DIY Lightsphere - The Gary Fong Alternative

[allenmowery]

As featured on Gizmodo.

Get great results from your photography while saving a ton with this great little do-it-yourself alternative to the Gary Fong Lightsphere! While I would love to claim the originality for this little project, I first saw this concept illustrated by Artur Gajewski and his wonderful how-to over at Instructables.

I have used this little getup both personally and professionally with some really great results. Sure, it looks a little funny on top of the flash, but no more so than the original spaceship-shaped Fong.

MATERIALS
- Vinyl drawer liner
- Velcro
- (optional, if needed) Materials to ensure Velcro stays attached to the drawer liner

TOOLS
- Scissors, knife, Indian arrowhead, or some other sharp object to cut the vinyl and Velcro
- Average level of intelligence

1. Cut vinyl to fit your flash

I cut mine to approximately 12 inches long and 4.5 inches wide. Your width can vary depending on your tastes, and it can probably be tapered for a better on-camera appearance. (Look at my facial hair...I obviously don't care about appearance.) Your main object in measuring the width is to have enough extra to wrap around the flash head and secure the Velcro to itself.

2. Attach Velcro to Vinyl

You will want two pieces of Velcro (one piece "fuzzy," one piece "bristly"), each cut to fit your end width. Attach on strip to one end of your vinyl. Attach the other strip to the opposite end facing the opposite plane. Some of my Velcro started coming loose, so I used staples to hold it on there. I really need to create a more professional replacement...

3. Attach DIY Lightsphere to Flash

Attaching the contraption to your flash is so simple a cave painter could do it. Just bend the vinyl in half, bringing the ends with the opposing Velcro to meet and wrap around your flash head. Tighten as needed.

JUST A NOTE: You can do this with your flash head either in the "default" position or rotated to be perpendicular with the rest of the unit. Rotating the flash head before attaching allows you to quickly adjust the head, along with the DIY Lighstphere, for vertically-oriented shots.

4. Get great results!

You can see a marked improvement over the bare flash (definitely) and even over that which a bounce flash would traditionally provide.

To view the entire video, visit wp.me/pa2Ap-BU. I would love to hear your feedback and see your results, so feel free to post!

WEBSITE: allenmowery.com

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks very much for this post.

[Rigu]

Results speak for themselves, very nice.

[cyber3d]

Coolio! and sooooo compact!