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Budget Friendly And Super Easy DIY Bank Light Alternative

May 9, 2015 by Tiffany Mueller 1 Comment

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Not everyone can afford a pair of KinoFlo’s, or perhaps can’t justify dropping several thousand dollars on lighting for a simple side project. This is where this incredibly uncomplicated, incredibly quick DIY light project comes into play. It’s so simple, the only thing that requires tools is attaching the mounting brackets to the light fixture, which, it turns out, is as easy as it sounds. Plus, the entire setup will cost you about $71 a light including the bulbs.

Now, as you’re watching the video, keep in mind that this DIY project has the hobbysist in mind, as a professional shooter working on a large production may not want to show up to set with a DIY light setup–though the creator of the video, Basic Filmmaker, says he has (once) just to prove they’d work.

https://vimeo.com/119823473

The Four Big Issues With DIY Fluorescent Lights & Their Workarounds

Fluorescent lights are notorious for poor quality light and flickering that causes filmmakers to cringe. Here’s how this particular hack addresses each of them, making them studio worthy. There are links included, but these items can usually be sourced from the hardware store, as well.

  1. Flickering – These lights come with a pre-installed electronic ballast regulates current to lights to eliminate flicker.
  2. Wiring – The lamps mentioned above also come equipped with a 3-prong plug, so no additional wiring needed.
  3. Light Quality – Look for bulbs, like these Philips Straight T8 Bulbs, that are 5k with a color rendering index (CRI) rating of 90 or higher.
  4. Mountable – Add brackets to the lights that will make it possible to mount on your light stands.

Of course, there are additional hacks you could do to these lights, as the Basic Filmmaker pointed out in the video. For example, you could start by painting the fixtures flat black and DIYing yourself up some barn doors or diffusion panels, but that all depends on how involved and hands-on you want to get.

[ via Vimeo ]

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: DIY, light banks, lighting

Tiffany Mueller: from diyphotography.net

About Tiffany Mueller

Tiffany Mueller is a photographer based in Hawi, Hawaii. You can follow her Twitter here and her personal life here.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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