Diy led lighting for photography

Build A Pro Quality Light Source With This Awesome DIY LED Light Panel Tutorial

LED light panels are great tools to have in your studio regardless of whether your a working with video or still photography. The continuous light sources come in a variety of sizes, but the nice ones also come at a price that may not agree with everyone’s budget. In this exceptionally well made video tutorial from the nice folks over at DIY Perks, you can learn how to make your own $500 dollar panel for under $70.

Before we get started, we should probably let you know this isn’t exactly the easiest or fastest project we’ve featured. It’s also not the most difficult, but you’ll need to be comfortable with power tools and know how to (or learn how to) work a soldering iron. If you’re willing to put in the time, the end product could save you some serious dough and also boost your DIY cred to all new heights.
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Why This Panel Rocks

As far as LED light panels are concerned, this one is a pretty legit DIY project. It has a lot of features to it that make it a highly usable and reliable light source that will help you create some great images. Let’s take a closer look at a few key points:

It’s bright. Combined, the 900 individual LED lights put off an amount of light that is equivalent to that of a 1000w incandescent light bulb or 22 45-watt CFLs. In most cases, that’s brighter than you will need from a single continuous light source. That’s not to say you should worry about it being too bright…
This light panel is dimmable, too, so you can adjust it up or down to dial in on how much light it emits. The schematics used in the video tutorial also plan out an access slot so you can easily add gel filters to help stop down the light or alter the color balance.
The voltage based dimming system (as opposed to a PWM dimming system that is sometimes used on LED lights) is especially beneficial when you realize that it virtually eliminates flickering in the lights, which create unsightly strobing lines in video footage. Voltage based dimming also opens up the door as to what kind of power sources you can use to run the light panel. Have an old computer laying around? You could harvest its power supply and use it.
And, there’s also this:

What You’ll Need

(1) Sheet of 6mm Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
(1) Sheet of 18mm MDF
(1) Camera shoe adapter
(1) 47cm long aluminium tube or wooden dowel
(2) 27cm long aluminum tubes or wooden dowels
(1) 22k potentiometer and knob
(1) Power switch
Spool of magnet wire
(1) 6.8k resistor
Set of XT60 connectors
Small & medium wood screws
Plexiglass
100W Step-down voltage regulator (available on eBay)
12 awg wire
Small fan
15-meters neutral white LED strips

So, without further ado…

Here’s how it’s done:

[ via FilmmakerIQ ]

13 Easy (But Impressive) DIY Photography Lighting Ideas

The best way to start with DIY photography lighting is to get down to the basics. This means using a simple flashlight as your primary light source.

Trying to control its output with modifiers is a great learning process. This article will take you through some easy and inexpensive DIY photography lighting projects. Some of them are helpful for off-camera flashes, and some improve the light of your camera flash.

You can try these DIY photography lighting projects at home, with a flashlight and a light modifier made out of repurposed items. You’ll have most of these at home, but some will require a trip to the hardware store.

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13. DIY Diffuser

If you are using a big light source and want softer light, you can create your own diffuser. It really isn’t complicated or difficult.

Take a large picture frame and remove the canvas or the cardboard from the back so that only the frame remains. You can also create a rectangular frame using plastic pipes. Then stretch a white curtain/fabric across the frame, and nail or staple it.

This creates a sort of softbox, but one where you can control the light. If you take the flash or lamp closer to the diffuser, the light will be harsher. If you go further, then it will be smoother.

12. Use Poster Boards as Reflectors and Flags

One of the most basic pieces of lighting equipment are reflectors and flags. Reflectors bounce off light from the light source back onto the subject. This helps smoothen out harsh shadows.

Flags, on the other hand, do the exact opposite. They block out light to darken specific areas of your subject. This helps give moody shadows to your photos.

The simplest and cheapest reflectors and flags are white and black poster boards, respectively.

