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Homemade light modifiers.here's what works for me
EDIT: I'Ve posted some camera hacks as well.. Feel free to add you creative DIY Photography hacks!! So, as the year draws to a close and I look back on all that MM has given me this past year (numerous laughs, a few headaches, mad curveball skillz, fuel for my creativity, creative people with whom to shoot and lessons galore). I started thinking, "What have I given back?" Now, I'm rarely given to new agey concepts of paying it back-or-forward...but in an effort to not be a selfish prick, here's a few things I've made, and I'd like to share. I hate buying the latest gadgets (actually I love it, but can rarely afford it) so I've learned a few shortcuts to modifying lights on a thin wallet. Use them if you want, or not. They are worth every penny. First: The sheetmetal/ roofing/ venthood section of Home Depot is FULL of things that can be modified/ cut / used. Dremels cut anything. JB Weld rocks. If you try anything here and it doesn't work for you, you cut yourself, glue your hand to your nutsack, etc.. DON'T blame me. This is for imformation only. Try the below projects at your OWN risk. Be safe. Be smart. Have Alien Bees? You'll find some things to help stretch a buck. These are speedlight modifiers (Canon 540ez) made from plastic mixing bowls, flat white/ black spraypaint, a vent cap for the front and bailing wire. port for light cut with a dremel. One is a background scoop for even lighting ( speedlight slaved) and the other is a beauty dish (used with a cord, usually)  An earlier attempt with an old danish cookie tin:  Trader Joe's coffee cans make great snoots..already silver lined. Just cut off the bottom, and presto! The top ring fits AB mounting hooks and the opaque cap diffuses if you want to..or can hold on CTB/ CTO, etc. Another option is to cut the cap in the shape of a speedlight and voila..speedlight snoot.:  an old rust china hat (alley/doorway light?) turned into a beauty dish cut off back, attach your own speedring, paint, etc. the inner cap is a vent hood cap with 2 pieces of sheet metal. JB Weld holds ANYTHING.   speaking of speedrings, this is a flashing cap..again Home Depot. Attach with JB Weld to whatever. Drill a hole for an umbrella if you'd like. Fits AB perfectly. Great for brolly boxes and umbrellas to minimize spill.  Someone on Ebay sells these for 25 a pop. More power to him, but they are 9.99 at the Depot. Acrylic light shades. I cut one up and painted it as a background cove light..nice falloff. leave it intact for a large soft source, or use gaffers tape to shape it where you want it. It fits ABs.  Finally, I don't have 4 bills to blow on an ABR 800 ringflash. I did however have a few cheap flashes laying around. power is low and unchangeable. both pc cords wired together through a wein safe sync.   interior without 216 on the front  closeup of crappy flash:  the process:      You're wondering about the results: Bob is 5 feet from the backing, shot at iso 100 f/6.3 from about 6 feet away. It ain't a great ringlight, but it was 2 hours work, 2 flower pots and two crappy flashes. I'll use it a bunch later on I think. Unretouched, lg jpg uploaded to flickr. any compression is from the uploading, but the halo was actually pretty distinct.  Merry Happy Whatever. Dec 18 07 04:04 pm Link Thanks!!!! Dec 18 07 04:15 pm Link 
Photographer Posts: 468 Dumont d'Urville - permanent station of France, Sector claimed by France, Antarctica I'm impressed with your work, but even more so that you would take the time and effort to share it with your MM brethren. Thanks. Dec 18 07 04:21 pm Link Yeah thanks for sharing this, not enough photographers have this DIY mentality and it is a shame. I mean if we all shot with the exact same stuff, well.... Dec 18 07 04:22 pm Link great ,really pleased to meet you and your work take care thierry Dec 18 07 04:27 pm Link too much typing to let this get buried. Dec 18 07 04:54 pm Link You build stuff. You rock. Dec 18 07 04:59 pm Link haha, those are great! Thanks for the read and suggestions. It motivates me to head to Home Depot and check out the roofing & duct work sections. Edit: Gotta love the snoot. I was just about to pick a few up. I'll have to go buy some coffee instead. Dec 18 07 05:01 pm Link The DIY approach rocks. It also kicks any theory's that you CAN'T get a shot in a certain location because you lack . The number of light modifiers I've come up with in the field using my Gerber multi-tool, Crystal Light containers, a high powered flashlight, and some 550 cord would surprise a few people. One day, I'll get around to doing a write up - and prove you can get a very nicely lit, detailed portrait out of a 4MP point and shoot that's been to war twice, and dropped off the top of at least 5 gun trucks. For more DIY lighting stuff, take a trip to strobist.com if you've never been before. Tons of stuff there. Anthony ps - Dremels and other high speed rotary tools are not expensive at all, so go forth and pillage your local hardware/crafts store now! Dec 18 07 06:07 pm Link Cool stuff, I think all to often we are made to believe if it doesn't cost a bundle, it won't work. I've been wanting to use some of those shop lights from home depot. 