Strip modifiers like LitePipe P and SaberStrip are applicable for portrait photography, both indoors and outdoors. But according to Joe Edelman, their biggest flaw is their price, which he considers too high for something you’ll use only occasionally. So, he came up with his own DIY version of a daylight-balanced strip modifier. It’s easy to build, useful for portraits both in the studio and on location – and it costs around $50in material. And I think it’s a plus that it looks a bit like a lightsaber.
Search Results for: diy softbox
Getting creative with speedlights – 5 simple DIY setups
As some of you already know, I recently developed and released a brand new lighting workshop called Creatively Simple Lighting. In that workshop, one of the core foundations of what I teach is how to get creative with simple lighting and simple lighting doesn’t get any simpler than when you use Speedlights. At their most basic, Speedlights can simply sit on top of your camera and illuminate whatever is in front of you. If you want to get a little more creative however, the first thing to do is to get that flash off your camera and step into the vast world of off-camera flash.
Off-camera flash is where it gets interesting and it’s very easy to throw a cheap softbox on your speedlight and take some pleasant yet fairly basic shots. So how do we make it a little more engaging without spending a fortune? Well, as part of my workshop I wanted to prove that all the setups I was teaching could be achieved with a couple of Speedlights and some very basic modifiers. The following article is the result of me dusting off my Speedlights and playing with some homemade modifiers to see if I could create some engaging and creative effects without it costing me a penny.
Turn your bathroom into a natural light softbox for amazing portraits
When most portrait photographers want to create a directional soft light look, they break out the strobes. Then they usually stick a big octabox on the front of it. But what if you don’t have all that gear? How else can you get soft directional light? Well, you may be able to use the window in your bathroom.
In this video, Jay P Morgan shows us how we can get great soft directional light using only what enters through the bathroom window. Or whatever room in which you happen to be shooting. It’s a great technique if you don’t have flash gear and want to practise your portraits.
How to fake a softbox by light painting with tubes for product photography
Softboxes are wonderful tools for product photography. They allow you to get nice soft shadows, and beautiful edge highlights to make your product shine. But if don’t own them already, and all you plan to shoot are a few photos for eBay, it can get expensive. There’s light stands, flashes, the softboxes themselves, possibly reflectors and other doohickies.
This video from commercial photographer Leo Rosas shows a fantastic technique to create an “invisible softbox” using lightpainting techniques. Using a long LED tube, Leo recreates the look of a large softbox over his product, without actually having a softbox. It’s a very neat and versatile technique if you’re limited on gear.
Sundisc is a softbox that is totally flat
Mirrorless cameras and high-power speedlights have reduced the size of gear, just like they promised. But the softbox still remains the largest piece and takes up a lot of space. Vincent Palma and Vilhelm von Platen wanted to change this, so they created Sundisc. It’s a light, compact and ultra-portable reversible softbox that fits in your camera bag and that you can carry everywhere. You can attach it directly to your speedlight, and it also doubles as a reflector with both warm and cool light.
“The Shwop” lets you turn any softbox into a reflector
I don’t know when mounting strobes the wrong way around inside softboxes became a thing. But, apparently it is. More mysterious than the “when”, though is the “why?”. The Shwop is a new product on Kickstarter that lets you do exactly this, though. Reverse mount a strobe inside a softbox.
They do list a few benefits of working this way on the campaign page, although I’m not entirely convinced. Putting me off even further is the fact that what essentially amounts to a fancy flash bracket costs more than the strobes it holds.
How to build a cheap collapsible DIY light box
Clear, well-lit photos of your projects are among the best ways to share your work with others. Few techniques highlight your project as well as an all white light box with soft, even, shadow-free lighting. Not only is the white background distraction free, it will also serve to bounce your light source onto your object from nearly all angles.
This is an effective, inexpensive, and easy way to build a light box for project and product photography. Plus, you can quickly break it down for flat storage, and set it back up in seconds!
Watch how one photographer shoots flying food with a couple of strip softboxes
This probably isn’t something you’ll want to try at your local coffee shop to get a quick photo for Instagram. But, if you’re a budding food photographer, or want to try something a little different, this is certainly an eye catching technique.
Seattle based commercial food photographer Steve Hansen has more than a few food lighting tricks up his sleeve. In this video we see how Steve side lights flying food with a pair of Westcott 12″ x 50″ Stripbanks. But he’s not using them quite the way you might expect.
Make a cheap and easy DIY turntable for 360° product photography and video
If you make a lot of product shots, especially with small items, I’ve found a wonderful DIY build for you. It’s a turntable you can make yourself, it requires no motor and it’s super-cheap. You’ll spend around $20 and a couple of minutes to make it, and get great results.
Motorized turntables for product photography are not that expensive (around $100). But if you can make your own for 5 times less money and in just a few minutes – why wouldn’t you? Jordan Carrasquillo of New Amsterdam Photo Video shows you how to build this great solution for 360 product videos and photos, along with some shooting and editing tips.
How to use gridded strip softboxes as your main light source
When it comes to setting up flash for a portrait, one might usually grab a big octabox or beauty dish. Normally, we wouldn’t consider something like a strip softbox. Strip softboxes are typically relegated to rim light duties. But they can also be extremely effective as a main light source.
In this Profoto Tiny Talk, photographer Neil van Niekerk talks us through how he uses his gridded strip softboxes for lighting portraits. He describes it as the most powerful tool he has both on location and in the studio. And, indeed, it is an extremely versatile modifier.
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