D.I.Y. Grid-Spot from black plastic straws
A Grid-Spot is the exact opposite of a diffuser cap, it will concentrate the light bundle to quite a small round, depending on the length of straws you use, the longer the straws the more concentrated the spot.
I used 5 cm cuts for this job.
So, cut all the straws to the same length.
Mark out the long and short edges of your flash head so it fits snugly over the light, with a little overlap to close it off at the end.
Glue the straws to the cardboard, aligning the ends of the straws to the forward edge of the card. It doesn't matter if all the straws aren't exactly the same length, just let the difference be on the inside and have the visible edge all nicely lined up.
Build up layers of straws until the space is filled, then glue it all shut, held together with a lakky-band.
Then tidy things up a little with some duct-tape. I folded a little duct-tape over the edge that slides over the flash head to help with wear & tear.
And there you have it! Bob's yer auntie's brother, as it were.
About half an hour's work.
(Boet, I've loads of black straws left if you're interested)
,#black straws,#D.I.Y.,#diy,#flash,#strobe
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minushabens says:
I hate flash, but you make me love them and yor design as well!
nige says:
They also go under the nickname of a snoot. I use these occasionally too. Great fun.
JokerXL says:
I thought Snoots were more the adjustable roll of foam thing that wraps around the flash head Nige (my next project) guiding the flash beam to a tighter or looser bundle depending on how you shape the thing.
Here's one for thirty bucks.
Here's a better one for a couple of quid.
I never used to like flash photography MH, until I started following the "Strobist" community. You can do some amazing things with flash, doesn't have to be harsh, stark or unflattering.
JokerXL says:
I would, of course have made you one too Boet, er JokerLX, but your fancy super-dooper SB800 isn't the same size as my miserly SB600 So you'll have to make your own.
;-)
nige says:
I stand corrected sir! Awesome fun, whatever it's called anyway. Long live Strobist, you're onto a good thing there.
ps, i don't know how anyone could hate flash, it's a source of light, and photography is light. Bad flash though, i can understand that : )
