Made a strobist beauty dish today.... and some speed straps

[turbodude]

Made it for less than ten bucks. Its 15" which i think is perfect for up to two person portraits

Didnt have a human subject...

test shot
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2851626649_98d0aaf6ea_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2852461452_f65a39c858_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/2851626689_76e4e4074e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2851626675_f21d921cc3_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/2851626663_ab21bf4b5f_o.jpg

and some speed straps, but i know you dont need a pic of those. Its some rubber and Industrial velcro, so i never have to put velcro residue on my flashes.

[paiintballa182]

instructions/material list?

looks really nice

[turbodude]

Its a 99cent store Plastic bowl, with $1.59 spray paint, a gutter piece $1.99, a 3.5" convex mirror and a cd case.

[chris k]

nice work

[jayceg]

you can find instructions here: http://davidtejada.blogspot.com/2008/04/beauty-dish-for-sb-800.html

I'm a couple of days from finishing mine. (The part number for the grey thing at home depot is 85-051)

[sando]

Cool... I need to get off my arse and build one of these. :)

You know what would look wicked? If you paint the piece of the CD box that is visible black... the cathlights will look like that of a ring flash.

[turbodude]

i have an abr800, dont need a DIY ring flash :)

[SnlpeR]

i think the cd you put in there is giving off some kind of tint looking at the wall shot

but man...i needa make me onna those
i wanna make one for the AB800 tho, but im affraid to use plastic

[evorgsumaf]

How bid was your convex mirror? I am using a 4 inch, and I don't fill the whole bowl with light. Maybe I need a mirror with more convex (is that the right term?) to it?

[dou_b_14]

hey this is cool....i might want to try to make one of these soon. thanks for the link jayceg. I was trying to find a tutorial on strobist to make one of these and couldnt

[turbodude]

How bid was your convex mirror? I am using a 4 inch, and I don't fill the whole bowl with light. Maybe I need a mirror with more convex (is that the right term?) to it?


i used a cd behind the mirror.

[evorgsumaf]

I did also, but I don't have the coverage you do. What size is your bowl? I am using a 14 inch.

[evorgsumaf]

I guess one more question from me. What size CD spindle did you use? I am using a 25 CD/DVD spindle, and I wonder if it needs to be longer?

[kenwood33]

how did you attach the flash to the bowl?

[turbodude]

I guess one more question from me. What size CD spindle did you use? I am using a 25 CD/DVD spindle, and I wonder if it needs to be longer?

50cd one, and its a 15inch bowl. Perhaps its because my bowl is sorta flat on the bottom. also i use the longest zoom setting on the flash to help with the light rays to bounce around.

[turbodude]

how did you attach the flash to the bowl?


i used a gutter piece and some velcro strap

[spotted_assassin]

So Turbo, would you only use this for a studio setting...or would u use something like that for nightlife?

[turbodude]

So Turbo, would you only use this for a studio setting...or would u use something like that for nightlife?


i would use it outside on location actually, I have a large octobox and some alienbees for studio type stuff, as well as a true ab beauty dish. I just hate lugging all that stuff around alot of the times, unless i have a specific shoot in mind, or if its for an ad or project.

I use hotshoe strobes for everything else. Portrait sessions, small production shoot, etc...

i wouldnt dare bring anything like this into a club, i am a compact kind of shooter in the clubs.

[ekie]

nicely done!!! much better than what i did with mines. im planning to do another one since its cheap anyways.

i didnt have proper cutting tools so i had cracked the 14" terra bowl from HD and also it was tough cutting into the base of the cd spindle. after some mess with epoxy (didnt have screws), i did get it done and used it the other day for a shoot. worked pretty nice but im gonna try and do it better next time :D

[stathunter]

Maybe now you will have enough light to clean up your room a bit. :)

[CROW21]

i'll try to do it , lets see how it comes up

[laurielozano]

I wonder how it would work out if you painted the inside of the bowl silver instead of white?

[phsv]

Hey, this looks like a pretty clean dish. I might end up trying to do one of these when I move into my new place and I have a larger work room.

Thanks for showing it to us. Any chance of getting am human subject to show us how it looks?

[turbodude]

once i get my flash umbrella spigots from flashzebra ill def do a clamshell lit self portrait for you guys

[bad karma]

Where can you buy velcro straps? I am terrible with making things

[turbodude]

i used 2" industrial velcro at walmart, then took some bike inner tube, and cut it to 2" and washed it, then applied the soft velcro to the outside of the rubber, with a little strip of the rough side of teh velcro to one of the ends of the rubber.