[dakremer]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

 

[CFrye]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

Great start dakremer! The CFB's will not get hot like incandesant or halogen lights. I have wondered in the past about using the flexible tent poles for the frame of a soft box. Looking forward to what you come up with.

 

[jim65]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

looking forward to updates, I am doing something similar but not making the lights. Yours looks interesting!

 

[johnhutchinson]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

The biggest problem that I've had with low-end commercial lighting is rickety tripods. Otherwise, they're great. I've been correcting the tipping problem by hanging ½-gallon jugs at the leg/strut intersections with bungee cords and filling them with water. It seems to be a more practical solution than overbuilding a custom tripod. I use the same ballast "system" for my camera tripod. Sandbags are also a cure for the tippy blues when the struts are close to the floor.

 

[DIYaholic]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

Nice "down & dirty" light box build!
Looking forward to future build updates.

I'm curious, what is the color temp of your CFLs???

 

[SPalm]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

My thought too was color balance. Also having the bulbs bright enough.
I have bought some from CowboyStudio. They sell them through Amazon.
Go to Amazon and search CowboyStudio CFL. They have different "wattage" outputs.
You want something that has 5500K Color Temperature for Photography.
They can get physically large, so take that into account.

Steve

 

[tyvekboy]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

The only concern that I have is that all the wiring is in a wooden box. Would be better if there was a metal junction box where all the wires were joined. Also, using CFLs could be a bio-hazard if the rig fell over and broke the bulbs. I wonder if halogen bulbs would work better.

Other than those concerns, it looks good.

 

[Bsmith]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

What Spalm said. Fluorescent bulbs give off a green cast and are worse for portrait photography because they emmit a green cast. Incandescent works better, but a very warm cast, they get hot and you'll need more power like floods. I would make the box, but if at all possible put a flash in the box. They are color balance, don't get too hot and produce enough power to photograph a moving baby. Hope this helps.

 

[dakremer]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

DIYaholic - the color temperature of my lights are 3500K, which is right in the white zone. I purchased them at Lowes for about $9.00 for a box of 4. They are 23W each (equivalent to 100W each). So thats 400watts of light - should be enough

Spalm - Lowes actually sold 5000K bulbs for a few bucks more than the 3500K bulbs. I went with the 3500 because I'm trying to be as cheap as possible until i know this will work or not. However I think the 3500 will be just fine - 3500K lights emit a bright white color - right in the middle between orange and blue.

tyvekboy - I thought about the wooden box being dangerous as well. This is just my mock up, so I'm not too concerned about it. If it all works out, I'll glue a fire resistant barrier inside the box before wiring it all up. Also, this lightbox will be used probably only a few times a month, for an hour or so at a time, and will never be left alone while plugged in - so I'm not really actually that worried about it.

Bsmith - we have not purchased a speedlight for our camera yet. When we buy one, we want to buy a really good one, and at this point we don't want to spend that kind of money yet. I think I will actually prefer continuous lighting over a speedlight anyways. However a speedlight, in addition to 2 continuous softboxes, would be great! Some day

 

[phtaylor36]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

Looks like a great idea. Look forward to seeing it complete.

 

[oldnovice]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

I have to echo tyvekboy's comment about CFLs!

I am switching all my CFLs and tube type flourescents to LED just for that reason. I started in the house in lamps that the grand kids can reach but couldn't wait for my shop so I have one installed there. Besides the mercury in the CFLs/flourescents there is a possibility of a cut from the glass which, because of the coating on the interior, can be very bad and difficult to heal.

LEDs also have a life of ~25 years, run cool to the touch, fit into the standard sockets, and are dimmable!

If LEDs are out if the question I would go with halogen ... but they really put out the heat!

 

[MT_Stringer]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

I don't think those 4 bulbs will supply enough light to be diffused through the soft box, yet still provide enough light to allow the lens to be stopped down to control the depth of field and still have a shutter speed fast enough to freeze any movement by the subject.