1000 watts on a light stand for 25 bucks, couple sets of those and I could light the neighborhood. I think it's a little like sailing or flying as soon as you add the word pro to it, tripple the price. No matter that it's a couple dollars worth of plastic and some fabric. Ah well I guess we do it to keep the economy running.  Dec 18 07 06:25 pm Link Dude, You Are The "FCUKING BOMB"..... LOL VERY CREATIVE!!! Dec 18 07 06:28 pm Link Images by Judd wrote: Attach a few square metal trashcans ( or "file baskets from ikea) to the front with rivets and you have the same lights I shot with for years. a put some 216 or light grid on to soften them, made some homemade dimmers and eventually cut away the edges to make barn doors. 1/2 ctb brings the temp down just right. Dec 18 07 06:32 pm Link Crazy glued my hands to my ball sack. LMFAO Dec 18 07 07:56 pm Link Thanks for sharing! I've got some time this weekend, I think I'm gonna run over to Home Depot and try to make my own! Dec 18 07 10:20 pm Link This may be the best thread ever. I am certain that I do not have the patience to build that stuff, but it is awesome that you have made all that stuff. but this is my favorite part - your WARNING "If you try anything here and it doesn't work for you, you cut yourself, glue your hand to your nutsack, etc.. DON'T blame me. This is for imformation only. Try the below projects at your OWN risk. Be safe. Be smart. " If I try any of these and glue my hand to my nutsack I will let you know. Dec 18 07 10:47 pm Link WV Photo wrote: As much as I enjoy the triumphs and pitfalls of others' learning experiences, I think you'll have other more pressing matters than notifying me. But thanks all the same. ( I was wondering when I'd get called on that) Dec 18 07 11:45 pm Link Awesome. Dec 18 07 11:51 pm Link Creativity! .....this kind of stuff is fun! Geeky, but fun! Dec 18 07 11:53 pm Link you're one hell of a handyman Dec 18 07 11:59 pm Link 1/8" inch rotozip bit will fit the dremel. Turn down the speed. Easier to control and cut a smooth arc than the cut off wheel. Nice work. Round these parts that would be labeled "Ozark Engineering" at it's finest! Dec 19 07 12:00 am Link Essential Form wrote: How geeky would it sound if I said my rotozip was on the stage and I was lazy? Dec 19 07 01:06 am Link thanks a million, i'm book marking this!!!! Dec 19 07 01:09 am Link slave to the lens wrote: I'm building a cyc. Muwahaha. Dec 19 07 01:13 am Link I went the other route. I bought a grip stand and screen but also bought very inexpensive halogen telescoping worklights for like 50 bucks. The combination actually yields great results. Dec 19 07 01:19 am Link good stuff here Dec 19 07 01:21 am Link Check Hobby Lobby for the new Krylon silver spray paint. It gives almost a mirror finish, which is neat for spray paint. It should make good low temp reflectors. Dec 19 07 01:29 am Link Great job! Here is my diy project: (I hope I type these paths correctly) Homemade snoot for Hensel Integra    Anyone who wants to do this can, with simple hand tools and a piece of aluminium from the local hardware store. I would reccomend .065 inches if you an find it. Do your best to hand roll it over a piece of pipe or whatever. If you can get access to a slip roller that woud be sweeeeeeet. Dec 19 07 01:42 am Link BlindMike wrote: I'm starting this after the first of the year! Dec 19 07 01:44 am Link I guess I'll contribute. This is for the shoe string student photogs My DIY beauty dish:  Dec 19 07 01:52 am Link This is one of the most useful threads I've come across on MM Ryan. I'm sorry I don't have any unique ideas to contribute at the moment, but I'll certainly be checking back in. Dec 19 07 01:53 am Link My hat's off to you guys. Models should be looking at this just to get an idea of some of the things we go through. Great Thread! Dec 19 07 01:55 am Link As a beginner I really appreciate all this info although there were a few abbreviations that I didn't understand. I guess I'm more of a beginner than I thought. Thanks for all the helpful information anyhow. Dec 19 07 02:13 am Link Chris McDuffie wrote: what are the materials? Dec 19 07 11:30 am Link Damon Banner wrote: I'm seeing some tupperware & rubbermaid but I too am curious about the grey foam that has been cut out to fit the flash head. Dec 19 07 11:34 am Link Here's a sketch of a beauty dish... I did it, it worked.  Dec 19 07 11:40 am Link I was just building a beauty dish and sliced off my left nutt! Dec 19 07 02:37 pm Link Damon Banner wrote: Bright side: You still have the right. Dec 19 07 02:40 pm Link Marker220 wrote: I only use the right one anyway. Dec 19 07 02:42 pm Link So what kind of lights do you use in your Studio (or where ever you shoot) I use a set of DIY lights from Lowes 2 1000 watt shop lights that can be kicked down to 250 each and also use 3 of the clamp on light with different watt bulbs. have tried so me of the nice strobe sets but feel like I get just as good of image with my set up. The only bought photo items are my umbrealles and they are black with removeable covers to shoot thru. The last images here of Jade were taken with one 300 watt halgen bulb pointed at her in one of the small clamp lights, and I feel like the lighting looks good. I have maybe $150 in my whole set up and seen close the same set on line for close to $500 so rock on Lowes. Dec 19 07 02:56 pm Link Nick Wade Photography wrote: 1k dimmers can be made cheaply as well for infinite control. Avoid the cheap ones, though. They are rarely rated above 650 watts. Dec 19 07 05:58 pm Link |
