Chris McDuffie wrote:
I guess I'll contribute.
This is for the shoe string student photogs

My DIY beauty dish:

Would love a step by step of this one.

slave to the lens wrote:
I loved the worklights, \

yuh.  I still use them on occassion, but definitely very hot, especially in a small, enclosed space.  There were times where *I* felt the need to almost get naked while using both barrels of my shop lights. 

I'm trying to transition to flash strobes...

Damon Banner wrote:

yuh.  I still use them on occassion, but definitely very hot, especially in a small, enclosed space.  There were times where *I* felt the need to almost get naked while using both barrels of my shop lights. 

I'm trying to transition to flash strobes...

Shop lights are good, for this time of year. 

I shot Sara in my fridge (yes, she was in the fridge) and the shop lights kept her warm. 

LeWhite wrote:
I have a SB 800 that is used as a slave an thus uses an infrared sensor, would it be better to use the light in the back of the beauty light e.g. or remove the saucer and turn the light backwards, and use the dish as an umbrella?

SB800 has a pc socket, correct? Might be better to tether a Wein peanut to a point where it can see the main flash and use the dish as a dish.. Just need a foot long male to female pc cord. Male into the flash and female will take something like this:

http://www.pictureline.com/products/278 … nut_Slave_(each)/sitemap/sitemap.php

Damon Banner wrote:

what are the materials?

After looking at these pics I am jonesing for a bundt cake!

AJW Photo wrote:
Wouldn't it be best to earn (through photography) enough money to buy the stuff that engineers have already designed to work?  How much did the photographer spend to design the wooden floor and ramp for his back drop?  There are many places to buy Photographic White Vinyl which will do the same...  How much is YOUR time worth?  If you spend ten hours designing and building and perfecting your widget, that is ten hours you didn't spend gathering and builiding contacts within your community.  I've learned that my time is worth ~$150 an hour, whether I'm photoshopping, photographing, or sawing out some widget that I could BUY for $100....

Ok. Point one: Why fart in a rose garden? People make things, it's a fact of life. Often, people would rather build than buy. I've welded my own toolboxes, too. Why? I could buy one at my specific requirements for 2000. I tire of throwaway culture and would rather reuse an old item for a new purpose. Nothing (time or materials) came close to 100 in my arsenal. Where can one buy a 100 dollar ring flash or beauty dish, btw? I'd love to know!

Bottom line: we have those things for you to buy because of inventors and innovators. So buy it, no ones stopping you. I'll buy it for 1/3 the price when you get bored and move on. 

Up until recently, speedlight modifiers were pretty non existent ( beyond Gary Fong's contraption) so why not make a beauty dish for 5 bucks  in materials and 30 minutes time?

FYI- the "wooden ramp" is a cyclorama, a fixture in Hollywood for wraparound cove lighting. It's especially helpful when shooting cars, and is a great way to supplement studio income ( by renting it to commercial/ print houses )Don't the have Cycs in Virginia? They are on nearly every soundstage I've worked on over the past 15 years in the film industry,and standard at smaller still photo studios like Smashbox


On a completely different note, why do people with their noses in the air and their head up their asses see the need to piss on peoples ideas? Just curious.

AJW Photo wrote:
Wouldn't it be best to earn (through photography) enough money to buy the stuff that engineers have already designed to work?

no.  That is what is best for YOU.  Fine.  I'd rather spend my money on other things.  Besides, while you are supposedly earning the money to buy these contraptions, don't you need something, to modify light, so you can, earn money? 

How much is YOUR time worth?  If you spend ten hours designing and building and perfecting your widget, that is ten hours you didn't spend gathering and builiding contacts within your community.

That is ridiculous. 

1.  it is not wasted time, as it is time spent in pursuit of an ultimate goal in photography.

2.  building contacts costs time as well. 

I've learned that my time is worth ~$150 an hour, whether I'm photoshopping, photographing, or sawing out some widget that I could BUY for $100....

Good for you. 

Keep that in mind tonight at 10pm, when you are putting on your PJ's getting ready for bed.  Because that is $1200 you are missing out on. 

You spend your money and time how you want, let the rest of us do the same = everyone happy.

AJW Photo wrote:
Wouldn't it be best to earn (through photography) enough money to buy the stuff that engineers have already designed to work?  How much did the photographer spend to design the wooden floor and ramp for his back drop?  There are many places to buy Photographic White Vinyl which will do the same...  How much is YOUR time worth?  If you spend ten hours designing and building and perfecting your widget, that is ten hours you didn't spend gathering and builiding contacts within your community.  I've learned that my time is worth ~$150 an hour, whether I'm photoshopping, photographing, or sawing out some widget that I could BUY for $100....

