This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Here's the most recent addition to my kit: a Manfrotto Magic Arm. It holds things in unusual positions, and it is sturdy enough to support heavy objects- up to 6 pounds- without budging. I am glad I have it.
The magic arm is a bit like a human arm: it's got a ball joint at each end and an elbow joint in the middle. It's a clever contraption. Within a half-meter reach, whatever is secured to the ends can be placed anywhere, facing any direction. Clamp one end to a table and you've got a flexible studio mount for a strobe. Or, attach a camera to a moving vehicle for perspective impossible with hand-held gear.
I have been using mine to position strobes in the field. I usually hand-hold a camera and a strobe. Since I only have two hands, though, outsourcing the strobe to the magic arm makes my life easier. It's like I grew a new appendage.
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Fixing a diffuse strobe above the goldenrod gave me the freedom and control to easily capture the following photograph of a tachinid fly:
In conjunction with a regular tripod, the magic arm creates a simple field studio for macro photography. With the tripod's primary head holding the strobe & softbox diffuser, the magic arm arranges a small subject exactly where I want it:
The above configuration, plus a hand-held camera and a slight kick from natural sunlight, yielded this shot:
The magic arm is sturdy, flexible, and worth the modest cost. I now consider myself a well-armed photographer.
