My Reflector Panel/Gobo

[TMR Design]

Hi all,

I'm very excited about my new DIY white reflector panel and black gobo. It works great and I really enjoy working with reflectors. They have their own 'personality' and at times work much better than an actual powered fill light. I will be posting a fully comprehesive DIY with detailed instructions and pictures but I wanted to post and let you see it now.

The design is simple, requires very few tools and costs under $40 to make. It stands 7" tall so you can have a full length reflector if desired. The reverse side has black panels and it can function as a large gobo, whether on its own or to block any stray light that might enter the lens while using the reflector.

NOTE TO MODERATOR: Please do not place this post in the DIY Sticky. I will be posting the actual DIY within a few days.
.

[kyserphotography]

Hi all,

I'm very excited about my new DIY white reflector panel and black gobo. It works great and I really enjoy working with reflectors. They have their own 'personality' and at times work much better than an actual powered fill light. I will be posting a fully comprehesive DIY with detailed instructions and pictures but I wanted to post and let you see it now.

The design is simple, requires very few tools and costs under $40 to make. It stands 7" tall so you can have a full length reflector if desired. The reverse side has black panels and it can function as a large gobo, whether on its own or to block any stray light that might enter the lens while using the reflector.

NOTE TO MODERATOR: Please do not place this post in the DIY Sticky. I will be posting the actual DIY within a few days.
.

TMR Design,
I am looking forward to a detailed posting on how you contrsucted this, and where you purchased the materials!

[jcpoulin]

Robert,
Are the white panels 2 seperate units or is the full length one added onto short one with a change in fittings?

[TMR Design]

Hi jcpoulin,

The way it's designed is so that the top and bottom panel are identical. Each panel has white on one side and black on the other. If you want a short panel for product photography or a baby on the floor, etc. then you just put the rop crossbar on it. If you want the full 7 ft. panel you pop the top off, add the top panel and stick the top crossbar on the top panel. It's completely modular and either panel can be used in either position.
If you wanted you could make another set of feet and another top crossbar and have two short panels. Mix and match the black or white, or even cover panels with silver wrapping paper for a silver reflector. It's very open ended and flexible.

[SkipD]

Robert - I'd like to know what materials you used for the reflective panels and see some closeups to see how it's installed in the PVC frames (the framing is the easy part).

[MarKap77]

I'm with Skip. Tell us about the material you used for the panels and how you attached it to the frame. And what about the possibility of building them to sit with the long dimension horizonatlly? If you havene't glued the feet, you could certainly do that, right?

Great idea.

[TMR Design]

Robert - I'd like to know what materials you used for the reflective panels and see some closeups to see how it's installed in the PVC frames (the framing is the easy part).

Hi Skip,

I've been playing around a lot with different reflective materials and keep coming back to white foam core board. It returns quite a bit of light, it's inexpensive and readily available. If you bend or break a board you can just go get a replacement easily.

There are a total of 4 boards per panel. 2 are white and 2 are black. I've staggered the black panels by cutting one down the middle. You don't have to do this but I did it to add some stiffness and to eliminate any light leakage through the cracks within a panel.
So on one side I slide 2 white boards in and on the other I slide a 1/2 black one, a whole black one, and a half on top.

I'll be posting detailed closeup images in the full DIY to show how the rails are mounted to the PVC vertical poles.

[TMR Design]

I'm with Skip. Tell us about the material you used for the panels and how you attached it to the frame. And what about the possibility of building them to sit with the long dimension horizonatlly? If you havene't glued the feet, you could certainly do that, right?

Great idea.

Hi Mark,

The feet and legs don't get glued to the panel so it can break down easily. You could absolutely replace the top 90 degree elbow and replace it with a Tee and then replace the Tee at the bottom of that same side and replace it with a 4-Way connector. You could then lay it on its side on the same legs and feet. Because of the length you might also want to replace the middle Tee that divides the 2 panels with a 4-Way and add a third foot in the middle for center support.

[jcpoulin]

Great work. Is this all 1 inch tubing or is it thicker? You can always leave the T connector on the bottom panel and just add accordingly. How is the board mounted to frame?

[TMR Design]

All of the PVC components are 3/4". For those that have never worked with PVC, it's measured by the inside diameter, so 3/4" PVC is actually 1" on the outside.

Because PVC components are like using LEGO you could create any type of stand or base you wanted. The key to the panels are the vertical poles with the rails (or horizontal if you lay it down). Once you have those and the correct dimension for the cross bars it's up to your imagination.

For the actual rails I am using what is called 1/2" vinyl J channel and is sold in stores like Home Depot and Lowes in the aisle with Sheetrock, tape, spackle, etc. It comes in 10 foot sections for under $2 per 10 ft.

I looked at many different methods of mounting the rails and after some trial and error I determined that the best and most durable way was to drill holes in both the rail and the PVC and then attach it with small round head philips screws.

When I do post dimensions and measurements you will be able to see the construction. Everything has been carefully measured to allow for the screw heads and to have a nice snug fit against the foam board. The boards just slide down into the channel on both sides and is held together by the cross bars.

[TMR Design]

Even though I will be posting the DIY separately, this is the vinyl J channel.

[snokid]

Robert

about how wide is the opening on the j-channel? Do you think it would work to make a reflector holder using only 1 piece of foam board? I'm looking to make something to sit on a tripod, but don't need the black side, I guess I could just use two.

