DIY Light Stands (NOOB ALERT!)

[cpeters]

Good afternoon all,
I have been playing heavily with my Olympus C-5060 and getting some pretty good shots. Mostly people and such. A friend asked me to do a photo shoot of her recently, and I have been scouring the web on how to build a small studio on the cheap (almost nonexistant) I now have the photo backdrop and some good tutorials on how to light it using home depot reflector lighting. The one thing I have not been able to find though is how to hang the lights. Most sites say to use century c-stands (which I dont have) Or give no information at all. Can you give me some insights as to how to do this? Thank you all for your time!

 

[woodsac]

Another one from Home Depot...PVC.

Use 3/4 or 1" PVC, depending on the weight of the lights. If you use 3/4", use a 4 way 'union' piece of 1" pvc, and slide it over the 3/4". Now attach two straight pieces out each side and clamp or screw your lights to them. You can then slide the union up and down, and turn it 360* to adjust your lighting. Use something similar to a 'C' clamp or wood clamp below the union to keep it from sliding down.

 

[cpeters]

Good evenining Woodsac,
So in essence I would be making a cross correct? And from there attaching the lights to the outstreched arms? If that is so, ok I can work with that. Also how high should the stands be, how do I immobolize them, and how far should the arms reach? Thank you for the help!

 

[woodsac]

Yes, you are basically making a 'T'. The technical stuff will have to answered by someone else, sorry. Check out this link:
http://www.graphic-design.com/photographic/studio/photo-studio.html

There are lots of other links inside this article. Check out the website pretty thoroughly, there's a lot of good info for beginners.

 

[ts_imagery]

That's a really good link. There are a number of good suggestions that would come in handy when setting up a cheap home studio.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Shop used man...

the pvc is gonna cost you more than a stand... and it's gonna come apart and will kill your flash and your model.

Lawsuits are expensive.

 

[Rob]

Shop used man...

the pvc is gonna cost you more than a stand... and it's gonna come apart and will kill your flash and your model.

Lawsuits are expensive.

Not that I know anything about buying PVC tubes, but I gotta agree with the Doc... Studio flash heads are heavy and should only be supported by something suitably robust. I don't know how tough US PVC tubes are, but I'd be really really loath to try gluing plastic together to hold expensive equipment.

Also the safety aspect is just common sense.

I daresay it's not beyond the abilities of a competant DIYer, but do bear safety in mind!!

Rob

 

[woodsac]

Shop used man...

the pvc is gonna cost you more than a stand... and it's gonna come apart and will kill your flash and your model.

Lawsuits are expensive.

That's a little dramatic don't you think? Kill them? Whatever? Instead of correcting me, why don't you try giving some usefull info like where to buy them for so cheap? I'm sure he would appreciate the help.

And the whole "it's gonna come apart thing"...I've had a 20 lb motor that applies 36 lbs of thrust mounted to 1/2 pvc pipe (that was properly assembled) for over 3 years with no seperation of glue. And it's been exposed to extreme conditions on numerous occasions.

So go bigger? I can get 20 feet of 1" pvc and the other supplies for around $30 US. He said he was a super tight budget! I naturally assumed that light stands would be much more than $30-$40?

Rob, thank you! I had no idea how heavy they were. And of course safety is a factor, but like you said..."it's not beyond the abilities of a competant DIYer". I actually have supplies to do this myself, but I don't have big, heavy, professional lights. And I guess I just assumed that he didn't either based on his statements about budget and being a beginner?

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Uh-huh

And you're gonna have an air cushioned lightstand?
And you'll be able to adjust the height?
And the angle of the flash?
And it will collapse to nothing?
And will be transportable?
And you'll be able to sell it for what you paid for it?

Here you can get a NEW stand for 30 bucks:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...819&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

And that's normal price. If he hits garage sales or opens the newspaper he'll find someone clearing out photo junk. I've bought stands 20 bucks each... used.

Sometimes DIY isn't the best way to go.

 

[woodsac]

You know what doc...I'm pretty sure that's all that he was asking for in the first place? I also thought that the idea around here was to share info...not to say that you know the answer and then not tell them what it is? Don't know why you felt compelled to keep it to yourself until it was time to prove someone wrong?

He asked how to build one and I gave him an idea. If you had a better solution, all you had to do was say so in the beginning.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

I don't get what your problem is...