Shampoo Bottle Flash Diffuser

another zero budget project :D

Posted by n k.

About

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.

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You Will Need (3 things)

  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Lighter
  • 1 Empty Plastic Bottle I.E. Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion

Steps (8 steps, 15 minutes)

  1. 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.

  2. 2

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

  3. 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)

  4. 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

  5. 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.

  6. 6

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

  7. 7

    Here's more random stuff photographed with the red diffuser

  8. 8

    ... and with a blue one.