Finally finished the DIY Ring-Flash project!!

Now I know what that stubborn last pile of crumbs at the bottom of a Pringle's tube must feel like...

So I had been surfing through some of the DIY posts on strobist.com and I came across a post on ring-flashes. That started a month-long process into determining the best way to build a ring-flash for my needs. I finally arrived at a couple of youtube videos (link) to base my design on. Then there was another month or so of collecting the odds and ends that would be necessary to build the thing.

So one of the reasons it took me so long to get moving this thing was that it was an issue of logistics--finding the parts, finding solutions to what I thought could be an improvement to the original design or perhaps I could not find a part called for and had to come up with or create something else.

Since I did not have a vise to help me bend the steel stock, I pulled a rock from the garden that served as an anvil. The rock worked awesome as it had different edges that would allow me to bend the steel at different angles by smashing it with a really big hammer!

So the few mods I made to the suggested process in the youtube vids was to use some tinfoil and spray adhesive to help diffuse the light, I wrapped the cold steel stock with black hockey tape to warm it up and make it look a little better, made the tripod mount and the flash mount with wing-nuts for ease and speed, used a radio trigger instead of a tether, and used a tinfoil-wrapped card directly at the bottom of the diffusion screen (dollar store cutting board) in front of the flash head to get rid of a hot spot (instead ended up with a dead spot! Oh Well!) and with my 580 ex, I would mount it so that it was actually crooked so I could have easy access to the flash controls. I also have left a couple of spots of velcro on the inside so I can gel the flash if I want to.

So although pleased with the final product, I am very much aware of the limitations that this thing has--the biggest one being holy crap this thing is heavy!! Heh! Heh! Actually it's more about the fact that is is awkwardly weighted, this makes finding a good place to hold the thing difficult--it's a two-hander!! With that said, I didn't really have a problem with it when shooting macro in the yard for a good two hours. Maybe I just need to toughen up...

So on to the results!! Man I love the soft light from this thing--at least for macro shots. Yeah, so I went through the yard with this around my canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and shot everything I thought may look interesting. This dandelion head is my favourite.


I find the soft light really fills in the textures and with the right aperture and exposure settings, the light falls off to give a great separation from the bg. On some of the subjects that were a little reflective, you could see the ring-flash in the reflection like in our cat's eyes or, if you look really close, in these water droplets--you may need to click on them to enlarge them enough to see what exactly it is that I am talking about.

The next step is to find a willing (or not) subject to do some portrait stuff with! Anyway, I've already started my next project which will be a DIY beauty dish. I have all the parts I think I may need, I just need the time!

For a look at my first round of shots with this flash, click here.