Well I built a darkroom sink sized just for the space I had and adapted the plumbing to work with the washer and dryer in place. Made some drying screens too.
I built a backdrop holder and dyed some cotton muslin black to serve as the drop. I have a white one too.
I built some light stands for my studio lights that are ok.
Built a light table.
Many years ago before I had the strobes, I built a light system out of flourscent lights. It worked, but not that well.
I also built some large fabric panels to soften the strobes. Slow to set up and move, but it can create a VERY large light source and with a little planning I can create a light tent with the same technique.
It sounds like your stuff is far more complicated.
--- On Sat, 10/11/08, karl shah-jenner <shahjen@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> From: karl shah-jenner <shahjen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: DIY photo equipment
> To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 9:03 PM
> Mark:
>
>
> > Well as a guy that has an interest in tinkering, I
> have built a number of pieces of photo related projects. I
> am interested in stuff others might have built that they put
> to use in photography.
> >
> > The surprising thing is that as often as not, I ended
> up learning something as a result of the building that I
> likely wouldn't have learned any other way.
>
> I think Andy has the biggest collection of home built photo
> gadgets in the western world, but I've got a few..
>
> *In cohoots with Steve Hodges we built a tailflash trigger
> which works on leaf shutters and *some* SLR curtain shutters
>
> *a laser focussing aid for macro and large format
> photography (it can be used on any camera)
>
> * a two / three beam pulsed infrared camera trigger - so
> say when the fly is precisely *here* in the frame (and 2
> beams are broken) the camera goes off or, when something
> cat height walks through this precise spot the camera fires,
> but not if something dog height walks through. (I really
> should use this thing more too!)
>
> *a couple of stereo rigs and stereo cameras
>
> *an infrared ambient/spot light meter (the ambient part is
> useless, if the sun is up and there's no cloud in the
> sky, from sunup to sundown, summer/winter, the light level
> doesn't change a jot! - but at least I learned that :)
>
> *flash triggers, flash saves.. lots of big, small, arrayed
> flash banks and ringflashes.
>
> *more stuff that I can't think of, i'll remember
> what when I see it as I move stuff from the house to the new
> workshop in the following weeks ;)
>
>
> what've you been building Mark?