Since a black poster board is non-reflective, it won’t bounce back any light, making it a perfect flag.

Fairy lights make a great DIY photography lighting source that is really easy and versatile. Incorporating fairy lights into your photographs lets you light up your subject in a very creative way. Because fairy lights come in different colors and temperatures, you can choose what effect you want.

The model can hold the fairy lights, or you can string them behind her. Placing fairy lights in front of the lens can create a dreamy foreground.

By blurring the image, you can create a beautiful bokeh effect.

Fairy lights are great for photography because unlike other light sources, they can be visible in the image without looking odd.

Wondering how to get soft light with the flash on your camera? The answer is a flash diffuser. This makes the light from your flash much smoother and balanced. The best part is, you can make one on your own for very easily and for almost no cost! All you need is some white paper, white adhesive tape, a hollow tube (like an empty chips can), and scissors.

Just follow this super quick and easy DIY flash diffuser tutorial to create this amazing piece of equipment which will help you take beautiful photographs.

Right flashes produce some really good lighting, but boy can they be expensive. Not if you do it the DIY way though. You just need some materials from your home and a little bit of time.

This is a really detailed tutorial, although it does require you to use your flash off camera. That’s not hard, though.

Find it here the tutorial here – DIY Ring Flash

I’ve seen a number of DIY softboxes. Most are made from cardboard, wire, and fabric or other random items. None of these look very good or are very strong.

Andrew (the writer of this guide) wanted something that would hold up to some abuse, and that didn’t look like it was assembled from old boxes.

If you want to create one of these, you should check out our DIY Softbox guide.

The beauty dish is probably my favorite lighting modifier because I love how the light falls off the subject, in a really soft way.

I recommend them to everyone, but they’re not always the cheapest thing to buy. That’s where Todd Owyoung comes in from IShootShows. He’s written a hugely detailed guide to building your own.

Check it out here – DIY Beauty Dish

6. Piping Bag Tips for DIY Photography Lighting

Piping bags are great tiny light sources. When placed in front of a flashlight, they give you greater control of light direction.

Their tips have different shapes, which will offer you different lighting effects.

You’ll be able to point your light with great accuracy, as you can see in the following product photography lighting shots.

I used a flashlight with a narrow oval piping bag tip for the light ray. This photo was taken in a simple studio setup. I didn’t use the typical white background of product photography. The textured background adds interest to the image.

I used a white fill card with a hole for the lens to cast the light on the ring.

It makes for a fantastic DIY flash diffuser. And it’s great for close-ups.

5. Table Tennis Balls

Table tennis balls are one of the cheapest DIY photography lighting solutions for better shots.

They’ll soften the harsh light that comes out of your flash and help you avoid harsh shadows.

Cut an X shape with a knife on the ball and slide the flash through the opening.

The white plastic is semi-translucent. This allows light to pass through but scatters it in the process.

It creates uniform DIY photography lighting with soft shadows, like in this image below.

I created the overall light with a flashlight and a table tennis ball diffuser in my photo studio.

Moving the DIY diffuser from the back to the front of the image created a backlight effect. And it cast soft shadows on the front of the picture.

4. Balloons

Balloons are an excellent option for creating a DIY lightbox effect.

You can control the size of the light effect by controlling the size of your balloon.

This transforms the small light beam produced by your DIY photo lighting. It becomes a big and soft lighting source.

You’ll need a long exposure due to the low light output of a flashlight.

It can cover a bigger area and even a portrait image. If the model is able to stand still like in this following image.

I created the lighting effect using a flash and a big inflated white balloon during this photo shoot.

Placing the balloon on the top left side of the model created soft shadows on the side of the nose and under the chin. This was a simple and easy lighting setup.

It’s great for portrait photography, and upon closer look you can see the catchlights in the model’s eyes.

3. Fiber Optics

In DIY photo lighting, you can use this type of materials to create a “light brush”. You can use this as a light painting tool.

