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Cost
$ $ $ $ $
Difficulty
• • • • •
Time
15 mins

another zero budget project :D
If you don't know what a flash diffuser is and you're wondering if you need one: YES! Absolutely. It makes the flash look much less harsh, and especially people will look much less like deer in headlights ^^
I usually avoid using flash at all but sometimes it's the only option.

Since I don't have an external flash yet and couldn't find any good diffusers for the built-in flash, I've tried out various means of diffusing it with rags, cigarette boxes, plastic bags, cardboard etc.

But recently a friend asked me to take pictures at a club, and it doesn't make a very professional impression to have a heap of rubbish tied to your camera when you ask strangers if you can take pictures of them :P

So I took a walk through the house to find something neutral and tidy looking that would work.

Posted by n k. from Germany, Pennsylvania, United States • Published See n k.'s 18 projects »
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  • Step 1

    Find an empty shampoo bottle and hold it in front of a light source to see if it's REALLY WHITE (a very slight "warm" tint is ok when you're photographing people but a neutral white is best)

    Also watch the labels - they need to be removable, not printed on.

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 2
    Step 2

    Clean the bottle and get rid of the labels and the cap.

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 3
    Step 3

    Cut a hole into the bottle top.
    it needs to be big enough for the flash but tight enough so it doesn't keep falling off all the time.

    Try if it fits a couple of times, and if it fits well, *slightly* melt the edges with a lighter so you won't scratch your camera with it. (Shampoo bottles are usually made of very soft plastic but at least it'll look better)

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 4
    Step 4

    You're done! Now take a couple of pictures with and without the diffuser for comparison.

    Sorry about the dirty mirror and the henna on my head xD

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 5
    Step 5

    I wanted to spare you more pictures of myself, so here's some random shiny alcohol-related objects.

    I'd normally use a lightbox for that but with the lightbox I don't use the flash of course so that wouldn't make sense ^^

    Yes, the glass looks "worse" with the diffuser, but that's exactly the point! That's what will make peoples' eyeglasses and shiny foreheads look less reflective :P
    And you can see that the shadows have softer edges.

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 6
    Step 6

    If you like to experiment, you can also use colored bottles for colored flash effects.

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 7
    Step 7

    Here's more random stuff photographed with the red diffuser

  • How to make a camera or camera accessory. Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser - Step 8
    Step 8

    ... and with a blue one.

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Comments

anphia
anphia · Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA
I am going to try it! I don't have a budget, so this is briljant! Thank you for this!
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