The Photog Formula

Well I finally got around to editing my video on how to make a PVC Lightbox!

I’m teaching myself how to use Final Cut Pro because I’m tired of the limitations of iMovie.  (I’m also doing a promo video for the high school and need to do a better job than iMovie!)

So after a little messing around, I got the video done last night.

Please note also that I shake, a lot!  That’s normal and not because I’m nervous or on drugs.  It’s called Essential Tremors and I don’t really notice most of the time, until I watch myself on video!

So without wasting anymore time, here it is.  Enjoy!

Comments are always welcome!

DIY Lightbox

(I’m sorry, the video is too big to upload directly to my blog!  It runs about 12 minutes.  Next time I’ll have to limit myself!!)

Here is an image of the completed project:

I’ve been doing a lot of little DIY projects lately, mostly out of PVC pipe.  I like how light it is and how easy it is to transport around.

One of my latest projects is this backlight stand for a flash.

You can find them online for around $20 and up.  But I happen to have some extra PVC lying around from another project and decided to put it to good use!

Let’s get started shall we?!

Parts and supplies:

A.  Cross Connector (1)
B.  5 inch Pieces (4)
C.  90° Elbows (4)
D.  3/8 inch-16 Nut (1)
E.  Gorilla Glue
F.  PVC Shears

All PVC are 1/2 inch diameter Schedule 40.  You’ll also need a drill to drill the hole for the nut and flat black paint, if you want to paint it.

The first thing I did was drill a hole in the center of the cross fitting to fit the nut, and then glued it in using the Gorilla Glue.  You can also use epoxy for this, which might work better than the super glue.

I then inserted the 4 legs.

Next came the 4 90° elbows.  I decided to do this to make the stand steadier.

Once everything was put together and straight, I decided to paint it a flat black.  This makes it look a little more finished.

I didn’t glue any of the pieces together in case I need to take it apart.  And, actually, the paint acts like glue holding the pieces together.  I also sprayed a couple coats of matte Clear Cote on it as well to help protect it from scratches.  (I’m sure I’ll get some with use anyway!)

Here it is fitted with an umbrella adapter and one of my Quantaray PZ-1 DSZ flashes.

Now granted this doesn’t offer the flexibility of adjusting the height, but it works great for what I need.  And it’s a fraction of the cost!!

I hope you find this little DIY project helpful or useful!  In the near future I’ll show you how I made a DIY lightbox out of PVC.