To create a simple light brush, take the top part of a cheap fiber optic table lamp. Attach it to a flashlight with some black tape.

You now have a light brush, and you can achieve many different light effects with it. My personal favourite effects are the ones done with long exposures in a dark room.

This creates light paintings like the ones Man Ray did in the 1930s. I tried to recreate this style in the following image.

I created the DIY photo lighting effect by slowly moving the flash with the fiber optics. This was a 10-second exposure. The white balance on the camera was set to tungsten, hence the blue light effect.

2. Star Wars Toy Lightsaber

This kids’ toy is actually the base for a great DIY photography lighting tool.

It only had a small red light, and some bad Darth Vader sounds. After dismantling it, I glued the plastic rod to a flashlight. This created a lightsaber worthy of a true Jedi.

And a fantastic DIY studio light.

The plastic rod contains the DIY photography lighting. This allows it to sweep through a wide area during long exposures.

It works great on reflective subjects like the metal chain in this next image.

To create the light effect, I swept the DIY lightsaber from the front to the back of the image. This created soft reflections on the metal without shiny hot spots.

I also placed a vertical white card on the left side of the image.

This helped create a uniform reflection on the image. It also emphasized the background stone and water droplets‘ texture.

1. Colored Cellophane and Plastic Bottles

For DIY photography lighting, you can use color gels. Place them in front of the light source to get colored effects.

You can’t compare cellophane to genuine color gels when it comes to color rendition. But it is a great cheap option to use with flashlights.

Place these colorful pieces of cellophane inside a plastic bottle. This creates a color mix lighting source. It will create ambience and depth, as you can see in this next image.

To create the colored light effect, I placed a plastic bottle with two cellophane sheets inside over the scene.

Then I moved it slightly to the back to create a shadow effect.

It is fun to experiment with lighting while shooting, but you aren’t limited to just that. If you want some really cool lighting effects, like sun rays, light trails, lightpaths, and more, you can always explore in Photoshop.

There are some things you can do on Photoshop that you might not be able to do in real life.

For example, if you don’t have a tripod to take a very long exposure but want bold light trails, you can stack various images together and merge them into one image.

Or, you can add in light paths as if you were light painting.

If the lighting in your photos wasn’t good enough, you can always add a luminosity mask or a gradient tool to even out the lighting or brighten the image.

Conclusion

That’s it! Good photos need good lighting. If you want to experiment with lighting in your photos but don’t want to splurge, this is your opportunity. There are plenty of DIY photography lighting accessories that you can create in a low budget. Try them out, and you can drastically improve your images.

I’m sure you will get great results and learn a lot along the way.

To get the most out of your photos, take a look at our Wow Factor Photography course!

If you want even more DIY photography ideas, check out our Fun With Photoelasticity post or our DIY Cake Smash Photography article.

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10 Budget Photographic Lighting Ideas

As a photographer, it's useful to have a variety of tools in your arsenal to organize the right lighting. You can buy them in the store, but sometimes you can make your own.

In this article, you'll learn some simple and inexpensive tricks for making homemade light modifiers. To do this, you will need items that you most likely already have at home or can be found in the nearest hardware store. nine0003

Bounce-Wall

A photographic bounce-wall is used to hold it above the camera and bounce light from the flash with it, resulting in softer lighting when shooting.

You can make your own photo screen. To do this, you will need a piece of cardboard, aluminum cooking foil, stationery glue, a couple of clothespins, a piece of thick wire (for example, a dry-cleaner's hanger), duct tape, a screw from a tripod or adapter to screw this whole structure to the camera. nine0015

Ring Flash

Ring flashes provide good light with fewer shadows because the light source is closest to the optical axis of the lens, but they can be expensive. How to turn your regular flash into a ring flash?

