Note: this site has been migrated to photobuilds.com. This is because many of our visitors now come from outside the UK, so it makes sense for the site to be hosted on a .com domain. The new site contains full versions of all of the posts listed here, plus loads of new projects completed since mid-2022.
Back to the intro …
I’ve been taking photographs ever since I got my first camera when I was 10 years old, which was way back in the days of film. I bought my first studio lights and basic light modifiers (a pair of brollies) in the days before digital. With that basic setup I happily shot portraits for years.
When I went digital I started experimenting with the likes of macro and general studio still life. At this point I realised that other types of light modifier would be useful. Unfortunately at the time they were too expensive for an amateur like myself. That’s when I found some articles online about building your own. Inspired, I made my first beauty dish for a speedlight from a plastic bowl, a drinks coaster and some bent metal: and it worked!
Since then I’ve built all manner of photography related projects. I get great satisfaction out of designing and making stuff that serves a useful purpose and actually works. This site is an attempt at sharing some of my creations in the hope that it’ll inspire others to get building.
My builds use a wide range of technologies and materials. I’ve used concrete, neoprene, cardboard, plastic … plus electronics and software. If it seems useful for a particular project, I’ll try to make something with it.