How to Create a DIY Car Camera Rig on the Cheap

Action shots of cars in movement are often taken with a ‘car rig’ – basically a long pole that is attached to the car, with a camera mounted on the end. A professional car rig can cost in the thousands, but this 13 minute video from Practical Photography will teach you to make your own for under $40.

By mounting the camera on a car rig, setting a slower shutter speed and taking shots with the car in motion, you can convey a sense of speed by blurring the background and freezing the car in shot.

Tim Berry and Kirk Schwarz walk through how they built a car rig using heavy-duty suction pads, a decorator’s pole, tape, and a handful of cable ties. The decorator’s pole did sag and bounce quite a bit, so you may want to swap it out for some more rigid aluminum piping.

Check out the full video at the top to see how they put it all together. If you’re building something like this yourself, make sure you double- and triple-check the rig for stability, and only drive it on empty roads.

(via Practical Photography via ISO 1200)