Good luck with your project. It looks good so far.
Mike

 

[dakremer]

Soft Box 1

My wife and I have been getting into photography after buying the new Canon 70D. My wife would like to start taking more portraits (after being asked by several coworkers to take pics of their kids, etc). Since we don't have a studio, and our apartment's lighting is subpar for great picture quality, I decided to look into buying some Soft Boxes.

Here is an example of a soft box (from google pictures)....

I know you can buy some online for pretty cheap (but I'm sure they're just that…cheap). I did some research online and decided to try to build one myself. Mostly for the fun of it.

So the journey begins….

I started by making the lighting component first. There are endless ways to do this, however I just used what I had on hand….

The box is 5" x 5" and will have 4 lights coming out at 10 degree angles from each other (towards the corners of the box)

I used a small drill bit to help set up my guides, so my Forstner Bit would be lined up accurately….

I then installed the sockets, finished the box, and wired the sockets to the extension cord…..

This is all pretty rough so far. I still have to sand it all down, and paint it black. I really just threw it together pretty quickly. I don't want to waste the time making the wooden box really nice just in case I can't get the rest of it to work for me. If the rest of it turns out nice, I'll probably remake the box a little nicer. The steps will be pretty similar.

The next step will be making the actual soft box skin (the hard part). Stay tuned!!...

MT. lots of these cheap soft boxes you can buy only have 300-350watts. Mine has 400w. Each bulb has 1600 lumens. It should be plenty. Maybe not for a professional studio, but for our purposes it'll be enough. If not, I'll get brighter ones.

I'm not too worried about the safety of the CFL lights. The risk is small in my situation.

 

[dakremer]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

 

[Jim Jakosh]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

The wiring looks right. Now just add s switch and you're ready to go, Doug.

Happy new year!!...........Jim

 

[DIYaholic]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

Looking good.
Anxiously awaiting the softbox skin "fabrication".

I want to see how the lighting box attaches to the softbox!
Then how it all mounts to a tripod.
Will you be building a tripod, or repurposing an existing one?

Carry on….

 

[dakremer]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

hopefully I won't disappoint you, DIY I don't really have a solid plan - kind of just winging it!

I think for this experiment I'm just going to build a makeshift light stand out of PVC. Again, trying to not spend a lot of money until I know it'll all work.

 

[MT_Stringer]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

If you haven't visited flashzebra.com, you are missing out on some things that could help your project like an umbrella adapter so you can attach your soft box to a light stand.
http://flashzebra.com/brackets/index.shtml

Lon Coleman is the owner and a nice guy to deal with.

 

[dakremer]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

I just checked it out, MT. Thanks for the link. He's got some good stuff. I already have a cheaper way of attaching it to the light stand, that I think will work really well. You'll see in one of my next blogs!

 

[Lance09]

Soft Box 2

I forgot to post a diagram of my wiring….(Thanks to Lumberjocks for helping me with this!)

Today I'm going to work on the actual Softbox skin. I think this will be the most challenging part. I have a pretty good start already….

For the skeleton, I found some carbon fiber poles at a Big Box Store. It was an 8' section of it with a flag on one end (I think used for putting on the back of a Snow Mobile). I cut the poles into 2 4' pieces. I then mocked up what my "tent" will look like….

With 4' poles, I created an arc with roughly a 15.5" radius. I then spread these to be 2' feet apart at the ends. This will give me roughly a 24"x30" SoftBox.

I then created the same thing in Google Sketchup so I could create some sewing patterns….

...After that, I used my Flattening Extension, to create patterns…

...Then I added my 1/2" seem allowance for sewing it up…

For the skin I'm using black fabric that graduation gowns are made out of. I will sew reflective fabric on the inside of it - for that I will be dismantling a Car Windshield Reflector….

Thats all for now…..more to come soon! Any questions, let me know!

This is a neat project. I just bought my wife a Nikon D5300 for Christmas, I think I found a new hobby myself. I was looking into these for my videos, I might to make one now since we have a DSLR. Already need to convert my camera slider for the DSLR too. Looks good, can't wait to see it finished.