"Necessity is the mother of..."

divamum

Too silly?

This is virtually SOOC - I probably ought to dodge/burn so it's clearer that the "lightstand" is actually a monopod+ballhead.......... :rofl



(for the record, this thing produces AWESOME light - it's my new favorite modifier!!! :lol3)

MarkR

It's a good idea, but it feels static. Maybe you need a model, or a photographer, or both in the picture.

dlplumer

the Divalight; I love it I'll take two please

angevin1

Not at all too Silly Diva! Mini-D model and lights/Camera/action...

divamum

Tx guys! It just struck me as so daft that i figured I'd throw it out there and see what sort of ripples it made...

Divalight -HA! Blame Alex's thread on DIY beauty dishes... Seriously - I can't believe how well this thing works. I haven't had a chance to play with it as much as I want, but holy cow I can see why they call them "beauty" dishes - it even makes this tired face look like it has perfect, glowing 20-something skin, which is no small task these days . I need to get a turkey roaster instead of a lasgane pan (which I just happened to have in the house, hence why I used it) which is bigger and a tad deeper, which will probably spread the light even better (the theology of ghetto beauty dishes )


If I get a chance I'll play around with a more elaborate scenario; don't know if I"ll get time this WE, but we'll see............

travelways

I thinks it's a great idea

SeascapeS

What does it take to make that thing besides the lasagna pan?

BradfordBenn

That is a great idea. You can use Divalight 0.9 to light up the tripod for the product shot of Divalight 1.0.

Last time I saw something like that it was when I in college and needed to build a shadow projector.... no it didn't work.

divamum

That first one has a tickle of fill from the front (thank you 7d popup!) but here's one with a little bit more, although I'm not sure I like the angle as much. It almost makes it look too classy





Seascapes, this is one of the most brilliant DIY lighting ideas I've tried in a while - it's a Fong lightsphere stuck into the foil pan. The lid on the Fong is covered with foil to block the light from the top and it is a REALLY convincing beauty dish substitute! See the thread here where we all got cooking on this topic - the one Alex made is way classier than this, but this one was sooo easy, especially since I happened to have the pan in the kitchen, it required no special tools and took me about 5 minutes in total to set it up . The hardest part with most DIY modifiers is getting them to stay on the flash; by using the Fong (and with the foil pan being so light) it's a non-issue - stays right in place.

SeascapeS

Thanks! That is the one thing I've been looking into lately...better lighting. There are so many things out there that I'm just getting confused. Since I don't make much money from photography, I don't have all that much to put into it. I also undercharge because I don't have the right equipment and therefore, do not have great quality shots.

Froch

divamum wrote: »

Seascapes, this is one of the most brilliant DIY lighting ideas I've tried in a while - it's a Fong lightsphere stuck into the foil pan. The lid on the Fong is covered with foil to block the light from the top and it is a REALLY convincing beauty dish substitute! See the thread here where we all got cooking on this topic - the one Alex made is way classier than this, but this one was sooo easy, especially since I happened to have the pan in the kitchen, it required no special tools and took me about 5 minutes in total to set it up . The hardest part with most DIY modifiers is getting them to stay on the flash; by using the Fong (and with the foil pan being so light) it's a non-issue - stays right in place.

Thanks for sharing that DM!

travelways

Thank you for sharing too

MarkR

SeascapeS wrote: »

Thanks! That is the one thing I've been looking into lately...better lighting. There are so many things out there that I'm just getting confused. Since I don't make much money from photography, I don't have all that much to put into it. I also undercharge because I don't have the right equipment and therefore, do not have great quality shots.

Lighting is cheap! Photographers just try to make it complicated and expensive.

All light has certain qualities: size, shape, color, and intensity. Lighting modifiers are used to change one or more of those qualities.

I find that a couple of goose-necked desk lamps with daylight-flourescent bulbs to be quite effective, especially if coupled with extension cords and a VAL.*

Light modifiers? clean white t-shirts make excellent softboxes or scrims. I've fashioned snoots out of aluminum foil. A large white salad bowl and some patience with the VAL makes a nice, if small, "umbrella." Another alternative is to use a real, white, umbrella, which can also be used to keep you dry when shooting in the rain.

