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Admin
Aug
15
Photography Solutions: Do-it-Yourself Tabletop Lighting System
August 15, 2008 |
Lowel Ego lighting system that goes for around 250$ with shipping on Amazon.
See demos of how it works HERE and HERE.
Ours cost less than $10 including the bulbs! We built it mainly from materials lying around in our garage. It’s kinda goofy looking but works great for food and for the price, UNBEATABLE.
The subject of lighting is often a sensitive topic between the Jugalbandits. We have been struggling to get a satisfactory solution for a while now, but my guess is that it may never get there.
Every now and then, B will say - “J, I have bookmarked 19.5 sites with gobs of information about this and that and the other…and we need to get these right now.” While she is extolling the virtues of heavenly light, my eyes are busy staring at the price - going - “That looks like a piece of cr.. plastic wound around a board” or “That’s just an umbrella without a handle mounted on a rod with tiny legs. I can make that.” At this point B could just about kill me and anybody within 50ft.
If you haven’t figured out by now (or from a previous post on camera remotes and another on lens reversal), I like it a bit on the el cheapo side. Some times my ideas are …let’s just say ideas and the result is more agony and frustration. However, one notable success is a pair of table lights that I built a few months ago.
MATERIALS FOR ONE LIGHT
Things we already had lying around are marked with an asterisk.
* Particle Board, 40cm width (16 inch) - 1
Standard Light socket - 1
* Electrical wire
Electrical Plug - 1
Cross stitch plastic board - 1 (available at Hancock, JoAnn or any fabric store)
* Translucent white paper (we used cling film put on windows for privacy)
* 0.5cm diameter dowel rod - 100cm (3+ feet)
100W Energy saver bulb (this produces less heat than regular filament bulbs)
* some kitchen twine
* adhesive tape
TOOLS
Table Saw (Optional. See step 1 below)
Stapler and staples
Screw(s)
Screwdriver
Drill
How to make them:
1) Cut grooves into particle board about 0.5cm (1/5th inch) deep. I cut them at an angle of about 15 deg on my table saw. This is not essential. The groove makes subsequent steps a bit easier, but is not necessary.
2) Drill a small hole in the center of the board where the light socket will be attached.
3) Cut three 30cm (1 foot) pieces from a wooden dowel rod - diameter about 0.5 to 0.75cm (1/4 inch will work fine). Drill three holes about 2cm from the bottom of the board to match the diameter of the dowel rod.
4) Attach a regular bulb socket to the board and attach the wire to the socket and the plug at the other end.
5) Staple translucent paper onto a white cross stitch plastic board.
6) Slip the cross stitch board into the grooves of the particle board and secure it using a piece of kitchen twine by threading the twine through the cross stitch board. If no grooves were made, just bend the the cross stitch board and attach to the particle board using some strong tape prior to securing with the twine. This is not ideal but it will work.
7) Insert the dowel rod for a snug fit. The rods can be moved around a bit. This is helpful if the light needs to rest on some other object and kept at a funny angle.
In my case, I had everything except the bulb, bulb socket, plug, and cross stitch board. It took about an hour of assembly. Be creative with stuff that is lying around. For inspiration, surf a bit. You’ll be surprised at the amount of lighting DIY projects out there.
B has been eyeing a Macro flash. These things are fantastic, but they also come with a hefty price tag. My thinking cap is on.
Shots taken with this lighting setup:
Edited to add: I had originally thought of using two cross stitch boards and sliding them over each other to create different intensities of light by making use of the perforations, but this didn’t quite work out. With this setup it is not possible to regulate the light, since flourescent bulbs cannot be used with a dimmer switch. Swap it with a filament bulb and use a dimmer switch for added flexibility.
-Jai
Related posts
DIY, food-photography, lighting system, Lowel Ego, macro-photography, PHOTOGRAPHY, tabletop
vegan recipes DEFEAT CANCER Almond Garlic POSTCARDS Flour
Great idea Jai! Can you direct us to some of your shots that have used the system? (Or have all your recent non-garden shots been using it? It looks good.)
How lucky to have a particle board just lying around, though, lol
we’ve added some sample shots.
I cant believe this …. so wonderful , K has been trying to work on building one for me, finally relented and bought one ego light just to see how it works !! Thanks guys!! Im so happy to do this!
