Not everything great has to be expensive

Greetings, photo-junkies :P

Can you guess what this item is?

Perhaps the blurred flash at the left-hand side gives a hint :)

This is a light modifier I made myself some time ago.

While I was enjoying a beer and a box of Pringles, I noticed that the tube diameter matched almost exactly the width of my camera flash.

So, after I finished with the snacks, I washed manually the tube with a dish washing detergent.

Once it dried up, I covered it fully with black tape, from the one they use to isolate cables, to make it look more beautiful and be a bit sturdier ;)

Then I cut the bottom and bent the two part in a way the hole matches the size of the head of my camera flash.

I used black plastic cocktail straws to make that filling that I could optionally use, it creates an internal honeycomb, similar to the one used with professional studio strobes.

This "honeycomb" makes the light "harder", meaning it is much more directional and could be concentrated on a small area.

This is how it all looks when all the pieces are put together :)

I can slide that long honeycomb in and out to change the "focal length", in a way. Or said simpler, to control that illuminated surface.

When I am done shooting, I use the original plastic cap to close the cylinder thus limiting the entering dust inside the tube and protect the straws ;)


This light modifier could be used in many creative projects.

Just imagine what could be done with concentrated, quality hard light.

Even more creative are the results when the flash is triggered remotely so the light comes from aside, or upwards. Of course, it could be combined with other light sources.

Here is one example with a few thumbnails from a project I did, only with this light source and a remote trigger:


Here is a breakdown of my approximate expenses at the time:

  • EUR 2 for a box of Paprika Pringles
  • EUR 1 for a package of black plastic straws
  • EUR 2 for a roll of black insulating tape
  • Priceless - that half of an hour I spent making this thingy (beer & snack time not included, LMAO)

Recently I notices that @stresskiller is using a similar light modifier for macro purposes, I guess there are plenty other possible use cases.

Does that look challenging?

I guess, not so much ;) So why don't you try making one yourself? It's good to have another tool in your shed and as I stated in the title, not everything great has to be expensive, right?


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Have a great day, stay safe, stay strong and let your muse be always on your shoulder!

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