Do It Yourself {Portrait Lights}

df3photo · Sep 28, 2006

~ First off, I am not possitive if this is the right place for this thread... if not feel free to move it.

--OK,
So I cant afford to buy strobelights right now so I made up some lights that I hope will work for a project I am working on.

What I did was, I took some $5 work lights (4 of them) and painted the inside of the reflector white. then I made softboxes for around them out of foamcore sheets that are about $3 each at Walmart (cheaper other places...) Each one of the sides took 2 sheets and the top took 3.
I made the top box first using 2 work lights and streight sides to the box and glued it together with elmers glue. Then realized 2 things... I didnt want to use so many lights and I dont have a place to store the glued together soft boxes.
the other 2 I made for the sides only use one light each and are tapped together so I can pack them in my closet easier...
To cover the frunt of the boxes I purchased some fabric at walmart that was sheer and white, the closest thing I could find to match other softboxes Ive used before.
I finally added acouple wedges of foamcore to the bottoms of the boxes on the sides, so they would stand on a table because I dont have any lightstands to use, then balenced the box on the top.
I also used an off camera flash strieght forward to fill in, I gelled the flash to more closly match the color temp of the work lights.
here are acouple pics of the set up...

and the result....
Ive seen better models... (this is me...) and I think i could have done better focus on someone else (bla bla bla) there is no background light or hair light... for the background I used another larger piece of foamcore sitting on the couch... the first shot is "properly" exposed acording to my hand held meter
the second is alittle over exposed which I liked better for the effect I will be going for in this project but with a much more attractive female model...

Any questions please ask. Any more ideas pleas let me know...

for this project I am working on I want the model to be well lit and with the help of makeup and lighting she will (hopefully) look more like a smooth perfect doll face... what we are doing is a project where I do photos, my friend does computer grafics and we are (long story short) making robots, cyborgs etc...

rp1600 · Sep 28, 2006

red Xs. no photos.

zombiekilla · Sep 28, 2006

I love the idea! Im going to have to try it for sure! and you make a very handsome model if I do say somyself!

df3photo · Sep 28, 2006

Why thanks Zombiekilla3k!!
thats odd...here try these for the pictures...

hope thats better!

JIP · Sep 29, 2006

df3photo said:
hope thats better!

Wow he really looks different from behind!!!

rp1600 · Sep 29, 2006

I'd like to see how the actual pictures turned out. Also, what type and size bulb did you use. I was thinking of doing something similar and just was not sure of what type of bulb i'd need.

Big Mike · Sep 29, 2006

My worry would be heat...doesn't it get fairy hot?

df3photo · Sep 29, 2006

the bulb i used was a regular 100W household bulb (its what I had at the time) I would say that a photographic 3200 (i think thats right, its been awhile) degree K bulb would be better...
actually the heat wasnt really a problem... the light is held up by the foamcore compressing its reflector. and there is enough space between the bulb and the fabric and foamcore (for that matter) that noting seemed too hot. Although I only had it on for about a half hour. possibly bigger bulbs would put out more heat and change things.
Sofar the 2 best pics I have taken with this are above. I will be doing further testing and afew changes befor I get to use it on someone attractive...
for my changes I think I will cut the table top reflector piece of foamcore so that the model could slide into the lights better. Also I want to angle the top box abit toward the model. Some back and hair lights would also be keen...