This is fantastic! Just what I’m looking for. Thanks for the wonderfully detailed instructions. Who knew cross stitch plastic would find another use!
great idea!looks so easy to do. and nice shots you;ve got.
Ever since i read MEETA’S post stating that her hubby gifted her studio lights,i was like dropping clues here and there for my hubby to get some for me(I wish i could yell directly and say….cant u see how much i struggle with sunlight in monsoon to get proper justice for my culinary hardwork lying in bowl/plate?Just go and get a gift for me …a swanky studio light…..)but alas i know it will be tough on his pockets and moreover i dont have enough space at my home to fit those flashy things
Thanks a million Jai bee,now i can atleast demand for this studio lights,and believe me ,with such wonderful instructions it would be very easy for him to make some(he is so good in electric and electronic stuff)
Just put my fingers crossed that he get some few hours of leisure ,so that i can demand this job to be done
Would let him read this post and see whts his reactions and doubts are….hopefully i can count upon u in case he needed help ;-)
Yes bee,Sindhis love this tuber too,infact three decades back,when there wasnt culture of buffet dinners at marriage receptions,marriage ceremonies were held along with serving just tea/colddrinks/biscuits/icecreams….instead of buffets the family of bride and grooms would cook a huge lot of spiced rice and Bhee potoato in gravy(a yummy preparation) which was cooked in huge aluminum utensils called as DEGH and then carried in huge steel buckets to distribute the degh to neighbours…it was fun then(we were just few years old then)even now the prasads are cooked and distributed that way..and if you are among one such fortunate person to have sumthng cooked in degh u can never forget its taste
Yup kailash parbat is indeed very famous for typical sindhi dishes and chaats
Sorry again…i always get carried away while writing comments here…u can delete this stuff …didnt intented to hog all the space…
Regards
Jai, you ARE the man!! I’m sending this link to my hubby so he can build me one of these once we’re relocated… Thanks for the detailed instructions. Maybe I should make you a margarita, too…
That’s awesome. 240$ in savings? Definitely worth the trouble if you ask me.
Hi Jai,
You made my day! I am going to try to build this for myself over the weekend. I have almost everything. Your instructions are to the point …. Thank you for sharing.
I heard this about when Meeta got it as a gift i wud love to have it nice and very informative post Jai
Great idea. Your pictures prove it works excellently.
I tend to go the “el cheapo” r oute myself though not very successfully always, as my husband keeps pointing out.:)
But this idea he will definitely approve of and hopefully find the time for us to put together.
What a great post! I have been playing with light, but not from the sides … thanks so much for the detailed instructions.
Dear Bee, I don;t even have enough words to thank you.But I sincerly thank you for sharing such great ideas.They are simply superb and that is the most essential element in food photography.I think no matter how well are the props, the effect comes out only through the lighting and cheers to you for helping novice photograper like me with great ideas.
this looks awesome,..nd the pics looks so out of this world,..have asked hubby to mk eone for me too,,,
This post is a GEM. I am heading to nearby hardware store. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Jai..this is such a great idea. I am novice photographer and this really helps me a lot. What a wonderful idea! Thank you so much.
Jai, thanks a bunch for this post, I’ve been contemplating over the past weeks whether to buy the Ego Lighting system, and yes the cost was holding me back. I think I will get my husband to build this one for me
Thanks again!!
Thanks Jai, for sharing such a great idea. Our pockets are thanking you:)
you guys make me want to take great pics…will surely try out ur tips…..thanks so much for sharing…it helps a lot….
I echo Manju’s first statement. When can you come over? :-D
Incredible! Lovely pics.. let me read the related posts now..
I am in Cincinnati now and am stealing my frnds DIY lightbox from him, his next assigned project was these lights
Wonderful handy tips and tricks…
one request….can you put up an icon—like you have for gardening- red ladybug and the and for crusts ‘n crumbs—-for the photography tips and solutions, too.
I know there’s ’search’ option always available, just thought it might be easy for us to see all the photography related stuff in one place…
Ignore it if not possible…
thanks for the delicious photos and recipes –as always
-SJ
Wow!! Great!!
Taking jugalbandi style pictures is my deep dark wish.
Now why don’t you make some more and sell it?
Ingenious! Superb! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I noticed bright lighting in your recent photos. Lowel ego, I thought. Jugal bando, nope
Hmmm…maybe our handyman will be interested. Thank you for the tips, Jai.
