This last week while teaching a workshop in Chicago, I got a bunch of questions about the light stick that I use for shooting with speedlights, rather than using light stands. Â In this post I want to show you exactly how to make one of your own, for cheap!
I hate light stands. Â They are a pain to work with, so I usually just have an assistant hold the flash. Â “Assistant” usually means my wife, a teenage kid I pay $10 to hold the flash for an hour, or a friend.
Shooting this way makes flash photography so much easier.  Instead of hauling around light stands and sandbags and constantly setting down the camera to move the flash, it's just a quick “Hey you, lift the flash higher.”  It has been at least two years since I have done a photo shoot without using a light stick for my main flash.
Shopping List
- A cheap monopod. Â This one is PERFECT for a light stick because it's very light weight at .64 pounds (.29 kilos), folds down very small to fit in a camera bag (15 inches or 38cm), and extends to 57 inches (1.4 meters). Â Plus, it's super cheap.
- This specific umbrella bracket. Â There are tons of umbrella brackets, but this one has a cold shoe AND the exact right stud size we'll need to connect to the monopod. Â It's the only good umbrella bracket I've found that includes the stud adapter as well. Â Get this specific one.
- A speedlight flash (This is my favorite speedlight flash in the world and it only costs $70)
- A flash modifier (umbrella, softbox, etc)
- OPTIONAL: A triple flash bracket if you want to put more than one flash on the end.  I often put three YN-560 IV flashes (my favorite inexpensive speedlight) on the monopod so that I can get a fast recycle time or overpower the sun any time of the day.
Next time you're on a shoot with a lightweight light stick instead of a clunky light stand and sand bag, you can say something like “Boy, that Jim Harmer sure saved me a lot of work today. Â He's a genius.” Â Or not. Â You decide. Â Either way–enjoy your photography light stick for under $50.