Pixiq

In the world of photography equipment, sometimes, the best solutions come from photographers in need. The Nasty Clamp is an example. It´s a DIY project that started a family industry and helps photographers free their flashes.

A Nasty Clamp is, though the name might let some people wondering, one of the best friends a photographer can have. A Nasty Clamp is a high-quality metal spring clamp which has been drilled, machined, powder coated black, and then assembled with a six-inch flex-arm Loc-Line mounted to one side, with a 1/4"-20 standard tripod screw at the very end.

Nasty Clamps are born out of necessity. A Portland photographer, Matthew Monroe, needed a way to place his flashes at different places, and also being able to turn then in various directions.  So he made the first Nasty Clamp, and showed it to other photographers. And they said: "I want one, I want one". So Matthew started photographing a bit less and assembling Nasty Clamps for other people.

Nasty Clamps are in no way a substitute for other clamps. They've a place of their own and offer some interesting options. Justin Clamps, for example, the Manfrotto 175F that Joe McNally nicknamed, are great, but somehow more limited. The tripod ball head with a flash hot shoe (in fact a cold shoe made of plastic) does not have the same flexibility as the modular Loc-Line flex-arm with a flash cold-shoe at the very end. On the other end, a Justin clamp is easily mounted on an umbrella support. In fact, they complement each other well and I do use Justin Clamps, but since I tried the Nasty Clamp I discovered it’s easier to carry one around as it fills less space in my camera bag. And it's great for photographing small objects in table top photography

A Nasty Clamp is an easy way to place a flash away from the camera as long as you’ve a way to... clamp it somewhere. From doors to tables, from a tree branch to a rail, the options abound, indoors and outdoors, making it easier to use flashes for best lighting without having to carry tripods or other equipment. Once you get to grips with it (no pun intended) you’ll start to find lots of places, everywhere, to fasten the Nasty Clamp.

Freeing a flash from the camera is the main use of these clamps, but in fact you could use them to support a compact camera or any other equipment, as long as it’s weight does not go beyond one pound (some 450 grams). It’s not a good idea to use a Nasty Clamp to hold your camera and lens, although, if you’ve a small DSLR with a short lens you might be able to keep it on a Nasty Clamp, especially if the flexi-arm is upright and the standard size.

This said, my main interest with Nasty Clamps is placing lights at the right places, either my Canon flashes (it holds well the Speedlite 580 EX II with an EzyBox, so everything smaller works perfectly) or the Litepanels MicroPro Hybrid. The pictures shown here explain, better than words, why these Nasty Clamps are so friendly for photographers.

You can buy a single clamp, and packs of three or five. Whatever you do, remember that there are extra accessories you need: the cold shoes and an extension of the flex-arm tube. So, check the website and get a new friend: the Nasty Clamp.