DIY Beauty dish - pic heavy

[edG]

Had a request from Richard to provide more info on my DIY beauty dish - so without further delay:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6796317434_a9cd94d004_z.jpg

assembled and ready to go - dish is made out of 12.5" diameter plastic bowl that is 5" deep (purchased from a dollar store for $1), deflector is light fixture cover (back is covered with silver reflective tape) purchased for less than $3 from a hardware store, back of the bowl was sprayed with black flat paint $4 and the tape I had lying around (from a clothes dryer vent repair). Total cost for the dish would be under $12 had I elected to buy a shiny silver or white paint for the interior.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6942419085_30b09723ea_z.jpg

the ac strobe that powers it - has a published GN of 85 (costs about $75 with powered umbrella stand)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6942419111_257645f169_z.jpg

back of the dish where the strobe (with out the threaded diffusor dome) is threaded in

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6942419115_928412d2fb_z.jpg

dish threaded onto the strobe

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6942419101_2d1c1a343f_z.jpg

deflector and adjustment nut - by loosening the nuts inside the bowl and then tightening the ones on the back the depth of the deflector can be varied from very shallow to about the 3" you see in the pictures here.

[Richard]

Thanks Ed, you've done an excellent job with this it looks very tidy. With your AC strobes do you have to rely on aperture and distance from subject or ND filters and gels to adjust the strobes power?

[edG]

aperture and distance, set with a light meter and if I want to soften it I will place a shear material in front to reduce/remove the specularity

[Richard]

Thanks for sharing Ed. :D