Try making this fixture yourself. You will need 2 plastic bowls of suitable diameters, a piece of plumbing pipe about 5 cm long and 8 cm in diameter, aluminum foil, a pen, duct tape, a clerical knife, glue. nine0015

Softbox

You can find various homemade softboxes on the Internet. Most of them are made from cardboard, wire, fabric, or other random items. Many of them do not look strong and reliable enough for repeated use. However, in case of emergency, a softbox can be made from white cardboard, wire and tape for fastening.

Soft reflector

The soft reflector (or beauty dish) is a very popular light modifier. It gives a very soft light, which is especially good for portraits. You can save on buying this device and make a reflector out of a large metal bowl from the hardware store and some fasteners.

Pastry Nozzles

Who would have thought that conical pastry cream nozzles could be great for modifying the light beam when lighting small objects! Such nozzles have various shapes - flat, rounded, with different diameters and different cloves. When using these culinary tools, attached to a flashlight, interesting light beam transformation effects are obtained. nine0003

In the photo below you can see the result of using a flashlight and a narrow oval pastry nozzle to create a spot of light in the background. This photo of an antique ring was taken in a simple studio, without the typical white background. The textured black background here adds a special vibe.

In addition, a white card-screen with a hole for the lens was used to direct the light onto the subject. It turned out to be a wonderful diffuser, which is great for close-ups. nine0003

Table Tennis Balls

These plastic balls are one of the cheapest solutions for light modification when shooting. The material they are made of is translucent, allowing light to pass through and diffuse. The beads will soften harsh flash light and help you avoid harsh shadows.

How to use them: make a cross cut on the side of the balloon with a utility knife, peel back the petals and put the balloon on the flashlight. Here is the finished little diffuser. With this DIY diffuser, you can create a backlit effect with soft shadows on the front of the object. nine0003

Balloons

Party balloons are a great option for creating a light box effect. By changing the size of the inflated balloon, you can control the light effect it creates.

Balloon converts the small beam of light from your flashlight into a large soft light source. Such light can cover quite a decent area and even be used for a portrait image, provided that the model remains in place, as in the next photo. But keep in mind that you will need a long exposure due to the weak light output of the flashlight. nine0003

This shoot used a flashlight with a large inflated white balloon attached to it.

Placing the balloon on top left of the model created soft shadows on the nose and under the chin. The result is a great photo portrait, and on closer inspection you can see the highlights in the model's eyes

Optical fiber

In studio lighting, you can use fiber optics to create a "light brush" effect, as a light graphic tool. nine0003

To create a simple light brush, cut a fiber optic from the top of a cheap, heart-shaped table lamp, attach the bundle to the flashlight with black tape.

Now you have a light brush and you can use it to create many different lighting effects. Very interesting light abstractions can be obtained when shooting at slow shutter speeds in a dark room.

You may have photographs similar to those taken by Man Ray at 1930s.

In the top photo, such an interesting effect was obtained by slowly moving a flashlight with an optical fiber bundle, here a 10-second exposure was set. The white balance on the camera was set to "tungsten", hence the blue light effect.

Toy Store Lightsaber

This kids toy Star Wars lightsaber is actually a great photography tool.

Take it apart, glue the plastic rod to the flashlight. Get a lightsaber worthy of a real Jedi! The plastic rod allows light to pass over a wider area, which is good when using long exposures. "Jedi Sword" works great when shooting reflective objects, such as a shiny metal chain. It creates soft highlights on metal without shiny bright dots. nine0003

This photo was also taken with a white map screen on the left side of the subject, which helped create a more even reflection. As you can see, the texture of the stone and water drops are accentuated here.

Colored cellophane and plastic bottles

In order to get color effects, photographers can use colored gels by placing them in front of a light source.

Colored clear cellophane is certainly no match for real color gels when it comes to color reproduction. However, it is a great low cost option to use with flashlights as a light source. The device is simple to make - place a couple of sheets of cellophane in a plastic bottle and insert a flashlight into the neck. nine0003

To create a colored light effect, place this flashlight bottle over your subject and move it slightly back to create a shadow effect.

