Make Your Own Studio Lights

[ComputerWhiz]

Anyone who has looked for big professional studio lights, knows that they can cost a fortune. I don't know about other people, but I certainly do not have the money to spend on a hobby, so I have discovered a cheap way to make your own studio lights.

I live near a store that sells refurbished products for low prices. Here, I was able to find junky Pandigital Novel tablets for just $10. These are perfect for homemade studio lights because they really serve no other purpose. I have just simply mounted three tablets to three different music stands that I found a local school was throwing away. To turn the tablets into studio lights, just download a blank image from the internet and then view it.

Tablets make for great studio lights because you can adjust the brightness and even change the colour of the light, if you download a coloured image. Why spend a fortune when you can just use a cheaper alternative that works just as good.

 

[tirediron]

Interesting - I'd very much like to see some photos of the end result, as well as some images taken using them.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Or you could spend $12 on a clamp light and put a nice bright bulb in it.

 

[Designer]

How much light do those tablets produce?

 

[CameraClicker]

Probably not safe for work: How you can light a beautiful portrait with a computer screen
Shows how to use a computer screen for some cool lighting effects.

 

[CameraClicker]

Tablets make for great studio lights because you can adjust the brightness and even change the colour of the light, if you download a coloured image. Why spend a fortune when you can just use a cheaper alternative that works just as good.

Tablets make an interesting light source suitable for some photos. Studio lights are flexible. With battery packs, you can take studio lights outside and use them to overpower the sunlight. Or you can light an entire room with many people. Studio lights are not just for portraits. There are many modifiers available for studio lights, including gels that change the colour, softboxes and umbrellas that make the light larger and more wrapping, beauty lights that make the light large but somewhat focused, Fresnels that really focus and barn doors that prevent spill. There are others, as well. Studio lights are expensive, and the modifiers are too. But studio lights can be employed to quickly simulate a lot of different lighting conditions, which is what makes them worthwhile. In the last few years, similar modifiers have been made for Speedlights. Usually, now, small flash and modifiers are less expensive and even more flexible. But if you have a specific lighting need, you can probably find a dedicated light source for much less money and with digital you can adjust for the light's colour temperature more easily than you could using film.

 

[ComputerWhiz]

How much light do those tablets produce?

Potentially a little bit less light then a studio light, however, attaching mirrors or a big magnifying page for view phone books, can make it much brighter.

 

[tirediron]

How much light do those tablets produce?

Potentially a little bit less light then a studio light, however, attaching mirrors or a big magnifying page for view phone books, can make it much brighter.

Ehhh... howzat? If the source produces 'X' lumens, that's all it produces and there ain't no more. You might gain some benefit by concentrating the light, but unless the laws of physics have changed since I went to school...

 

[Scatterbrained]

How much light do those tablets produce?

Potentially a little bit less light then a studio light, however, attaching mirrors or a big magnifying page for view phone books, can make it much brighter.

Potentially? How about a whole lot less. How about even less light than a modeling lamp? Attaching mirrors or a magnifying glass won't make it any brighter either. You can get by with tablets for small tabletop work, barely. You'll get far more light however from a simple 100w household light bulb.