One Step Backwards: The Diffuser
And crap. As I was assembling the unit, it dawned on me that it would be really useful if I could mount a bracket on the boom arm that would hold a piece of cloth to act as a diffuser, to spread the beam out a bit, and make the shadow’s less harsh.
I grabbed a length of coat hanger and used a pair of pliers to bend the bracket shown below. I chose the very stiff coat hanger wire because, unlike the boom, I want the diffuser to hold its shape.
So do all of that stuff before the other twisting-the-boom step…};^)
I reluctantly unwound the recently twisted boom arm, and re-wrapped it around the diffuser bracket.
Avoid winding and unwinding if possible. Once the wire has been twisted together, it’s impossible to straighten out again, and when you re-twist it, it’s a real pain in the butt. I lived through it, but I didn’t enjoy it much. The wire is $5 for a roll of 15 feet, so splurge, and use a new length of wire if it comes to that.
If you simply twist the armature wire around the coat hanger wire, the diffuser bracket will twist back and forth freely. Crimp the end of the coat hanger wire back around the armature wire to secure the assembly (bottom left of photo below).
Put the tubing back on. You may have to cheat a little. The coat hanger wire prevents the tube from going the last inch up to the pill bottle. So cut that inch of tube off the end, split it lengthwise with a knife, and clamp it on between the hanger wire and the pill bottle. The natural curve of the tube acts to clamp it to the boom. It clips on pretty firmly.
Attaching the Diffuser Material
You will need some material for the diffuser. I found a nice white bit of cloth from our rag bag. White and semi-translucent. Perfect.
Cut a square that is about a 1/4 inch larger than the bracket on all sides.
You want the cloth to be tight across the frame, and to stay put. So out comes the sewing kit.
Stitch one corner, then pull the cloth tight diagonally to the other corner and stitched that. Then do the same with the other two corners.
Once the corners are tacked down, finish by sewing the edges, making sure the cloth is always pulled taut.
File Under: How-To, DIY, Make, Hardware, Photography, Macro, Lighting
January 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm |
Hi Sam,
That’s a good idea. I’ve got an LED ring light project that I’d like to get to one of these days, which I think would also give cool results.
Maybe I’ll go see if anyone still has discount xmas LED strings…};^)
January 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm |
Very nice idea. I might try to incorporate some of your ideas into my project. Right now I’m trying to wire 2 disposable camera flashes into the on-board camera flash for a twin-light setup on a Canon A570 with a 10+ macro conversion lens. If this works, I’ll have a “cheap” macro camera for $200, start to finish.
June 7th, 2006 at 9:44 pm |
Thanks, Phillip. And thanks too for ‘tits and bits.’ I hadn’t heard that one before…};^)
June 7th, 2006 at 9:34 pm |
Real neat thinking under your creative hat.Hat’s off to you
June 7th, 2006 at 9:28 pm |
Wow!this is some real good DIY stuff, that to with tits and bits.Congrats.Will use the idea.
June 7th, 2006 at 8:29 pm |
Awesome work…I have a summer ahead of me that I’m sure will need some more projects, so this goes on the list! Sure beats the handheld flashlight method I’m currently using.
June 7th, 2006 at 11:53 am |
Bookmarked for a later date.
I always love seeing DIY photography projects. I can’t wait to see if anyone does some mods to this.
Good stuff.