Do-It-Yourself Flash Bounce Card

Well, I am sure this is not the first (and not the last) DIY project for Flash Bounce Card.  I know there are tons of these flowing around in the Web.  Nonetheless, I bring this to all o f you so that I can tell myself: "Now, you have done that, and move on".   Anyway, I have been searching for a flash bounce card which will fit the following critieria:
  1. Light weight
  2. Portable  (for travel)
  3. Reasonably priced
  4. Reasonably long lasting
  5. Good quality bounce light
  6. Most of all, I *don't* want sticky velco permenantly on my flash head.
I liked the "Shell" and I have seen it in actions (alot of wedding photographers use this and the results are pretty good), but it failed #2, #3, and #5.  Most of other products require sticky velco on the flash and they are not cheap.  

So I was trying out several iterations of DIY bounce cards using plain-old photocopier paper, drawing paper, shoe-box-paper etc...  All of them were good in term of #3, but failed on #4 and #5.  I thought to myself, there must be a poor-man way of making a good/decent DIY bounce-card.  Then one day as I was checking out something else in Micheal's, I saw this formy type paper for children craft projects, the lightbuble turned on in my head.... and the end result is this.....

Final Product
What you see here is the bounce card attached to the flash head using an elastic band.  There is no sticky velco on the flash head. You probably can't see here, but the other side is actually black.  All I did was to glue two of these form paper (white and black) together.  A couple reasons for this, but the initial one is that it looks more professional this way (and someone already thought this is a commerical product).  You will see the other reason later on for a more practical usage.

Here is the 360 degree view of the whole things.

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As you can see here, the elastic band goes in and out of the back of the bounce card and then go around, then the velco basically lock the band together at the front.  Now that's one good looking bounce card :)    Here is how it will look like if you standing in front of it when it goes off..

r1dd

Pretty bright, ah?  The advantage of having this bounce card is that it's not only shooting the light upward into the ceiling for bouncing, but also bounce light off toward the subject.  This can increase the light output, as well as create a *catch* light on your subject's eyes.

Another way to set it up..

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Recipe:

Here is the materials you'll need for this DIY project:
  1. "Fun Foam": white and black, one each.  12"x18" (mine is called "Creatology Fun Foam" Distributed by Michaels' Stores.)
  2. 1 can of spray glue (or if you'd like, you can use contact cement too)
  3. 1" width heavy duty black elastic band. I got mine from Walmart.. but you should be able to get it in any fabric store (the length needed depends on the size of your flash head)  For mine, I have to have a 6" long piece of this elastic band.
  4. Black velco tape
Materials
Tools required:
  1. A cutter
  2. A cutting board
  3. A pencil and a piece of paper 
  4. A sewing machine (you can do this by hand too, if you don't have a sewing machine)
Now, the 12"x18" sheet can provide 3 decent size bounce cards.  So depending on how many you want to make, you will need the same number of elastic bands.  

Only take a total of 15 minutes to make one..

Well, that is the 15 mins you spent on making it, not including the time you waiting for the glue to dry :(  

First, find a well-ventilated (dust-free) area, and spread out some old newspapers/flyers on the floor, large enough to catch all overspray glue outside the 12"x18" sheet of form.  I then used two pieces of scrap wood on top of the newspapers.  They are used to hold up the foam paper so that it would not touch the newspaper.  One thing to avoid ink transfer, the other thing is for esay handling (or picking up the foam paper) after spraying the glue.  

Put the foam paper on the woods and shake the glue spray can well.  Shake it baby, shake it!  Follow the instruction of your glue to apply it.  In my case, I have to spray two sheets of form and then slap them together all within 30 seconds to ensure good bonding.  Once the two sheets of form are together, I put it on a flat surface and put some extra-large books on top to apply pressure.  I waited about a day to make sure the glue is completely dry.  Long wait! :(

Now you have a 12"x18" bounce card on hard.  But I want something more refined, so I drew up a template the way I want it.  The shape I have is nothing special, but of course, no one would stop you from having a round or *star* shape like bounce card.    Mine looks something like this and the whole 12"x18" sheet can make 3 of them.

template

I used a piece of paper and draw up the shape.  Cut it out and put it on the flash to see if it will fit.  I even tested drive it before I start cutting (remember: measure twice, cut once).  Now that you have the template, use a penci to trace the outline of the template onto the form (piece of cake).  Don't worry about the two vertical slot opening yet, will deal with that later on.

Once you are sure everything is "sure-sure"., it's time to cut.  I used a metal ruler to help me guide the cutting process so that the lines are strange.  I mean this is probably the most important part of all to make sure the final product looking like a professional one.  So take your time, and MIND your fingers as well.   You don't want a RED bounce card, do you?!?  RED does not really bounce off light well, white is always better :)

Now you are only one step away from the final bounce card (except for the elastic band).  You see the 2 vertical slots there.  They are used as loops for the elastic band.  The size of the opening all depends on the width of your elastic band.  Just make sure to have an opening that will allow the band to go through.  Don't make it to big though!  AND the distance between the openings can have an effect on the longevity on the card.  It is because the elastic band wraps around the form card very tight. So if the distance is too long, the band will eventually tear the opening apart.  My advise is to have the distance a bit smaller than the smallest size of your flash head.  In my case, it will be the short side of the flash head.  This will ensure the card last *a bit* longer (see the barn door photo below to understand what I meant).   Here is what it will look like...

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With the band through the loops
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Now, let make the elastic band.  It is very simple.  Cut the elastic band in the size your need.  Mine is 6" long.  I then used a sewing machine (and YES, I sew!!  A man can sew must be a good man.. a very good one :) to sew up the two ends.  I cut a piece of 1 1/2" velco (I cut it with both side stick together, so I know I have the same size on both side).  Next is to sew them onto the band.  REMEMBER how velco works!!!  In this case, the band goes around the flash head and *velco* together.  So you can't just sew it on in any order.  You have to sew one piece (the hairy side) on one side of the band on one end, and then the other piece (the plastic hooks side) on THE OTHER SIDE of the band at the other end.  Get it.  No?!?   Try it out yourself before sewing the second piece of velco onto the band. Here is the end product.

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You are DONE!!

I haven't told you what the other usage for this bounce card yet.  But one thing I will tell you now, I don't have sticky velco stuck on my flash head on this design.   The elastic band holds up the bounce card very well.  And should the band loses its elasticity, it only takes 5 mins to re-make another one.  That's the beauty of it.  Also, the form here can stand up to abuse very well.   Not to mention the easy storage and transport.  And you don't lose the band as it is always with the card (looped).  

Going back to the other usage,  I can use this bounce card as a flank or a barn door (well, not really a door as you can't really adjust the opening, but you get the picture).  This can be used to block/control the light direction.   Here is some examples

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Or barn door like application..

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It does look like the star-war space-craft, doesn't it?  In this setup, you use one band to loop through both cards and *velco* it up on top.

Anyway, this is a multiple usage bounce card, only costs about $3@ and you can make as many as you want.. I made a batch of 6 in one shot for roughly an hour of my time..

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Now the question is, can I market it for $5 each and still have people wanting to buy it :)
Well, enjoy.. it is FREE and go crazy with it, just remember me when you are *bouncing* around!!!

Don't forget to check out my DIY beauty dish project too

Cheers,
Stephen