Conclusion

Get to work! See what you have in your pantry and try to make some of the devices described. You will succeed! You will gain interesting experience, food for ideas and, perhaps, you will want to go to our store and pick up excellent professional equipment for yourself. nine0003

3 video lighting options

It has long been known that well-chosen, good video lighting can make even a budget camcorder or smartphone shoot much better.

And this does not always require the purchase of expensive equipment.

Let's look at the basic rules and methods of filming video at home, which will allow you to get a completely high-quality picture.

Method #1 - natural light

First the most famous and free option is the light from the window. It's best that he fell on the subject at an angle of 45 degrees.

In this case, a certain volume appears on your face. If you sit right next to window, the face will look flat.

However, on the other hand, wrinkles can be removed in this way.

For female vloggers, this can be a significant moment.

Also never sit at a 90 degree angle to a window. Otherwise, get deep and an ugly shadow on the second half of the face. nine0003

If move closer to the window, then you will also create a color contrast. That is, the background will be a little darker than you. It draws the viewer's attention to face.

And in general every time you shoot, try to position yourself as far away from the rear background (wall, closet, etc.). Otherwise it turns out flat and boring frame.

In addition, your shadow will fall on this surface and distract the viewer.

This shows up not only in sunlight, but also in artificial lighting. nine0003

However, despite the simplicity of such lighting, there are problems and difficulties here. The light outside the window often changes and you are not able to control these changes.

Sunshine can at any moment hide behind a cloud, and then look out again. It is impossible to instantly rebuild the frame for these changes.

Method #2 - natural light + lamp

To make the picture a little more interesting and professional, play with your own light sources that are present in the apartment (floor lamp or table lamp). nine0003

Add them in combination with sunlight.

In this In this case, on one side you will have a glare, and on the other there will be light from the window. This gives a completely different picture.

Also available collect all the portable lighting fixtures that are in the house and highlight themselves only by them. But this is the worst option, and it rarely ends in success.

Firstly, such light is hard and not scattered.

If anyone doesn't know, shooting light can be soft or hard. For girls, the soft version is more suitable. nine0003

Both can be used for guys. Hard light brings out the texture of the skin more and creates sharp, deep shadows.

At necessary, this creates an excellent artistic effect. The soft light fills all the pits on the skin and it looks more beautiful and smoother.

Not remember that softness and hardness also depends on the size of the light source. The larger it is, the softer the light you will get.

But at the same time time, the farther you put it, the more rigid it will become. nine0003

The second negative moment of lighting from portable home lamps is the heterogeneity of the lamps.

If the bulbs in them are different (power, color temperature), then the whole picture will look very bad and amateurish.

Standard backlight scheme

Generally most beginner vloggers use a standard lighting scheme. It consists of 3 sources:

key light

filling

check

Drawing - this is the main source that illuminates the entire scene. In the very original Alternatively, it could be light from a window.

the window does not always have to be clear and sunny. Conversely, with relatively cloudy weather, very soft and cold light can be obtained.

In this case, the difference between light and shadow will be leveled. And the transition between the illuminated part of the face and the unlit part is not pronounced. nine0003

As for fill light, then with a budget option, again, you can use daylight. How to do it?

Very simply. Use a standard reflector or reflective surface.

They stand much cheaper than softboxes. By experimenting with distance and angle, you can easily illuminate the shadow side of the subject.

If you have there is no factory reflector, make it yourself using foam and foil.

Next to to separate the object from the background, go to the back light source. Here an ordinary portable standard lamp will do.

Better take clothespin model. It can be easily adapted to a variety of places.

Screw in into it an LED or energy-saving light bulb with a temperature of 5000-6500K, and cling behind the subject for any tall object (hanger, cabinet shelf). Just to keep her out of the picture.