Hi J & B - you guys are up there in the blogging world (in my eyes) - I love your shots, recipes, stuff you write about & the event your host every month that really eggs me on to fiddle with food photography - clearly not an area I’ve indulged in in the past. but now having become a stay at home mother (out of choice) and somewhere losing my sanity in the process one of the things keeping me afloat is my new found love of blogging and experimenting with food photography since I don’t go out as often as I did before my baby. sorry for this long commentary but been lurking on your site for so long needed to compensate for my silence. to cut a long storyshort - love this DIY. and really sick of the window sill light that allows me only a limited view of food I shoot! am putting my hubby B on the task.
really, really, really, really, really great! Thanks for such a bright idea Jai! All the tips are so useful.
it’s such great idea…!, i already to use light like that but different material support
wow!! superb…. .i love DIY projects….now if i can just get someone to do this for me!!
Big hug to you guys….Thanks a ton to share ur top secrets ! The project sounds cool and easy, the most important thing, fits everyone’s budget
Ingenious! Love the shots taken with the DIY lights.
Now, that’s clever. What a great option for all the dark and gloomy days we will have here soon. It gets so frustrating when your dish is not ready on time to capture the light outside. This totally solved this issue. Thanks for sharing.
Simply brilliant. Thanks Jai, for sharing. I am tempted to do it myself!!
Jai, you have answered my prayers! ;-)
Lighting has been the root of my problems this year since I’ve been cook mostly in the evening and can’t photograph the food due to bad lighting. I’ll have to get my handy-man to read your post and see if he wants to help me with this project.
Will let you know how it goes.
Have a good week ahead,
Nora
I will die of shock if my husband even agrees to do this for me. :-0 I have a hard time to even have him fix the regular outlets. ( as you can sense somebody is in the doghouse today)
I have been reading from bloggers who just buy lowel ego light. I keep my self in the position of “wait and see”. Monitoring how well this lowel ego light will do a good job on food photography.
As so far I do make my own DIY outdoor as I think natural is the best so far. But I am thinking how I am going to do during fall and winter, here is totally disaster! And thanks for sharing your DIY studio.
I love coming here to read such excellent posts …thanks so much..
I read a similar idea in digital photography magazine, using LEDs on an electrical board! Now I know what it should do. Thanks!
how cool is that…. awsome idea Jai….
I have plastic canvas sheets and energy saver lightbulbs…
since purchasing a set up is not really an option for me (overseas shipping and whatnot) I am going to have to become a handyperson…now, where to find a hardware???
Très cool.
I agree with Red Chillies 100%. Even though he’s helping me a lot with the blog, I wouldn’t even bother to ask him to build this. Excellent job Jai. It definitely needs a pure heart to share it with everybody. Dee has also mentioned a couple of times how you guys guided her in photography.
Oh Jai, my husband is going to LOVE you for this! There’s nothing he likes more than DIY projects and he loves saving money more than he loves life itself… You’re an inspiration!
I think this is the first post that I’ve read from you Jai…& I’m with you on the el cheapo bit! WOW…I got a project waiting for hub when he returns from HKG. What an absolute gem of a post this is…will try & get somewhere with this DIY. Hope I can pick up the stuff here. Thanks!!
Very inventive. I wanted the Lowell EGO lights too, but didn’t want to pay that much so I just bought the bulbs and put them in inexpensive desk lamps, and then I use the Photo Studio in a Box I already had to filter the light. Pretty inexpensive, but yours is definitely more of a bargain!
I made my own light tent too when I realised that the quality of the material used for the Lowel Ego lighting system was not worth the price.
wow! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this blog! thanks for much for this tip! I’m going to get my husband to make these lights for me ASAP!
[…] weekend I finally made this. Thanks to Jai for the foolproof steps. But I was not able to find the plastic sheet in all the […]
Once trying this I have a few questions:
1. I could not get the plastic sheet and the translucent sheet. Instead I used a dhoti cloth. Any recommendations of fabric available commonly for this ? I can buy fabric rather than these from nearby shop!
Thanks in advance Jai!
cross stitch board, parchment paper, or maybe you don’t need any lining.
[…] sent me this link that was an article on food lighting, from the blog jugalbandi, which details the construction process quite nicely. My husband decided to make me the lights […]
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for the step by step tutorials.
Thank you for sharing, this is just what I need right now