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Softbox
- Thread starter bwana
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- diy photography project softbox
SubliminalThought
Senior Member
Nick Wheeler on Flickr has some DIY tuts. Looks like too much trouble for me... would rather buy one! You need some pretty decent skills (or access to them) such as woodworking and sewing (with a machine).
Good that you brought this up. I've been thinking of making one as well but I have no idea where to start and how to secure the box to my flash or light source :/
Are you going to buy studio lighting or are you planning on using constant light to light up your subject? Maybe you could get hold of a second hand speedlight that you could use in conjunction with your speedlight that you have now. I have an energy saving flood light which uses 2x 26watt energy saving bulbs and gives off a white-ish light so maybe you could also look at one of them. The light coming from that fitting isn't too bad, maybe with a softbox and silver reflector inside of it will help a little bit more
Nice tutorial - I dont think my sewing skills are anywhere near that level!
That's what the wife is for
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SubliminalThought
Senior Member
There was another tutorial i saw that was pretty interesting making a softbox out of large plastic containers like plastic tubs that addis (sp?) makes. It however involved spraying or painting the inside with reflective paint. Most general hardware stores DO NOT stock aerosols that will bind to finished plastic!
When I find these aerosols I'll attempt one. Cheap large plastic tubs are easy to find especially at the bargain stores. Of course the other downside is its not portable and the mounting system need to be pretty decent to hold the weight of the plastic.
I have a DIY project for a softbox that I never completed. It basically uses those circular car windsheild shades. Found one that was black and silver. Then took out the metal, bent them to 3 triangle shapes. Then covered them with the fabric and had my sister sew. Still need to put on the front cover and find a way to stabalise and mount it.
When I find these aerosols I'll attempt one. Cheap large plastic tubs are easy to find especially at the bargain stores. Of course the other downside is its not portable and the mounting system need to be pretty decent to hold the weight of the plastic.
I have a DIY project for a softbox that I never completed. It basically uses those circular car windsheild shades. Found one that was black and silver. Then took out the metal, bent them to 3 triangle shapes. Then covered them with the fabric and had my sister sew. Still need to put on the front cover and find a way to stabalise and mount it.
I'm leaning towards constant light - One speedlight costs more than I want to spend on this project right now. I planned for the space when I did the renovations so I might as well use it.
I'm thinking foam board now. As long as I use florescent bulbs heat shouldnt be an issue . . .
SubliminalThought
Senior Member
Are you looking for portability? and what kind of light shaping do you need? I do have diffusion screens which are easy to make and can be used to soften continuous light or flash, but just like a shoot thru umbrella you have the issue of light spill which you don't have with a soft box. Then to use the screens I use stands made out of a stick in a can filled with concrete. Jim Talkington from Prophotolife (excellent vids on YouTube) uses these.
No, portability isnt necessary with this. I'd like as much directionality as I can get while keeping the light soft.
Thanks for the hint about the cement can - I was wondering what I could do for stands for some floods I'm using!
Thanks for the hint about the cement can - I was wondering what I could do for stands for some floods I'm using!
The two 26watt energy saving bulbs im using now is equivalent to 300watt normal bulbs so there is some decent light.The fitting was a bit expensive though. Another light i want to try is one of those big 150w(500w equivalent) bulbs. I think they sell for R250 and should be pretty decent. You would just need to build a softbox for it as it is a bare bulb and holder
Thanks for the tip - I made my first stick-in-a-can yesterday and I'm already loving the versatility. I plan on making a lot more for the studio.
SubliminalThought
Senior Member
Thank Jim Talkington from ProPhotoLife. Awesome videos on you tube to learn from.
I watched several of them. Lots of useful hints for a DIY studio.
SubliminalThought
Senior Member
Been wondering about commercial flash soft boxes. Just saw that photoflex has one and Tubolite in Cape Town are photoflex agents. Contacted them and for a XS softbox plus the adapter for bracket or light stand mount its around R900. hmmm... A quick check on BH puts the price around R600 before shipping.
Wondering if I should get one for shooting a wedding in Jan.
Wondering if I should get one for shooting a wedding in Jan.
SubliminalThought
Senior Member
Post some pics when you done and include total cost. I always wanted to do the projects in the tinker tubes book, but my hardware store doesn't have the PVC i want to use. Maybe I should just put a little more effort into getting the materials I want.
Before making a softbox tho, I'm more interested in making a DIY sunbounce mini.
Before making a softbox tho, I'm more interested in making a DIY sunbounce mini.
Getting there
Forgive the camera work but I only had the new 24-70 on hand. When I replace the lamps with 2x 4ft florescent tubes I'll be sure to get a better angle. I'm also waiting on a big stick-in-the-can to dry.
Forgive the camera work but I only had the new 24-70 on hand. When I replace the lamps with 2x 4ft florescent tubes I'll be sure to get a better angle. I'm also waiting on a big stick-in-the-can to dry.
Forgive the camera work but I only had the new 24-70 on hand. When I replace the lamps with 2x 4ft florescent tubes I'll be sure to get a better angle. I'm also waiting on a big stick-in-the-can to dry.
When you get the fluorescent lamps try and get the 'colour 11' ones. They're a tad more expensive than the ordinary tubes but they're quite a bit brighter and give off a nice white light too
I'll keep that in mind - thanks.
Nice DIY bwana.
Personally not a big fan of constant light... but i know strobes are expensive. When you want to though, look at keh.com's second hand flashes. a friend picked up an SB-28 for something like $120, the only sign of use i can see is a scuff on the shoe. I'm definitely going that route when i get some extra cash. As for triggers, been using the RF602's - cheap and reliable!
Thought i'd contribute. There's nothing going on at work... soo bored.
Personally not a big fan of constant light... but i know strobes are expensive. When you want to though, look at keh.com's second hand flashes. a friend picked up an SB-28 for something like $120, the only sign of use i can see is a scuff on the shoe. I'm definitely going that route when i get some extra cash. As for triggers, been using the RF602's - cheap and reliable!
Thought i'd contribute. There's nothing going on at work... soo bored.