Well, a homemade solution recently landed on the web sporting a design that could be fairly described as anything from “plain bonkers” to “possibly rather useful.”
The “Stork Mach 1” is the work of Texas-based photographer Ted Forbes. His complex contraption comprises an elaborately designed stick that holds not only a smartphone, but also a mic with a self-contained recorder for better-quality audio, an LED light for well-lit night selfies, and a GoPro pointing the other way to capture the action in every direction.
Clearly a master of understatement, Ted describes his creation as “maybe just a little over the top,” though with two cameras attached he promises it “won’t miss a thing.”
If this extreme take on the selfie stick happens to make you sit up and say, “I wanna get me one of those Stork thingies,” then Ted offers some helpful tips in his video on how to knock one together using parts bought mainly from Amazon.
The Aputure LED light, for example, is a nifty little product, coming as it does with nine lights for various levels of brightness, and a bunch of filters that attach magnetically. “Bang for the buck, this is one of the coolest things I’ve gotten in a long time,” Ted says of the $45 device.
The Tascam-made standalone shotgun mic, too, is a neat bit of kit that some video shooters are going to find handy whether or not it’s attached to an extendable pole. Incorporating an audio recorder, all of the data is held on an SD card that you can later match up to your video during post-production.
If you like the look of Ted’s bells-and-whistles selfie stick and fancy a crack at making your own, all the info you need is in the notes below the video on YouTube.
