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Octagonal softboxes (aka octa boxes) are great for when you want nice diffused light. They have a very distinct catch light which some photographers love (and some don’t). In this tutorial, David Schöppe shows how to build a wooden octa.
Is it the cheapest way to get a big octa? At ~$30 it probably is. Assuming that you have way more time than money.
If you are doing portraiture with speedlight, you know that to get soft flattering light, you need to increase the size of the light source. We have featured a few hot shoe softboxes before. In fact the first ever post on DIYP was a small hot shoe strobe’s softbox tutorial. And we also had a poorman’s octabank. But this is the first time we are sharing a cone shaped one by Peter Beckerman. (Sewing skills for the win!)
In the following page I will outline the gear that I use or otherwise recommend from research and from what I’ve heard from fellow photographers.
Is this a full list? Probably not. Does it represent anything but my personal opinion? Definitely not!
Enjoy the list, I hope you’ll get some ideas for your next gear purchase.
If you have ever taken your monitor outside, you know that it is hard to see it clearly with all the light that is bouncing around. And even more so on a sunny day on a sunny location. Of course, you could always buy one of them Monitor Hoods. but it would be so nice to make one of your own. Especially when it only takes a few minutes and costs almost nothing.
In this tutorial, Roger Sacul will show us how to make a quick and simple DIY monitor hood. The one here is used on flat screens, but you can also use it for laptops, or build smaller version for camera hoods.
Did you ever wondered what softbox you should use when doing portraiture? If you only have one softbox, there is an easy answer, but if you have several sized softboxes, knowing which one to use can usually takes lots of experience and pixel peeping.
J. P. Morgan just put up another one of his Slanted Lens instructional videos, I can do nothing but admire the scientific approach in which he compares the effect of a small, medium and large softbox has. (Hint, it involves placing a 12 by 12 shooting target on the wall).
Heya all, this is your friendly reminder that you have one more week left to build your softbox. That is, of course, if you plan on winning a Westcott Apollo Speedlight set with a Nikon SB700 / Canon 430EX II strobe at your choice. Courtesy of the good guys at B&H.
For full rules and outline click here, for inspiration hit the jump for the most awesome yet wrongly color-balanced DIY softbox video ever.
UPDATE: Contest is now closed for entries. Thanks everyone for the great and well constructed submissions. I will update with the winners shortly.
It’s been a long time since we had a healthy contest, one where you challenge your hands as well as your eyes.
The awesome guys over at B&H are sponsoring this awesome contest where we will be giving away a complete set of Westcott Apollo Speedlight set (values $109) along with a Nikon SB700 ($329.95) or a Canon 430EX II ($284), depending on your system. DIYP will be giving all those goodies to the best entry on our Build A Softbox Contest. Of course we could not let B&H carry the load all by themselves, so DIYP is going to chip in with a full set of the DIYP lighting kits line – a Ring Flash and Double Flash Bracket for the two runners up.
With a great year coming to conclusion, allow me to share the top ten stories from this blog.
The first list is your pics, simply calculated from number of views. The second list is my favs.
All posts on both lists were posted on 2010, popular content from previous years like the bokeh post or hacks round ups were not included.
This short buying guide presents my recommended list of photography gear. Does it include everything you’ll ever need? No. It does include a range of cameras that can get you started and what I think is a great start when it comes to “on location” lighting modifiers.
While this list is pretty much prefect for me (almost all the items on this list are owned and used by me on a regular basis, has a high spot on my wish list or is an equivalent of the “other” system), you may need to adjust or select from it to meet your needs.
You can always come back to this list by clicking the buying guide banner on the right.
We’ve had our share of dual strobe mounts before, but this is a first for a triple mount. And you’d need every bit of that light if you are shooting a big modifier like the Westcott’s 28″ Apollo monster.
This tutorial shows you how to make one (or print it out and go to the local shop so they make one).
The detailed instructions were written by Eric Au (Flickr), Calgary based photographer and industrial designer. Always helps to have a Shop at the garage… I wonder how many comments will persuade Eric to go and make this into something you could buy at B&H.
Traditionally, during this time of year, there is a lull in work flow. Not a lot of contracts are signed during late September and October. Things pick up again in November. Typically, I use this time to hone some new technique or try out some new gear. A tiny bit of hackground (pun intended) for you readers, I am photographer and an industrial designer and it was inevitable when those two would collide. I’ve been hacking and developing my own brackets and equipment ever since I could hold a saw.
I use a lot of off camera flash for location work, I sought out to design and develop something that is the size of a palm, but have every feature and the strength of the Lightware Foursquare. Although I currently own and use a Foursquare, it is still not compact enough to throw into my bag (taking into account the handle assembly which makes it work really well).
Instead of trying to copy and reduce the size of a Foursquare, I decided to subtract some light, using 3 instead of 4 Speedlights (I use only Nikon Sb800s). I started with the largest hex, t6160 aluminum I could source locally, 2”. A piece of hex stock offered 6 open, flat sides to mill into features to mount the flashes, the spigot and umbrella thumb screw.
Udi 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 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
Dave 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 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 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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