keeping your eyes open, you can acquire these items, or useable substitutes for much cheaper. An old frying pan can become a birdbath. Old water bottles, vases, and cups can hold up perches and keep them fresh at the same time. Old plastic bottles can also become water drips. Unused cement cinder blocks can raise birdbaths off the ground, or if you sprinkle seed on the top part, can become feeders by themselves ( or very uncomfortable chairs in my case).
For example in my backyard I found an old broken dish. I used some rock slabs to angle it so the water wouldn't pour out, and it became my birdbath. I use an old vase to hold my perches. I got used camouflage netting from a military recycle store and use it as a bag blind to cover me, my tripod and camera, and my cinderblock seat. I use a small table I built from scrap wood and put seed in a dish on top to act as a tray feeder.
Here is my water drip set-up (sorry about the poor IQ). The only thing that I had to pay for here was the water-drip, and if I wanted to, I probably could have used an old milk jug instead. I have purple finches, Lesser and American Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings, and Northern Mockingbirds coming to this specific set-up. Titmice, sparrows, and jays, come to my tray feeder.
Does anyone else have some good money-saving photography tips? I would love to hear them.