Softboxes with Work Lights?

PerezDesignGroup

Look below for my $1 dollar softbox! :thumb

Question...can softboxes like these...


Be attached to work lights like these...



I should mention that the Work Lights are attached to actual Light Stands

I'm kinda new to the lighting thing and I'm trying to avoid a fire hazard here...:rofl

GREAPER

I dont think there would be any more fire hazard than with any other light because the modeling light on most studio strobes are the same type of incandecent bulb. (just my initial thought)


Attaching the softbox may be a bit of a trick and might require some ingenuity. The ones I have seen attach to the light via a rod that is part of the soft box structure going through a hole on the light and is held in place by a clamp built in to the light. You would have to come up with some other sort of attachment method.

zero-zero

Depends on the wattage you're using. Very low wattage can maybe be sustained with only minimal warming, but anything remotely useful for photography will produce way too much heat unless you really think about a way to hold everything secure and provide active cooling at the same time. I wouldn't do it, even though I was the Emperor of jury-rigged lighting when I was a kid without a dime.

If you want very cheap (flash) monolights to experiment with, check out these. They are truly a POS, but you can get very cheap soft boxes & other accesories for them and they are ideal for learning. We had a couple sets when I was teaching photography and one can get very good results with them, especially if you are using digital and are doing tabletop or tight portraiture. For fashion stuff, forget them, though.

PerezDesignGroup

zero-zero wrote:

Depends on the wattage you're using. Very low wattage can maybe be sustained with only minimal warming, but anything remotely useful for photography will produce way too much heat unless you really think about a way to hold everything secure and provide active cooling at the same time. I wouldn't do it, even though I was the Emperor of jury-rigged lighting when I was a kid without a dime.

If you want very cheap (flash) monolights to experiment with, check out these. They are truly a POS, but you can get very cheap soft boxes & other accesories for them and they are ideal for learning. We had a couple sets when I was teaching photography and one can get very good results with them, especially if you are using digital and are doing tabletop or tight portraiture. For fashion stuff, forget them, though.

Those are some great recommendations! I'm going to look into those lights. But in thee meantime I may have to challenge your Emperorship

I'll be sure to invest in fire extinguishers if I do though.

My first trip will be to Home Depot and linen store though to see if I can find some adequate diffusing material to put between the lights and subject. I was inspired by this guy's auction.

PerezDesignGroup

I decided to get a little creative. I went to my local Dollar Store and found a suitable softbox alternative that cost me exactly $1. This little find fits right into my Home Depot 10" Clamp-on Lights and softens the light quite nicely. Here's how I did it...

First you need a simple clamp-on work light like the one below. Mine is 10 inches and I bought it for about $10-12 bucks at the local Home Depot. I'm sure most hardware stores carry these.


Then you'll need to look around for a transclucent yet slightly opaque canister. These were all over my Dollar Store. I'm sure you can find them as well.


Next, put the canister into the Work light like the image below.


And ta-da! You have an instant $1 Softbox! Time to take pics...


Now it's time for me to go buy all those cool colored ones

zero-zero

What kind of wattage are you using with that? the "type B" photo bulbs we used when I worked tungsten would melt that in less than one minute. In fact, we used thick metalworker's gloves to adjust the lights.

If you're serious about becoming the new emperor , go check some paper chinese lanterns. You'll find some that create sweet light and are cheap. I also find a frame with some diffuser material and a square piece of porex (styrofoam) to be invaluable tools. You can paint one side of the porex black and you'll have reflector on one side and black flag on the other.

PerezDesignGroup

zero-zero wrote:

What kind of wattage are you using with that? the "type B" photo bulbs we used when I worked tungsten would melt that in less than one minute. In fact, we used thick metalworker's gloves to adjust the lights.

If you're serious about becoming the new emperor , go check some paper chinese lanterns. You'll find some that create sweet light and are cheap. I also find a frame with some diffuser material and a square piece of porex (styrofoam) to be invaluable tools. You can paint one side of the porex black and you'll have reflector on one side and black flag on the other.

Those are fiendishly clever ideas . I'm currently only using 100w light bulbs but they're holding up great. Strangely, the lights don't get that hot. I'm able to adjust them by hand as long as I don't touch the porcelain area.

Thanks for the help, zero-zero. It is super-appreciated

pathfinder

PerezDesignGroup wrote:

Next, put the canister into the Work light like the image below.


And ta-da! You have an instant $1 Softbox! Time to take pics...

The handle does not cause any problems with a shadow for you?

I used a wooden frame to hold a 3 x 4 foot piece of fibreglass cloth ( not the plastic kind just the cloth used for embedding in resin ) about 4 inches in front of several tungsten bulbs mounted to a plywood box - It gives a very nice duplication of window light

today I would try 4 or 6 4foot long daylight flourescent tubes on a flat surface and cover them with fibreglass cloth about 3 inches in front of the tubes. This would give a very nice diffuse light also.

lynnma

PerezDesignGroup wrote:

Those are some great recommendations! I'm going to look into those lights. But in thee meantime I may have to challenge your Emperorship

I'll be sure to invest in fire extinguishers if I do though.

My first trip will be to Home Depot and linen store though to see if I can find some adequate diffusing material to put between the lights and subject. I was inspired by this guy's auction.

I got some great diffusing fabric (white white) from walmart.. I stretched it over a hoola hoop .. worked great

lynnma

zero-zero wrote:

What kind of wattage are you using with that? the "type B" photo bulbs we used when I worked tungsten would melt that in less than one minute. In fact, we used thick metalworker's gloves to adjust the lights.

If you're serious about becoming the new emperor , go check some paper chinese lanterns. You'll find some that create sweet light and are cheap. I also find a frame with some diffuser material and a square piece of porex (styrofoam) to be invaluable tools. You can paint one side of the porex black and you'll have reflector on one side and black flag on the other.

Hmmm chinese lanterns huh.... good thought.

All my home made lights are in the cellar in shards.. everytime I moved them they broke...

PerezDesignGroup

lynnma wrote:

I got some great diffusing fabric (white white) from walmart.. I stretched it over a hoola hoop .. worked great

Another fantastic idea! Thank you

tmlphoto

Alien bees have some fairly inexpensive lights that get good reviews on Dpreview forums. I just ordered one with a soft box. They are cheap , but not walmart cheap. The site is: www.alienbees.com

ginger_55

Camera broken, Canon is going to fix it,
I hope. I didn't know what thread to put this on. I am sick, just sick.
Nothing works right on what they call the "creative" modes. The ISO doesn't show up, won't change, same with the WB. The camera does not turn off, and the timer button doesn't work.

Other than that.................

Seems fine on the programmed modes. But I have to send it in. Bill is supposed to pack it up and send it off tomorrow.

ginger