Bob

[TMR Design]

Hi Bob,

The J channel is 1/2" wide. It's intended for use with 1/2" sheetrock. When you only use 1 layer of foam core board there is play and the panels won't sit or stack correctly.

If you're looking for a simple reflector to mount to a tripid or light stand then maybe THIS (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=283124)is something you can modify or create as a rectangular panel. It migt be more what you're looking for.

[Don Powell]

Great work, Robert, they appear really easy to make. Do you use those rubber slip on pieces for the feet to keep them from sliding easily?

[TMR Design]

Hi Don,

What I did was to use the PVC end caps and then I got a package of 4 1" round felt pads. Just peel off the back and stick them to the underside of the feet. Works great and keeps those wooden floors from getting scratched. It does give it a little traction but since I am adjusting the panel on the fly a lot I like that is moves freely. Personally I think it would be a pain in the a** if it did not slide easily.

[nadtz]

I was thinking about building pretty much the same exact thing! The 2 panel instead of 1 design will probably make it a bit easier to store and move around, so Im going to steal that idea thank you very much.

[thekid24]

Do the panels rotate? Are the colors interchangable? Are they cloth or foam core(you might have stated already but still asked)? Do they have any superpowers that would enable them to save many from utter destruction? can you secretly store a small weapon in there just in case ninjas were to unknowingly bust on the scene?

Lol, Im just messin with ya. I really do like the design, Ive seen something like this, it seems, maybe not, could be just my crazyness. Cant wait to see all the details of how it was made. Nice work.

[TMR Design]

Do the panels rotate? Are the colors interchangable? Are they cloth or foam core(you might have stated already but still asked)? Do they have any superpowers that would enable them to save many from utter destruction? can you secretly store a small weapon in there just in case ninjas were to unknowingly bust on the scene?

Lol, Im just messin with ya. I really do like the design, Ive seen something like this, it seems, maybe not, could be just my crazyness. Cant wait to see all the details of how it was made. Nice work.

Hi thekid24,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'rotate'. If you use the right PVC connectors you could turn it on it's side to have it going the long way. That was mentioned in eariler posts. : )) The panels are just foam core boards. That was mentioned in eariler posts : ))
Interchangable colors... well, the J channel is 1/2" wide and the way the panels are designed, each panel holds 2 20" x 30" boards facing each direction, so you could use colored foam core, or black, white, any combination you want, or you could cover boards in silver or gold paper or foil. The whole idea was to make something flexible and completely modular so you do what you want with it.

Glad you like the idea. I am loving it!

[thekid24]

Hi thekid24,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'rotate'. If you use the right PVC connectors you could turn it on it's side to have it going the long way. That was mentioned in eariler posts. : ))
The panels are just foam core boards. That was mentioned in eariler posts : ))

Glad you like the idea. I am loving it!
What I meant by rotate was, lets say you wanted some fill under the chin.

Could you scoot it up close to the person and rotate it up, kind of like how the air vents in your car work?

[TMR Design]

What I meant by rotate was, lets say you wanted some fill under the chin.

Could you scoot it up close to the person and rotate it up, kind of like how the air vents in your car work?

Ahh... no you can't do that. I've made other PVC devices with pivoting pieces but not this one. If you wanted a reflector that you could move around and angle like that then obviously reflectors that are commercially sold would do it or you could look at my other DIY Silver Reflector (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=283124) that would let you do that and if you didn't want silver you could make it anything you want.

[SkipD]

Ahh... no you can't do that. I've made other PVC devices with pivoting pieces but not this one. If you wanted a reflector that you could move around and angle like that then obviously reflectors that are commercially sold would do it or you could look at my other DIY Silver Reflector (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=283124) that would let you do that and if you didn't want silver you could make it anything you want.It would be rather easy to have a center-pivot mount for the panels so that you could tilt it at virtually any angle and rotate it on the floor - thus putting the reflector panel at any angle between the light and the subject.

[TMR Design]

It would be rather easy to have a center-pivot mount for the panels so that you could tilt it at virtually any angle and rotate it on the floor - thus putting the reflector panel at any angle between the light and the subject.

Hi Skip,

Yes it would be but I did not want to over-engineer the panels. Having a pivot also means having a lock or a stop so it does not rotate freely. For my purposes I would prefer the vertical reflector and if I really want to return some light under the chin or from above I would just use my other light stand mounted reflector that is intended for that. My experience with the pivot and PVC told me to keep it simple on this one.

Certainly anyone that wants to expand on my idea is more than welcome to do that. :cool:

If you look at my very first DIY Diffusion Panel (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=222402&highlight=diy) I had a pivoting panel.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=113803&stc=1&d=1159740534

[MarKap77]

Ahh, the wonders of PVC! Robert, these devices are wonderful. I'm probably going to the home improvement center as soon as I get home tomorrow! :)

[TMR Design]

Glad you like them Mark. My first diffusion panel was an experiement before I really knew anything about lighting. I actually DIS-courage others from copying it because it IS over-engineered and not the best device. Since building that panel I discovered that if you're putting a light behind a diffusion panel it does not need to tilt. A flat vertical panel with a light and barn doors gives you all the control you need without any moving parts. I now use Scott Smith's (lightingman) diffusion panel and absolutely love it.

[TMR Design]

The DIY is on the way. I apologize for the delay but I've been working hard to get my home studio done and with all the dust and paint, etc. I thought it was best to leave the gear packed and safe in another room while I make and clean up my mess. I should have things back together in a week or so and the full length DIY will be published.