A flash reflector is perhaps the most affordable equipment that you can easily make yourself. At the same time, such a thing will take you quite a bit of time and money, but in practice you will see how much the quality of the pictures changes for the better - no more sharp shadows and red eyes, which are frequent companions when shooting with a flash, which is called “forehead ".
Do-it-yourself reflector: what we need
Softbox is a closed construction, which consists of two parts - a diffuser and, in fact, a reflector. To make it we need:
1. Cardboard sheets of A4 format in the amount of 10 pieces. You can get them in the clerical department of the store. More dense material, for example, the one used for boxes, is also suitable. You can also buy several plastic folders for documents.
2. Black self-adhesive film - we will paste the light reflector on it from the outside. In this case, it is better to choose a material that does not have a glossy, but a matte surface - it just gets less dirty.
3. Mirror self-adhesive film or foil. It will take about a meter in length (with a half-meter width of the roll).
4. Sheets of white paper A4. For drafts, you will definitely need it.
5. A stationery knife or scissors - to whom it is more convenient to work.
6. A simple pencil.
7. The line.
Do-it-yourself reflector: measure, draw, cut
We measure the flash, and then, in accordance with the obtained sizes, we make a layout from draft sheets. We cut everything out. After we make sure that all the corners converge, transfer the templates to the cardboard.
When we transferred all the drawings to the cardboard surface, we cut and bend the sheets along the fold lines.
We do the reflector with our own hands: we paste over the softbox film
We determine where the outer part of the softbox will be. We glue all external surfaces of the reflector with black film. To make it lay evenly, without air “bubbles”, we glue it very carefully and gradually. Cut off excess film.
We also act on the reverse, inner side, for pasting of which we use a mirror film. Incidentally, it has two protective layers - one covers the adhesive surface, and the other - the mirror. To avoid scratches, the second layer should be removed at the very end of the work.
Do-it-yourself reflector: assemble the structure
To assemble the reflector, we also use a black film, with strips of which we glue the sides of our design. The result should be a truncated "pyramid".
Now it’s up to small. We need to attach a diffuser to the reflector. Light reflecting material can be plain white paper or translucent plastic (again, a document folder with a not-so-tight cover is suitable). Stripes of black self-adhesive attach the diffuser to the box.
And the last one. To keep our reflector on the flash better, you can use the following solutions to the problem:
1. The part of the softbox that contacts the flash is uniformly treated with transparent silicone sealant over the entire surface of the reflector mount. Give a day to dry.
2. We attach the reflector to the flash in a less “presentable” way, namely with rubber bands for money.
It is worth noting that in the practice of studio photography, it may often be necessary to change the "temperature" of the light in the direction of warm tones. To do this, you can make another reflector, in which the silver inner surface should be coated with golden paint or use golden self-adhesive originally. Therefore, the second option of attaching the softbox to the flash is still preferable - so you can easily change the reflectors depending on what effect you want to achieve in photos.