Lighting rig - help me

anonymouscuban · September 13, 2013

I've been working on a portable "rig" for my lighting for a while. I've tried a few different concepts. Pictured below is the latest. My basic requirements are...

It needs to fit in my Mini Cooper
It needs to be easy to transport from spot to spot while shooting on location
Needs to be stable enough for me to shoot by myself.

The rig below is a collapsable cart I bought from Costco with an milk crate tied to it with cable ties. I then have a boom arm attached to the uprights of the cart, again with cable ties. The cable ties are a temporary method of attachment so I can easily change the configuration during this testing period.

What I like about the cart is I can fill the crate with a sand bag to make it stable but I can also put other gear inside and it all moves with me. It also folds down small enough to fit in my car too.

What I don't like is that the boom arm rotates if any wind is blowing. That is easily addressed with a more permanent/stable attachment than the cable ties.

Any ideas on how to improve it or maybe a different idea all together?

Foques · September 13, 2013

funny thing.. I was just talking to my second half about a dolly and a milk crate combo last night. I have an answer to the biggest concern I had now - it won't look unprofessional.
thank you for telepating me and posting this thread!

anonymouscuban · September 13, 2013

Glad it helped. Yeah, I guess that is another requirement... It cant look unprofessional.

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jonh68 · September 13, 2013

I like the turfstand for location shooting outdoors. It is steady to a degree in steady winds provided the ground is stable and you don't have to concern yourself with level ground. On very windy days I can't use an umbrella but beauty dishes work. http://www.amazon.com/Turfstand-All-Weather-terrain-proof-light/dp/B007PLFKH0

jpc · September 13, 2013

I have a similar setup, but I'm using a Homer Bucket (Home Depot) and a more robust hand cart. Your wheels are too small for anything other than pavement. You need big wheels.

Now go buy a truck.

anonymouscuban · September 13, 2013

jpc wrote: »

I have a similar setup, but I'm using a Homer Bucket (Home Depot) and a more robust hand cart. Your wheels are too small for anything other than pavement. You need big wheels.

Now go buy a truck.

Yes. I do need bigger wheels. It's the one thing I don't like about the cart I have now. I have another idea but need to see how to execute it.

And the funny thing is, I used to have a full size, 4-door truck and I sold it about a year ago to buy the Mini.

Foques · September 13, 2013

^
I feel you.
one of the big reasons I sold my custom build g35 was the lack of room.

divamum · September 13, 2013

I don't keep me gear in it while shooting (I'm using speedlights, so just set up the standsd and sandbag them as needed), but have a red "old lady" shopping trolley that I bought at the dollar store for $20 for storage and moving stuff around. I freaking LOVE it. I don't think it looks unprofessional (ymmv) and if anything happens to it it's no big deal. Light, stable when filled (especially with a sandbag in the bottom) and easy to move around. Modifiers and stands when folded up go right into it, poking out the top as necessary (I don't usually tie the top of it down).

This is isn't exactly the same, but somewhat similar:

ian408 · September 13, 2013

How's about fab'ing up a small steel plate, 6x10 ish in size (or make it the width of the crate). Weld a piece of round stock the boom arm can be fastened to. You can either powder coat it or rattle can it to make it look nice. You still use the sandbags for security.

divamum · September 14, 2013

Looking at this again...

Have you considered getting one of the Cheetah stands where the legs close by themselves when you pick it up? You'd just fold it down like any other stand to get it into the car. Doesn't solve the wheels problem, but it would be one-man manageable

http://www.cheetahstand.com/Cheetah-Stand-C8-p/c8.htm

Foques · January 13, 2014

Just wanted to bump this thread.

Alex, did you get any further with this?

anonymouscuban · January 13, 2014

Foques wrote: »

Just wanted to bump this thread.

Alex, did you get any further with this?

Not with a physical build but I have an idea. I was thinking of taking a regular light stand... three legged type... and welding an axle to it so I can put two large dolly wheels on it. I haven't had time to run to Home Depot to look at the wheels available to see if I can put something like this together. Seems simple enough though.

Also considering using an old golf bag cart. Seen some on then Net that have done this.

Hackbone · January 13, 2014

How about this old post in the pull back thread. Post 153 I think. Cart from Lowes made two boxes and an old light stand and bunge cord.

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=186875&page=8

EphTwoEight · January 13, 2014

http://clikelite.com/product/uncategorized/perspective/

Or the Volt.

WillCAD · January 13, 2014

Maybe I'm naive, but could you use an inexpensive camera tripod as a base instead of the boom? With some weights under the tripod it would be a pretty stable rig, and widely spread legs would give it more resistance against wind. Tripods can also be equipped with ground spikes, so if youre shooting on or near unpaved ground you can stake the legs into the ground for additional stability.

Foques · January 14, 2014

anonymouscuban wrote: »

Not with a physical build but I have an idea. I was thinking of taking a regular light stand... three legged type... and welding an axle to it so I can put two large dolly wheels on it. I haven't had time to run to Home Depot to look at the wheels available to see if I can put something like this together. Seems simple enough though.

