# My homemade beauty dish -- PICS!!



## shortpballer (Sep 14, 2009)

I made a beauty dish. Let me know what you guys think.

Here are two pics taken with the beauty dish:










And here is one without the beauty dish and the strobe aimed at him...






Here are pics of the beauty dish:


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## Village Idiot (Sep 14, 2009)

Try this, it may get you a little extra light. 

Devise a way to cut the white top part of the CD case cover from the clear plastic part and attach it to the dish. You could use several long thin bolts. Even though it's clear, it's something else the light has to travel through.

Just a thought.


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## MikeBookPro (Sep 14, 2009)

Village Idiot said:


> Try this, it may get you a little extra light.
> 
> Devise a way to cut the white top part of the CD case cover from the clear plastic part and attach it to the dish. You could use several long thin bolts. Even though it's clear, it's something else the light has to travel through.
> 
> Just a thought.



It looks like this part is already on there.  Or, am I thinking of a different piece?


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## Goontz (Sep 14, 2009)

MikeBookPro said:


> It looks like this part is already on there.  Or, am I thinking of a different piece?


I believe he's saying instead of using the intact CD case (sides), using only the painted white top part of it and attaching it another way (so the painted white top is there, but the clear sides are not).


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## Village Idiot (Sep 14, 2009)

Goontz said:


> MikeBookPro said:
> 
> 
> > It looks like this part is already on there. Or, am I thinking of a different piece?
> ...


 
^^

Every little bit of light helps when shooting with speed lights.


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## inTempus (Sep 14, 2009)

Great job, it looks really cool.


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## Derrel (Sep 14, 2009)

You did a nice job with the construction, and the velcro strobe attaching aspect of it was done really nicely. I kind of like the look a beauty dish gives when it is fitted with the white nylon diffuser cap.

Did you put foil underneath the CD case lid? Some people are using aluminum foil there.

Like the V.I. was saying, most commercial beauty dishes position the diffusing baffle on three, or four metal rods,and the diffusing baffle is screwed onto those rods which are about 3.5 inches to 4 inches long.


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## shortpballer (Sep 14, 2009)

There is convex mirror on the inside of the cd case. just so you guys know.  And I was thinking of doing what you were saying... However Putting bolts, etc. would make it too heavy.  The hotshoe on the vivitar can't take much more weight then is already on there.


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## Big Mike (Sep 14, 2009)

> Did you put foil underneath the CD case lid? Some people are using aluminum foil there.


The DIY ones that I like best, use a convex mirror there.  Should be easy to find at an auto supply store.


*edit*
Well, there you go


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## Village Idiot (Sep 14, 2009)

shortpballer said:


> There is convex mirror on the inside of the cd case. just so you guys know. And I was thinking of doing what you were saying... However Putting bolts, etc. would make it too heavy. The hotshoe on the vivitar can't take much more weight then is already on there.


 
Then attach a circular metal peice on the back that you can attach a bracket to. Make the bracket "L" shaped so that it can attach to the light stand and have the hot shoe adapter screw into it. I didn't realize how it was currently sitting. I wouldn't want to do that to something like a vivtar with a plastic hot shoe.


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## Big Mike (Sep 14, 2009)

They could also cut away parts of the plastic CD case, leaving just a few thin legs.  This would reduce the weight from what it is now, without adding any metal parts.


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## thenikonguy (Sep 14, 2009)

i made one a while back, looks like using the same method you used.. heres a shot from mine..


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## Derrel (Sep 14, 2009)

Annual Report Photographer David Tejada "The f-Stops Here": Beauty Dish for SB-800

Building a DIY beauty dish | LightandPixels.com

There are of course many,many other DIY beauty dish plans. For those who want a factory-made one that will accept barn doors and honeycomb grids, there are some e-Bay vendors selling 20 inch beauty dishes that accept Speedotron's 2-way barn doors, Speedotron's honeycomb grids, and also Speedotron's snap-on diffusers and gel holders.

I payed about $45 for a 20 inch e-Bay beauty dish in the JTL/Bowens 3-lug mount.


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