I had a very nice lightbox I made from a diaper box and a couple of clean t-shirts. (And two gooseneck desk lamps for light sources) Alas, the cat peed in it last week and I haven't gotten around to making another one.

*Oh, and VAL? Voice-Activated Lightstand. Hi, honey!

** ooh, and foamcore and a north facing window? Best lighting setup ever!

divamum

My first lighting venture was this: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=114921 (read from post 23 on for the final version). I still use it ALL THE TIME. It's a really good small softbox and cost me... er... maybe $3 for a remnant of rip-stop nylon for the front?

This diy foil beauty dish is another great addition - I will be making a larger one with a turkey roaster and have no doubt I'll use it A LOT. I have a grid made from black straws, a ring-flash made from a tupperware bowl, and a snoot made out of a toilet roll. Black duct tape both holds this stuff together and makes it look a bit less ghetto.

Granted, if I could only have ONE modifier it would probably be my 45" PHotek Softliter which essentially gives me a softbox, shoothru umbrell and bounce umbrella all in one, but I'm quite happy to use whatever I have to hand. Two flashes makes things easier (and they're both ETTL II which means I can control them from my camera, which is nice), but you can do a LOT with very little if you don't get hung up on it "looking fancy". I'm far more interested in results. Sure, the niceties of purpose-made stuff can be very helpful, but they're not always *essential*. I"m all for "effective" rather than "posh"!!!

SeascapeS

I need something that will travel well and not be cumbersome. Thanks for the ideas ~ I'm looking into them.

divamum

SeascapeS wrote: »

I need something that will travel well and not be cumbersome. Thanks for the ideas ~ I'm looking into them.

Photek Softliter all the way, especially if you're ever considering doing any portraits. Seriously - one of the best $60 I've spent on equipment. I love all the other lighting items I've mentioned too, don't get me wrong, but the Photek is the best bang for buck of just about anything I've bought, because it's just so versatile. Plus it folds down to the size of an umbrella, is supereasy to carry and setup, comes well pkged with its own carrying cases, the reflector disks so you can play with amplifying and colouring the light.... It's pretty much the "does it all" lighting modifier IMO, and a great place to start. Definitely worth the extra $ over an "ordinary" umbrella, IMO.

SeascapeS

Amazon, here I come!

divamum

Check out Adorama, too - they've just added a Photek with a diffuser cover designed for speedlights instead of studio strobes. The original is useable with a speedlight, but it would be WAY easier to set up with the newly-designed cover. I think they're about the same price.

Oh, also - I have the one with the umbrella shaft that unscrews. It's a GODSEND in tight spaces (like my living room). Really a clever idea that makes it even more useable.

I swear I don't work for them, I'm just really happy with the product!

SeascapeS

I've used Adorama before too - they sell on Amazon. I once ordered some lens filters and they actually called me to tell me they thought I ordered the wrong size. They were right, and sent me the correct sizes. I've been a fan ever since. Who does that these days?

angevin1

divamum wrote: »

Check out Adorama, too - they've just added a Photek with a diffuser cover designed for speedlights instead of studio strobes. The original is useable with a speedlight, but it would be WAY easier to set up with the newly-designed cover. I think they're about the same price.

Oh, also - I have the one with the umbrella shaft that unscrews. It's a GODSEND in tight spaces (like my living room). Really a clever idea that makes it even more useable.

I swear I don't work for them, I'm just really happy with the product!

Can I Join your Chorus DM?

kdotaylor

SeascapeS wrote: »

Amazon, here I come!

Me, too. Thanks, Divamum!

divamum

angevin1 wrote: »

Can I Join your Chorus DM?

^^^^^ EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<br><br>I doubt I'm going to have time to prep a shot to enter this weekend (where do the hours GO?!), but I'm glad my bit of silliness has proved helpful to other dgrinners!! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >thumb<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >thumb<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

SeascapeS

Yes, it did!:D

HelenOster

SeascapeS wrote: »

I've used Adorama before too - they sell on Amazon. I once ordered some lens filters and they actually called me to tell me they thought I ordered the wrong size. They were right, and sent me the correct sizes. I've been a fan ever since. Who does that these days?

You're right; it is good to hear that the Adorama CS crew on the 'phones are so on the ball

I've passed your posting on to the CS team manager so he can share it with them - thanks so much for taking the time to let us know.