![]() Next, replace the couplings on each of the side pieces with a ¾” tee. To add a crossbar to your panel, just cut out an extra 49.5” section of PVC, the same size as the top and bottom sections of our panels. Accessories CrossbarĪ crossbar is a great thing to add to your panel for extra strength in outdoor windy conditions, and it can make the panel a lot easier for an assistant to hold and position. Now, I am going to show you some additions that will make your light panel even more versatile. Once added, attaching the panels to the frames is as easy as slipping each corner into the elastic pocket.Įxample of elastic strip pocket, created to make fabrics easier to attach to panel frame.Īt this point, you have pretty much finished your DIY light panel. To make the fabric panels easier to attach to the frames, sew 10” strips of wide elastic on a diagonal to the back corners of each piece. Hemming is not required but will keep the edges tidy and professional looking. The fabrics for the panels can be made by cutting out pieces of material, about 2-3 inches larger than the 4’ x 7’ frame, then hemming them. (The fabric comes in off-white colors, as well.) Just make sure you pick the whitest blackout fabric you can find. For white panels, I found that the white lining of blackout curtains works awesome! It does not have to be hemmed, and it does not allow light to pass through it, which seems to make it a very efficient bounce source. Make sure that it does not let a lot of light pass through it, that it’s fairly opaque. For the diffusion panel, I use a white (translucent) rip-stop nylon. You should be able to find everything you need at your local fabric store. I have three main types of fabric that I always keep handy. These will later be inserted into the elbow joints of the legs, so that they can pivot. Next, take one of your leftover scrap pieces and cut two small sections of pipe, roughly 1.25” inches in length. Once you have finished marking all of your cuts, take your PVC cutters or shears, and cut out all the pieces. Your marks need to be at: For 10’ pipe Piece 1 When measuring your cuts, be sure to start your measurement from the last mark you made. With your tape measure and marker, measure and mark your cuts on each section of pipe. (A) 90 degree ¾” elbow (B) ¾” coupler (C) ¾” slip to threaded adapter (D) ¾” slip to threaded street elbow (E) ¾” threaded saddle tee If you go with five foot sections, you are going to need six pieces per panel. If you decide to buy the PVC in 10 foot sections, you will need three pieces per panel. Schedule 40 is both rigid and lightweight. I like to build my panels out of ¾” Schedule 40 pipe. The 10 foot sections will save you more money, but getting them home may prove a bit tricky, unless you have a long vehicle such as a truck, SUV, or van. Depending on how you are going to transport the PVC, you can choose between the standard 10 foot sections or pre-cut five foot sections. Here are the main things you are going to need to create your panel: List of Tools for Creating the FrameĪs far as PVC goes, your local hardware store will most likely have two lengths to choose from. The money you save building the panels might even be enough to cover the cost of the fabrics. Another option would be to build your frames to the smaller dimensions as a name-brand panel, then purchase the fabrics from that company. If you do not want to tackle making your own fabrics, you can still clamp large pieces of fabrics to the frame – such as bed sheets. With that being said, while the panel part of this project is pretty quick and easy, creating the fabrics can be a bit more daunting, especially if you are uncomfortable around a sewing machine. The panels we are going to create measure in at roughly seven feet tall, giving you a little more headroom and allowing you to free up your light stands for things such as… lights! To remedy this, you will have to attach the panel to your light stands, using an adapter, to raise it off the floor. A six foot tall panel might sound plenty big, but when you are shooting someone who is tall, you are not going to have the area of coverage you need around your model’s head. ![]() There are a lot of different brands of frames out in the market, and most of them top out at around 72”. Offer helpful tips on making them stronger and easier to assembleīefore we get started, I want to talk a little bit about the size of our panels versus what you may buy online.Share some cheap fabric alternatives to use with your new frames.Show you how to create your own self-standing PVC light panel frames and accessories.In an earlier article we discussed 10 reasons why you should consider using a light panel instead of a softbox for your next shoot.
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