Beauty Dish without a Fashion Budget

<p>I've often noticed a reflector called a beauty dish mentioned here, but haven't actually gone looking for one. Today I looked at a number of pictures and it seems that the product is a broad shallow reflector with a small second reflector in the center, blocking any light directly from the bulb to the subject.</p>

<p>A new reflector like this is a bit beyond my budget at the moment, but it occurs to me that I might be able to build such a thing myself. I use Photogenic lighting gear, and I have two of the 16" reflectors. I could position a six-inch diameter white, aluminum, or mirror disk in the center of the reflector without much trouble. Would that get me close enough to the effect the shallower dishes provide?</p>

<p>I also have the translucent diffusers for the 16" reflectors. Is the light much different between a beauty dish and the deeper reflector with a diffuser? If the diffuser doesn't actually interfere with the way light comes out of a beauty dish, it occurs to me that I could simply glue a six-inch round mirror to the center of one of the diffusers.</p>

<p>Any insights from those of you that have used these would be welcome. On the other hand, somebody might list a dented PL24R (24" Photogenic Glamour Reflector) on eBay tomorrow and I won't have to wonder. (I prefer dented equipment - it's much cheaper, I don't believe it changes the light any, and I don't have to be nearly as afraid of dropping it!)</p>

<p>Van</p>

<p>Hi Van, I've not tried what you want to do, but have a couple of ideas. 1) Many years ago, before I could afford good lighting, I used to point my lights backwards into an aluminum garbage can lid, and it had somewhat the same affect. I forgot about doing this until you brought this subject up. 2) I think there is some science behind the angles used in a beauty dish. You might need some experimentation or at least research into how they're built. But good luck!<g></p>

<p>Van: search on Flickr for DIY Beauty Dish. Strobists have built them with less than what you're starting with. It should work fine....not as awesome as a Profoto or Mola, but as long as the light is even and it's big enough, it'll work well enough...</p>

 

<p>Van,</p>

<p>The light is very different between the deeper 16" reflector and the beauty dish. The beauty dish actually has a lot going on that you may not realize. Each beauty dish functions a little different b/c of how they apply the cross reflected light and the centeral soft, yet pretty directional light.</p>

<p>As a note, beyond about 26" or so inches from the subject, the beauty dish loses some of it's uniqueness and starts lighting closer to an umbrella. Also, some have an opaque center to give it an even different (less subtle) signature pattern.</p>

<p>So... what's going on?</p>

<p>The lip and rather flat back doesn't give the strong panumbra that an umbrella or equally parabolical reflector would give. Notice you get a "double" shadow w/ an umbreall or bowl shaped reflector. This design also bounces a soft light, but contains the spread and limits the angle of the core light to a more directional/straight path. Shadows are often deeper than a softbox b/c of this, but the tranistions are normally still soft.</p>

<p>The diffusion piece sometimes is just to knock down the core to have a more even light, like a softbox, and less of a hotspot like an umbrella. Some have the opaque, as mentioned, giving the center a more omni directional light hitting the subject.</p>

<p>Then we have the real physics that everone makes signature-- the bevels. Some are just flat pan reflectors, and that's it. Your Speedotron, Mola, Dynalite, etc has these. The idea is that they are going to produce a small percentage of cross light to reduce texture in some areas, while keeping the directional ability in others. This of course is designed around what is considred "Optimal range", and if you move the dish closer or farther you'll get a slightly different effect from what was intended (not exactly worse, just different).</p>

<p>So, that's what you need to think about when you design a DIY beauty dish. You also probably want a 22" one.</p>

<p>Here's one thread on Fred Miranda about a DIY beauty dish. http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/745045</p>

<p>Here's another http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/737998</p>

<p><Chas></p>

<p><strong>G. Armour Van Horn</strong> Whats wrong with the 16 inch photogenics? (No offence.) I have 2 ebay 16inch beauty dishes. I use it very close and Viola... beauty light. I also have the 27.5 inch large ebay version. (I have grids for all when I want soft (spill) controlled beauty light. You can find a grid for them and have serious action. If you can't email this place saxonpc@yahoo.com and go to there website.... they make custom grids! I was quoted $60 for a 65 degree grid. (I suggest you get a 30 degree grid made. They make them from Plastic and Aluminum, get the aluminum - last longer).<br>

Back to whats important. You already have 2 small dishes that you can use. Just find a way to diffuse the light more inside the dish and you'll be cooking with lava! In other words instead of riggin a reflector inside em to make a dish, just velcro some white ripstop nylon inside the dish to diffuse it closer to the flash tube so it'll be softer without a hotspot. I cant think of any VIABLE reason that it wont work for you. Just use em close cause of there size and see what you get.</p>

<p>Based on comments here, and going off and looking at a bunch of these designs, I think I'll go shopping for a garbage-can lid. They must be close to 24" across and they're very shallow. I have more 8050 heads than I am likely to ever need all at once, one that landed on it's face from eight feet up and smashed it's boro focusing element on my last on-site shoot would be a perfect candidate. That gives me up to 200ws in about a six-inch can, and since it's already got a few too many dents in it I won't mind riveting it to a trash can lid.</p>

<p>Should be fun once it gets enough warmer that I can comfortably get out on the deck and starts cutting things. Thanks for all the ideas!</p>

<p>Van</p>

<p>The Photogenic Beauty dish is not that expensive last time I looked. You could save yourself allot of trouble and hassles by just purchasing the cheapest one they have and see how it works.<br>

 

<table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" width="100%">

<tbody>

<tr valign="top">

<td>Product Code: 917311</td>

<td>EA</td>

<td>Glamour Reflector-24" White Interior</td>

<td align="right">$229.00</td>

</tr>

<tr valign="top">

<td>Product Code: 916828</td>

<td>EA</td>

<td>Glamour<br />Reflector<br />-18"</td>

<td align="right">$169.00</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

</p>

<p>Speedotron 22" costs $124.00 on BH, and $272 for the kit w/ a light sox and a grid.</p>

<p>I mention this, b/c for one it's the BD that Stephen Eastwood pefers. And I know he's shot w/ the Profoto's and everything else.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/Tutorials_beautydish.htm">http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/Tutorials_beautydish.htm</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>go for the 272 if you gotta spend dough. the grid makes it worth it!</p>

<p>Well, Harry, there is a certain satisfaction in shaping things to my liking that just isn't available off the shelf, so I think I'll try to put something together.</p>

<p>Nathan, that's interesting about the grids. I'm sure one of my neighbors can help me out with the honeycomb to do something interesting along those lines. Just across the ferry and up the hill* they're really big on the stuff, but little pieces like what I'd need to cover my Garbage Dish is just scrap, so somebody probably can bring some back to the island for me.</p>

<p>Van</p>

<p>* Boeing Everett - they get honeycomb all squished down to solid bricks of aluminium and stretch it out to laminate into bulkheads and such. I haven't played with it for a while, but it is fun stuff.</p>

<p>I've posted a series of behind the scenes photos of how I used a beauty dish in the traditional manner at http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00Skwj.</p>

<p>The dish used was a 22" inch Speedotron Blackline version I adapted for use on Paul C. Buff Zeus /Alien Bees / White Lightning / Einstein, and Balcar heads.</p>