This backlight should be located behind the "actor", approximately opposite key light from the window. It will help to separate it from the general background. nine0003

Visually, a three-point diagram with a combination of natural and artificial lighting will look like this.

Video light bulbs

Which light bulbs are best for photography and video shooting? The ideal option is energy-saving with a temperature of 5500 Kelvin.

But they are sold mainly in special stores with photographic equipment. Besides, they are large, expensive, not very comfortable and unsafe.

They are very easy to break. Keep in mind that these products contain mercury.

Therefore professionals advise choosing LED lamps from well-known Philips companies, Osram.

They have more stable quality in terms of color rendering and declared color temperature than many other firms. They are sold in regular supermarkets.

Pick up the most powerful 12-14W models with a CRI of 85% or more. How the more the better.

CRI difference greater than 90 and much smaller values, is very significant and visible even to the naked eye. Not to mention the camera.

Try never use cheap Chinese lighting products. Even to LED Led panels, which are littered with Ali Express be wary.

They often give a greenish tint. Therefore, it is better to take proven brands.

Color the temperature of home lamps for video filming should be at least 4100K. These same light bulbs can be used in softboxes. nine0003

For highlighting human skin, they are quite suitable. The 5500K is more expensive and harder to find.

Many experts also advise buying on-camera light. Are they rectangular or round ice panels for 160 or 216 LEDs.

However, this the light is more operational rather than stationary. Even with a diffuser gives a hard and not very good result. If you are an operator If you leave at one in the morning to shoot an accident, then this option is perfect for you.

He is mobile and bright. But this is not a light for a vlog, which should constantly illuminate the face. It can only be used to highlight the background. nine0003

When directed at a person, such an ice panel will also blind, forcing them to squint.

By the way, enlarged versions of such panels for 600 LEDs are also sold, with ability to adjust brightness.

It's already a more acceptable option, with the exception of one BUT. They are expensive. And this is by no means falls into the category of budget light.

Also be careful with dimming with dimmers.

Because of them even with good bulbs, a strobe effect can occur. nine0003

LED lamps flicker and pulsate when dimmed. And to the naked eye, it may not be noticeable.

Is there at all models of luminaires that can work for a long time on compact batteries.

With them you can't you will depend on the remoteness of the sockets and get confused in the wires of the carriers. But Here again the question of price arises.

Softbox lighting

And now Let's talk about the best option. These are, of course, softboxes. nine0003

They are usually purchased in sets of 2. The same Chinese can find really good and not quite expensive options.

If you don't have enough money yet, make it yourself from improvised materials. There is nothing complicated in their manufacture.

The only disadvantage of softboxes is that they take up a lot of space.

What is the best way to set up the light

And then the main question arises - how to set up such a light for video? What lighting arrangement will make the photo look best? nine0003

It all depends on your room and the task at hand. If you want to look younger and show everyone that you don't have wrinkles - put the main light just behind the camera, a little higher than it is.

If you you need to add drama to the picture or add age to yourself, then place the main light on the side.

Second the light source is positioned behind itself to create volume. Him point either at the background or in your direction. But so that it is not visible in frame. nine0003

When save some money for some softboxes and lights, you can try "Hollywood" lighting scheme, which shoots most foreign bloggers. There she is.

Center worth the camera. To the right and left of her are two softboxes located at an angle of 45 degrees.

A little behind and to the side, another softbox illuminates you. And 2 fluorescent lamps are used to illuminate the background.

This is the most The main feature of the scheme is that the background also needs to be highlighted. And lighting is not easy. conventional light bulbs, namely fluorescent. nine0003

What are they? These are quite healthy panels, giving a bright and powerful light.

The same scheme can be used for chromakey.

To avoid any spots on it, you just need to highlight the green background. As a result, after processing the video, nothing extra will remain in the picture.

If with lighting a person in the frame is less and less clear, but with the shooting of goods and objects on the table without a background, everything is much more complicated.