This project is the next in a series of DIY Photography Studio Equipment projects we are doing to improve the quality of the imagery on our site as well as in preparation for the launch of our new sister site dedicated to photography equipment projects. The next major component I needed was a few good quality reflective umbrellas. Commercially these umbrellas can range in cost from $35 - $80 USD for a 42” umbrella. In my opinion that is to high of a price tag for any self respecting DIY enthusiast. So after a little research and some trial and error we were able to do our umbrella with the same quality materials for only $13.00 with very simple construction techniques that any photogeek should be able to replicate.

For our first photography oriented project we are putting together a 40” silvered reflector. Reflectors are extremely handy for providing fine control over lighting in a wide variety of shots. And while most reflectors cost 25-50 USD to purchase we have been able to achieve the same quality (by use of the same common materials) for a mere 8.00. While most geeks other than the lilypad geeks may not be skilled with a sewing machine, this is both a great introduction to simple sewing as well as our photography project line. - Permalink

This project is an easy to use platform for one technique that is broadly being used with to trick the algae into reproducing. Each algae species reacts differently in many ways to its environment and a light frequency that affects one algae may have no effect at all on another. So I have created an easy to build microcontroller platform that can be variably set and allows for easy configuration to any bioreactor. - Permalink