Since it's been so long since I last presented you a contraption, I decided to bring you this morning a simple project. I must say yesterday's surprise snowfall did put me in a special mood for this one, especially since there was absolutely nothing good on TV. They do way say that "watching TV is dull, turning it on just makes it worse!" so... I got tinkering.
And I bring you the Christmas Light Ringlight. I don't know when I'll use it but I was curious to see what the results could look like.
I must admit I had been planning this for quite some time now. Not that it is any more complex than anything else I have done in the past. But buying the lights at the right time has turned this into a 2$ project. Like I say: Cheap Frank has done it again!
For the project, I got a pre-cut masonite ring like is used for fake flower arrangements. I had an angle bracket which I drilled so I could hold the ring with a screw. I also drilled a larger hole with a 1/4-20 thread so I can fix it directly to a tripod. I assembled everything together with a single screw. It's that simple. Then came the light strand lacing part. It took me quite a bit of string to wrangle it all into shape. You do need to be two to lace everything tight or else it's almost impossible (my lights were all bendy coming straight out of the box).
I did a cheap and fast test. The ring produces very little light, so you definitely need high sensitivity film. Also, the subject needs to be surprisingly close to the lights in order to get the best results. Luckily, the lights are not blinding or very hot. If you can see the twinkles in the subject's eyes, you're at the right distance.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this quick project. It might not be as refined looking as other ones but it works fine.
Here are a few pictures.
Enjoy.
[Sorry, image deleted during forum software upgrade. Please re-upload if so inclined.]