Also considering using an old golf bag cart. Seen some on then Net that have done this.

golf bag carts (at least the ones I could get my hands on) have too small a wheels. I can send one your way :P

Dad and I have something brewing, should have a cart manufactured in a few weeks.. depending on when his machine shop has a slow day (pop's an engineer in a huge transmission/metal bending shop)

anonymouscuban · January 14, 2014

Foques wrote: »

golf bag carts (at least the ones I could get my hands on) have too small a wheels. I can send one your way :P

Dad and I have something brewing, should have a cart manufactured in a few weeks.. depending on when his machine shop has a slow day (pop's an engineer in a huge transmission/metal bending shop)

That's great. Make sure to post some pics of it.

My dad was an amazing welder. Could weld anything with extreme precision. I remember as a kid, my dad would point out welds on stuff, no matter where we were, and critique them.

. He ran a large high end cast iron furniture fabrication shop for about 35 years. His first 2 years, after arriving from Cuba, he was an iron worker on high rise buildings. You know, one of those crazy guys that walk the steal girders hundreds of feet in the air? My mother made him quit that job.

I wish he was still around. He could make a lot of this stuff for me. More so, I wish I would have taken him up on the many offers to teach me how to weld. :cry

Foques · January 27, 2014

I think i'm straying a bit from the original design..

The one that dad and I built worked great.. but it was 50lbs.. lol

so, back to the drawing board I go.

contemplating picking up one of those jogging strollers... but the price is kind of scary thus far.

Tinstafl · February 6, 2014

I bet you could weld enough to get it mocked up. You might go to a real welder for a finished product but if it is not seen the welds can look ugly. Just make sure they have the depth.

fullthrottle · February 11, 2014

If you want an idea of something that could work Blair Phillips made one for his work http://blairphillipsworkshops.com/?page/61630/load/product_detail/item/38315/imageID/0/lr-02

Foques · April 30, 2014

so, I went completely outside the original design thought.. This worked very well for me this weekend, however.

Granted it is a bit heavy, but I had 3 ABs with me, portable power, stands, sandbags, reflectors, beauty dish, grids and gels with me.
A stand arm mounted just fine to the handle turning the cart into another stand. given the cart's weight, didn't even need to sandbag the base when I mounted BD to extend over the model.

rwells · April 30, 2014

No need to re-invent the wheel.

http://www.slrlounge.com/product-review-clik-elite-volt-studio-light-backpack

Check it out!

Also, I believe if you search the Strobist site you should be able to find pics of a modified lightstand to accept wheels.

Foques · May 1, 2014

this isn't even remotely what I was looking for.

I saw that backpack.. but that's exactly what this it - a backpack.

anonymouscuban · May 1, 2014

That's pretty cool. Can you explain the construction a bit and maybe source the materials?

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Foques · May 1, 2014

The cart is Dewalt carrier for contractor boxes, bag was made by my dad and I.
Material for the bag was purchased from joann fabrics; it is same material that you make tents out of.lower portion of the bag has wooden floor to keep bag shape, and metal on the bottom to protect it from rubbing.
Handle is wide enough for the cam bracket to hug it and cart is heavy enough to have an extended boom set up without any issues.

rwells · May 1, 2014

Foques wrote: »

this isn't even remotely what I was looking for.

I saw that backpack.. but that's exactly what this it - a backpack.

Okie Doki,

But I was actually responding to the OP.

You might want to start a thread and list your specifics there!
You might also try to not sound so snotty...

Foques · May 2, 2014

/yawn

yeah.. I'm not gonna bite that, but I would like to point out that what OP mentioned is also precisely opposite of what you have linked to.
And let's leave pots and kettles alone, eh? we're here to share the knowledge...

rwells · May 2, 2014

Foques wrote: »

/yawn

yeah.. I'm not gonna bite that, but I would like to point out that what OP mentioned is also precisely opposite of what you have linked to.
And let's leave pots and kettles alone, eh? we're here to share the knowledge...

Precisely opposite of what I linked to???

I'll re-post the OP thread and bold & underline the words you might want to consider again before such statements.

And, it sounds like you don't want anyone to "share the knowledge" but you. Read the OP's last line again.

I've been working on a portable "rig" for my lighting for a while. I've tried a few different concepts. Pictured below is the latest. My basic requirements are...

It needs to fit in my Mini Cooper
It needs to be easy to transport from spot to spot while shooting on location
Needs to be stable enough for me to shoot by myself.

The rig below is a collapsable cart I bought from Costco with an milk crate tied to it with cable ties. I then have a boom arm attached to the uprights of the cart, again with cable ties. The cable ties are a temporary method of attachment so I can easily change the configuration during this testing period.

What I like about the cart is I can fill the crate with a sand bag to make it stable but I can also put other gear inside and it all moves with me. It also folds down small enough to fit in my car too.

What I don't like is that the boom arm rotates if any wind is blowing. That is easily addressed with a more permanent/stable attachment than the cable ties.

Any ideas on how to improve it or maybe a different idea all together?

Yawn indeed...

Foques · May 2, 2014

oh, thanks, kettle, I did miss the last line.

D3Sshooter · May 2, 2014

If you ask me, Broncolor Move Pack and a single Para-88 . That is all what you need... Not cheap, but you will enjoy it. Lets face it showing up on a shoot with some clumsy equipment isn' t all that assuring . Besides the fact that it might work well.

Foques · May 2, 2014

holy mother.. $8k.

Those are LED flashes?! I haven't seen those yet!

I'm pretty sure that any 'tog showing up with a hiking backpack looking thing at a downtown venue is going to get at least a couple of giggles.

Lighting rig - help me

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