I don't know how, but late at night I got the idea that I wanted to covert my new 3D cell Mag-Lite to a handy photo-lamp. Next morning I dug out some 250 GSM paper and some adhesive foil I've been saving for a worthy project and whipped up a quick ghetto-lamp:
It's not all that powerful, but it's great for macro shots and softening hard shadows, and it's very portable. Think of this as a beta version, I'll likely improve the design a bit once christmas is over. The basic concept is sound, I think there's potential for more if I sort out a proper parabolic reflector for it.
If you want to make your own photolamp, here's a handy template in PDF:
send comments to: contact@andreas-krautwald.com
Chy from Perth writes:
"An idea occurred to me: you could use tin-snips to cut open a coke can or other tin can, and use that for the lamp enclosure (you'd have to work out a way to trace or score the design onto the tin)."
jon.emmons over at Makezines blog writes:
"This seems like the right plan! They even make clips which hold mag lites very securely. With that you could very quickly make a tripod mount for the light, or even a mount that clips on to the leg of a tripod."