Grids are light modifiers used to control the spread of light. Grids give a very tight spot of light depending on the thickness and the internal spaces of the corrugation material used. Let us try making a diy grid for speed lights.
PVC ceiling material is available in a variety of colours. We have chosen white plastic to minimize lose of light.
Steel Scale, Paper Cutter / Knife, Permanent Marker
The material we choose had a corrugation size of 8mm square. we cut the material to match the face of our flash unit. the one we made had a depth of 4 cm.
Here a piece of PVC ceiling material left over from some interior modifications done at our place some time back.
The material had a corrugation size of 8mm.
For our vivitar flash unit we only needed to cut out 4 pieces. We chose to start with 4 cm deep grids and experiment with other sizes once we saw the results.
The pieces are all cut and we are now ready to assemble our grid.
We used tape to join all the pieces to one single grid unit.
Next we needed some mechanism to fix the grid spot to our flash unit. Using a piece of recksin and some Velcro we could easily fix the grid spot to our flash. The recksin was cut to size matching our flash head and Velcro was glued to the opposite ends. Now we could easily affix and remove the grid. The advantage of such an attachment is that if we make grids in other sizes (varying depth) we could attach them all using this.
This is how it looks once it is finished.
A test shot using our diy grid spot. The 4 cm depth of the grid seemed perfect to shoot relatively small objects like the flower shown; but if you need a bit more spread it will be better to make a 2 cm grid spot.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
Note that we are using PVC ceiling material used for interior designing.
The advantages of using PVC Ceiling material for making grids are:
The advantages of using PVC Ceiling material for making grids are:
- They are easy to obtain
- They are weather resistant
- The commonly available sizes are just perfect for a grid.
- Easy to work on
PVC ceiling material is available in a variety of colours. We have chosen white plastic to minimize lose of light.
Supplies for Grid Spot Project
- PVC Ceiling Material
- Black Recksin
- Velcro
- Adhesive
Tools Required for the Grid Spot Project
Steel Scale, Paper Cutter / Knife, Permanent Marker
The material we choose had a corrugation size of 8mm square. we cut the material to match the face of our flash unit. the one we made had a depth of 4 cm.
Here a piece of PVC ceiling material left over from some interior modifications done at our place some time back.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
The material had a corrugation size of 8mm.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
For our vivitar flash unit we only needed to cut out 4 pieces. We chose to start with 4 cm deep grids and experiment with other sizes once we saw the results.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
The pieces are all cut and we are now ready to assemble our grid.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
We used tape to join all the pieces to one single grid unit.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
Next we needed some mechanism to fix the grid spot to our flash unit. Using a piece of recksin and some Velcro we could easily fix the grid spot to our flash. The recksin was cut to size matching our flash head and Velcro was glued to the opposite ends. Now we could easily affix and remove the grid. The advantage of such an attachment is that if we make grids in other sizes (varying depth) we could attach them all using this.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
This is how it looks once it is finished.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
A test shot using our diy grid spot. The 4 cm depth of the grid seemed perfect to shoot relatively small objects like the flower shown; but if you need a bit more spread it will be better to make a 2 cm grid spot.
 |
| DIY Grid Spot for Flash |
In the next article we will discuss about Photography - DIY - DIY Home made Fold-able Soft box
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