Trace around the front of your flash. Make sure it is centered on the bottom of the bowl.
Make 2 diagonal cuts to make the flaps
Fold the flaps back 90º.
(Trick – once the flaps are cut, fill your sink with hot water from the tap, let the bottom of the bowl sit in the hot water for about 5 min. to heat up the plastic making it easier to fold back)
Check to see how your flash fits.
Front view of fit.
Draw circle on foam board, about 1/2 the diameter of the bowl.
Apply aluminum tape on other side of foam board, making sure the aluminum tape covers a larger area than the circle on the other side.
Cut out circle with sharp box cutter knife.
Cut slits just big enough for the zip-ties to fit through every 90º.
Bend the zip-ties (you’ll see why)
Insert zip-ties through the holes you cut into the circle so the bends in the zip-ties face outward (radiating from the circle)
Front view
Cut slits into the plastic bowl just big enough for the zip ties to fit through every 90º
(Trick – you might have to insert a small flathead screwdriver into the slits to stretch them just enough to get the zip-ties through, the zip-ties should be held in place by the friction from the slits)
DO NOT MAKE THE SLITS TOO BIG SO THE ZIP-TIES MOVE FREELY!
This is how it looks finished.
With an omni-bounce on the flash.
Front view.
Illuminated (with omni-bounce on flash).
I might not be beautiful, but the light from the beauty dish looks good!
14 comments ↓
Why did you use an omnibounce in your beauty dish?
And completely out of topic but I completely digg your wood tabletop.
@jean-francois – I used an omnibounce as a starting point. I knew that the light would be very even. I will be experimenting without the omnibounce and different center reflectors to see what the light looks like.
From what I understand, the table is made from reclaimed wood from an old ski chalet.
where did you buy your bowl? Thanks.
I got the bowl at Home Hardware (a Canadian hardware chain). You probably can find a similar bowl at a dollar store or some sort of department store.
Made your DIY Beauty Dish. It works like a charm! The results in my initial testing — nice, bright lighting that produces very well-exposed images with high contrast, yet amazingly without any “hotspots” or blown highlights. The Dish should complement my other Nikon Speedlight portable, wireless studio setup, which includes an Alzo softbox (great product), a snoot, a gridspot, as well as umbrellas (both reflective and shoot-through translucent).
In reply to Jean Francois: The stoffen or omni-bounce replicates a ‘bare-bulb’ light, which should work best with your beauty dish…which looks great btw.
Thank you!!
This is the best beauty dish how-to article I’ve seen yet.
Keep them coming!! =)
Just made your beauty dish, works very well. Thank you for the in depth tutorial.
[...] Encore et encore … [...]
Nice Hack! I followed your advice but used a CD and covered it with foil tape, then used 20 pound test fishing line to almost invisibly attach it. Spray painted the dish with flat white to eliminate any flare. Works great!!
These are the BEST directions yet!! (believe me I’ve been lurking sites for months and I KNOW!) Simplistic, no extras, no super tools (that NO one has just lying around) just straight to the point. Thank you. This a definite MUST try and it looks fun too!
Thank you sooo much!
Do you happen what type of plastic was used to make your bowl? I have a bowl that appears very similar to yours and it is made of polypropylene. When attempting to cut the opening the plastic splits and when attempting to fold the flaps back (even after the hot water treatment) they simply snapped off. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
I’m not sure of the exact name of the plastic, but it the same or similar to the plastic used for tupperware. I hope that helps. The plastic is not rigid or brittle.
Hi!
Awsome, i like what you made and i will som how find a big bowl in sweden somewhere and make my own beauty dish. Thanks
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