I made some DIY soft boxes

[AndyNJ]

They're ugly as hell, but I needed something quick and dirty for this weekend and was working with no budget. Most of the idea came together from other DIY solutions I found online. I don't think they're going to be very safe for long shoots, but I just need them for a few shoots of friends and such while I'm getting my feet wet with nudes and portraits. Need to see if the passion is really there before investing the money.

Sometimes ya gotta improvise! It was either this or nothing! I already have some ideas on how to make them safer and brighter though.

DIY photography soft boxes | Andy Gapin

Figured I'd share.

[chaminda.madawala]

Hey, not bad

[bbtom10]

Looks pretty good to me - I'd be interested to know your safety tips though - and is it a 100% cotton t-shirt or a poly blend - I think that will affect the distribution of the light?

Tom

[AndyNJ]

It's 100% cotton. Just one of those cheap Hanes undershirts that you get in packs of 3. It's what I had laying around and was okay with cutting up. I think some kind of blend might distribute more evenly though.

As far as safety goes, I'm just going to keep an eye on them and give them a feel every few minutes. It's a very informal shoot with my friend this weekend so I don't need to worry about looking like an unprofessional weirdo constantly checking the boxes.

I think bigger and deeper boxes would make for more safety since that would put more space around the bulbs.

[Eastree]

Originally Posted by AndyNJ

As far as safety goes, I'm just going to keep an eye on them and give them a feel every few minutes. It's a very informal shoot with my friend this weekend so I don't need to worry about looking like an unprofessional weirdo constantly checking the boxes.

Fortunately CFLs are much cooler than incandescent lights. It's good to occasionally check, but I don't think I'd recommended really extended use for the boxes.

[AndyNJ]

I used them for about two hours straight on Friday and they never seemed to get too hot.

The light itself was enough to shoot at about 200 ISO f/1.8 at 1/100.

I'll post some photos when I'm done editing.