Simply put, I am not getting paid to shoot, I enjoy my freedom too much. I get equal enjoyment out of constructing a physical device that I do from manipulating photons to create a photograph. Neither is time wasted for me, rather time invested, as is your time for shooting and contacts. We both end up happy, and you end up happy and monetarily richer. Looks like a win for me and a bigger win for you. Congrats, my hat is off to you...now I'll go back to building

slave to the lens wrote:
Where can one buy a 100 dollar ring flash or beauty dish, btw? I'd love to know!

White lightnining has a 22" beauty dish for like $115

Which probably means you can get one on ebay for cheaper.

I've seen no name ring flashes on ebay for less than 50$.  But they are likely digital only contraptions.

Damon Banner wrote:

White lightnining has a 22" beauty dish for like $115

Which probably means you can get one on ebay for cheaper.

I've seen no name ring flashes on ebay for less than 50$.  But they are likely digital only contraptions.

Those ringflashes have a lowwww GN and are good for Macro/ Dental work and that's about it.
Yeah, I'll likely pickup an AB beauty dish someday, but mine was free...dug outta the trash at a prophouse because the light fixture was loose.

On another note, Damon...just pulled into Sedona :-)lovely at sunset.
Still going to Hell A?

slave to the lens wrote:
Those ringflashes have a lowwww GN and are good for Macro/ Dental work and that's about it.

You sure about that?

Do you speak from experience?

If I remember correctly, a certain Chip Willis has said otherwise.

slave to the lens wrote:
Still going to Hell A?

no.  money issues. 


in fact.. about to sell my recently infrared converted DSLR  ... grr.

I lost about $300 on that conversion by doing it myself

AJW Photo wrote:
Wow, try to give a little insight into the upside down economics of SOME of the ideas on this thread, and I get shat on?  Nose in the air??? No, just trying to point out that there are better ways to spend your time...  Sorry for interrupting; continue with your salad bowl drilling...  I'm going back to editing my $4k wedding...
OUT!

there you go again trying to shit on this thread.  Though, if I shot weddings...

AJW Photo wrote:
Wow, try to give a little insight into the upside down economics of SOME of the ideas on this thread, and I get shat on?  Nose in the air??? No, just trying to point out that there are better ways to spend your time...  Sorry for interrupting; continue with your salad bowl drilling...  I'm going back to editing my $4k wedding...
OUT!

Read your profile sounds like a product listing for the major brands and a certified photographer so why are you on mm to brag or for love of photography

Dave Wright Photo SF wrote:

You sure about that?

Do you speak from experience?

If I remember correctly, a certain Chip Willis has said otherwise.

I'd love to have another go at it, but the cheap one I tried ( Phoenix I think) had pretty signifigant falloff when you backed off the subject a few feet. I'd love to be wrong, so I'll look into it. Thanks!

AJW Photo wrote:
Wow, try to give a little insight into the upside down economics of SOME of the ideas on this thread, and I get shat on?  Nose in the air??? No, just trying to point out that there are better ways to spend your time...  Sorry for interrupting; continue with your salad bowl drilling...  I'm going back to editing my $4k wedding...
OUT!

Elitist douchebaggery aside, I'll choose the best way to spend my time. I suppose this bars me from membership in any elite PPA like organizations though...bummer.

Ok. Back to drilling my salad bowl.

AJW Photo wrote:
Wouldn't it be best to earn (through photography) enough money to buy the stuff that engineers have already designed to work?  How much did the photographer spend to design the wooden floor and ramp for his back drop?  There are many places to buy Photographic White Vinyl which will do the same...  How much is YOUR time worth?  If you spend ten hours designing and building and perfecting your widget, that is ten hours you didn't spend gathering and builiding contacts within your community.  I've learned that my time is worth ~$150 an hour, whether I'm photoshopping, photographing, or sawing out some widget that I could BUY for $100....

Hmmm, lets see, barn door setup for my units would be over 200 bucks, 15 bucks for my "widget" and lots of money left over to pamper the wife and keep her looking good in front of the camera.  Didn't ya hear, chicks dig handy guys LOL.
Part of it is lets build it for testing purposes, see if it would be worth investing in an engineered version down the road, or not.  Better not show you the snoot I built for less than 15 bucks that only needed 4 holes drilled to attach to adaptor ring, works like a hot damn!

JMHO
S

AJW Photo wrote:
Wow, try to give a little insight into the upside down economics of SOME of the ideas on this thread, and I get shat on?  Nose in the air??? No, just trying to point out that there are better ways to spend your time...  Sorry for interrupting; continue with your salad bowl drilling...  I'm going back to editing my $4k wedding...
OUT!

It figures you would come back into this thread to beat your chest a little.

Here's something for you though. The DIY guys who have posted here, have MUCH better photographs than you do.

Not that that matters of course...

BlindMike wrote:

I'm building a cyc. Muwahaha.









Got the last of the panels in last weekend. If all goes well, we might be able to paint and wrap it up this week.

so where could someone  find some instructions/guides on how to build a cyc wall?!  would LOVE to know how you are doin it!

Rocksteady,
Danno~