Rough and ready homemade Beauty Dish...

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jamesb84

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OK, so I picked up a couple of bowls from Asda, some white spray paint and tin foil!

Been hacking things to bits and may have spilled quite a lot of glue on my fingers...have a lack of fingerprint now.

End of the afternoon and I've put together a very rough and ready beauty dish.

It seems to work quite nicely too actually...

Shameless selfie below:

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx5/jrbenwell/selife.jpg
 
It appears to work! Lets see the dish then :)
 
I'm SO pleased to see this !

Long ago working as an assistant I learned that the very best lights are the ones you make on the day to give EXACTLY what you want as opposed to nearly what you want. I've made soft boxes with spirals of gold spray paint inside to "slightly" warm a beauty shot and honeycombs from old cardboard wine carriers that are more directional than anything that Elinchrom will ever market.

Top work mate - keep it up - go beyond the products you are offered.

Best wishes
Monty
 
I spotted some large dog food bowls in tesco for just over a £1 that would be ideal for this, slightly bigger than the mixing bowl from Asda that I have cut the bottom out of......
 
I actually thought of doing exactly this myself :lol:
 
Another easy tip is to pick up a couple of those transparent plastic umbrellas (Top Shop always have them) for a few quid and a can or two of spray paint (white / gold / pink - whatever) and make yourself a perfect clamshell beauty light. You can bend / break / stretch the brollies to any shape you need.

The paint wipes off with a bit of turps if you don't leave it on for days and you have a re-usable and infinitely adaptable pair of brollies / reflectors / calms / beauty lights. (I confess to having at least twenty broken see through half painted plastic brollies in the second bag).

I've got a million of these tips by the way from (too many) years experience in studios.
Should I write a book or something ?
"Everyone's guide to studio lighting for sixpence".
 
MiniMonty said:
I've got a million of these tips by the way from (too many) years experience in studios.
Should I write a book or something ?
"Everyone's guide to studio lighting for sixpence".
Click to expand...
hehe that'd be a great idea!

I made a flash diffuser, I wanted a larger one, sort of like a mini softbox. Didn't have funds but had some vellum and cardboard, made a box with a hole for the flash, lined it with foil then closed the box end with vellum (sorta like posh tracing paper). Used masking tape so that it was all white, works ok, better than a little plastic box diffuser from one of the shops would do for me....though I do admit it's never left my home lol
 
I would be interested to see some more shots personally, because I hate to be the one that says it... the effect does not look very 'beauty dish' like if that's what your going for, at least in that example posted...

Any chance of some more shots? and of the dish itself :)
 
Sorry guys, been a hectic week. I'll try and get some shots up later on...

Rob, do you have any example shots of beauty dish "effect"...I'm willing to take crit on this and try and improve with mk2! :D
 
ok this ones a bit extreme (and from long, long ago), but the only one I could find on-line of just a beauty dish by itself. Note the harsh shadows under the nose and jaw - also the cheekbones. That the kind of thing your going for?

4282735839_4e3a7c3922_o.jpg
 
Rob_Ashton said:
ok this ones a bit extreme (and from long, long ago), but the only one I could find on-line of just a beauty dish by itself. Note the harsh shadows under the nose and jaw - also the cheekbones. That the kind of thing your going for?
Click to expand...

Yeah, thats the sort of look I'm after...you're right. It doesn't look the same! Now, next question, how do I get that look with a couple of white tupperware bowls and some tin foil?!
 
MiniMonty said:
Another easy tip is to pick up a couple of those transparent plastic umbrellas (Top Shop always have them) for a few quid and a can or two of spray paint (white / gold / pink - whatever) and make yourself a perfect clamshell beauty light. You can bend / break / stretch the brollies to any shape you need.

The paint wipes off with a bit of turps if you don't leave it on for days and you have a re-usable and infinitely adaptable pair of brollies / reflectors / calms / beauty lights. (I confess to having at least twenty broken see through half painted plastic brollies in the second bag).

I've got a million of these tips by the way from (too many) years experience in studios.
Should I write a book or something ?
"Everyone's guide to studio lighting for sixpence".
Click to expand...

dealextreme do white brollies specifically aimed at photographers for $5 inc postage if anyone's stuck for cheap brollies.
 
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