DIY Ringflash

After the glorious sunshine of yesterday it was a rainy day today.

So I decided to do a 'wet weather' project and make myself a Ringflash. One problem I've encountered with my recent macro shots is how to get enough light onto a small subject so that I can shoot at high shutter speeds and small apertures which will be essential if I want to do macros of anything alive and moving. A Ringflash would be ideal but I don't have several hundred pounds to spare...but I do have my Metz Mecablitz AF-1 flashgun. So I set about making a Ringflash (well a Ring diffuser to be strictly accurate) out of a plastic microwave bowl, a plastic bottle and various bits and pieces.

Well I think I can claim success, the above shot was taken handheld at f22 with the extension tubes using the newly assembled Ringflash...I was pretty chuffed! Now I know it works I'm busy refining it with a mount to fix to the flash, a diffuser etc. Watch this space for future shots!!