Diffusion material for softbox

[dannylightning]

I have decided I can make my own soft box, will a old t shirt be good for diffusion material or is that too thick

This will be a small one to use with a speed light. Already got the design worked up in my head, seems like a fun project

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[Designer]

I think the tee-shirt might not be translucent enough. I understand the impulse to go cheap, but you can buy a fractional yard of some fabric for not much money.

 

[KmH]

Rip-stop nylon.

Light modifier size influences how the light and shadows are rendered.

Small light modifiers generally offer very little improvement of either.

Rogue FlashBenders ROGUERELG Large Positionable Reflector
Neewer Portable 70x 70cm Umbrella Softbox Reflector Speedlight
ePhoto 24" x 36" Photography Studio Speedlite Flash Umbrella type Softbox works on Nikcon Canon AlienBees Soft6090

Print Your Own Free Bounce Card
DIY DSLR Flash Bounce Card

 

[MichaelHenson]

I think the tee-shirt might not be translucent enough. I understand the impulse to go cheap, but you can buy a fractional yard of some fabric for not much money.

What fabric would you recommend?

OP: You'll have to post some pics once you have it done! I'm thinking about putting together a DIY softbox to try one out...

 

[astroNikon]

You could always buy the cheap diffusers on ebay/ amazon .. a few dollars for cheap umbrellas or small cheap small flash mounted dual diffusers.

 

[JustJazzie]

I've been using an old white shower curtain I had laying around. It's working well for what I want it to do.

 

[Designer]

When I was constructing my light box I bought either rip-stop nylon (white) or some other fabric, but just now I cannot remember the name.

 

[MichaelHenson]

You could always buy the cheap diffusers on ebay/ amazon .. a few dollars for cheap umbrellas or small cheap small flash mounted dual diffusers.

Yeah...I saw an old post where Derrell mentioned that these weren't bad so I picked them up yesterday.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BSQK8Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd still kind of like to try a softbox to play around with the differences between umbrella and softbox.

 

[D-B-J]

Rip-Stop Nylon is the standard.

 

[photoguy99]

I use paper. But then, I have a lot of paper in large sizes lying around.

 

[astroNikon]

You could always buy the cheap diffusers on ebay/ amazon .. a few dollars for cheap umbrellas or small cheap small flash mounted dual diffusers.

Yeah...I saw an old post where Derrell mentioned that these weren't bad so I picked them up yesterday.
Amazon.com : PBL Photo Studio 40 inch Reflective Umbrella Softboxes Set of Two Steve Kaeser Photographic Lighting and Accessories : Umbrella Photography : Camera & Photo

I'd still kind of like to try a softbox to play around with the differences between umbrella and softbox.

I have those but at 43"
they're pretty nice considering the price

I also have this .. you can get them in larger sizes too and they're cheap, dual diffuser layers (for some of them) ==> 23 23cm Flash Softbox Diffuser for Speedlight Canon 580EXII 580EX 430EXII 550EX | eBay

 

[MichaelHenson]

You could always buy the cheap diffusers on ebay/ amazon .. a few dollars for cheap umbrellas or small cheap small flash mounted dual diffusers.

Yeah...I saw an old post where Derrell mentioned that these weren't bad so I picked them up yesterday.
Amazon.com : PBL Photo Studio 40 inch Reflective Umbrella Softboxes Set of Two Steve Kaeser Photographic Lighting and Accessories : Umbrella Photography : Camera & Photo

I'd still kind of like to try a softbox to play around with the differences between umbrella and softbox.

I have those but at 43"
they're pretty nice considering the price

I also have this .. you can get them in larger sizes too and they're cheap, dual diffuser layers (for some of them) ==> 23 23cm Flash Softbox Diffuser for Speedlight Canon 580EXII 580EX 430EXII 550EX | eBay

I'm looking forward to trying them out! Just have to pick up another flash...

I actually picked up the Lumiquest softbox like the ones you linked to. Had it on my Amazon wishlist for like a year and logged in one day to see the price had dropped from $50 to $15 so I snagged one!

 

[cynicaster]

I'd still kind of like to try a softbox to play around with the differences between umbrella and softbox.

Umbrellas can create some really nice light for dirt cheap, but sometimes I find them frustrating when shooting indoors with limited space. Umbrellas allow light to go all over place, which inevitably reflects back onto your backdrop, etc. Depending on what you're trying to do, this is not necessarily a big deal, but it's a pain when you're trying to tightly control background lighting on its own, and you're getting all kinds of spill and stray reflection from the umbrella strobe. If you have the luxury of space that allows you to get the subject waaaay out in front of the backrop, that helps a lot, but I sure don't have that kind of space in my garage or basement.

If you're outdoors in open space, the stray light problem from the umbrella is no big deal.

The softbox gives you much more control over where the light goes (or, perhaps more importantly, where it doesn't go).

 

[MichaelHenson]

I'd still kind of like to try a softbox to play around with the differences between umbrella and softbox.

Umbrellas can create some really nice light for dirt cheap, but sometimes I find them frustrating when shooting indoors with limited space. Umbrellas allow light to go all over place, which inevitably reflects back onto your backdrop, etc. Depending on what you're trying to do, this is not necessarily a big deal, but it's a pain when you're trying to tightly control background lighting on its own, and you're getting all kinds of spill and stray reflection from the umbrella strobe. If you have the luxury of space that allows you to get the subject waaaay out in front of the backrop, that helps a lot, but I sure don't have that kind of space in my garage or basement.

If you're outdoors in open space, the stray light problem from the umbrella is no big deal.

The softbox gives you much more control over where the light goes (or, perhaps more importantly, where it doesn't go).

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[KmH]

Umbrellas can create some really nice light for dirt cheap, but sometimes I find them frustrating when shooting indoors with limited space. Umbrellas allow light to go all over place, which inevitably reflects back onto your backdrop, etc.

"Necessity is the mother of invention."

It is pretty easy to add some material to an umbrella to limit light scatter.
You can add material to the open part of the umbrella to make the open part a rectangle.
You can do essentially the same if you're wanting to shoot through the umbrella by putting material across the back of the umbrella.
You can pin some rip-stop nylon or other material over the open part of an inexpensive umbrella and make the umbrella into a brolly.