DIY Milk Jug Speedlight Diffuser for Photography.

Clear Plastic Jug, mid transformation

I have a problem with harsh light and low funds.

This tutotrial may seem painfully obvious, but there are a lot of considerations to take into account when optimizing the effect.


This is what the final product looks like

Milk Jug Light Diffuser with an SB-900 flash and D5100 Nikon. Notice my blue tape.

So that jug isn't actually a milk jug, its the remains of a gallon of white vinegar, but that just isn't as catchy.

Clear plastic jug mid transformation -- also pictured above.

Positioning the speedlight in the diffuser

To transform the jug, I cut off the lid portion and handle to create a hole roughly the size of the head of my speedlight. I also cut out the bottom of the jug. That was a real choice for me. I wanted the speedlight head to just slide through the bottom, but there is a very valid reason to remove the clear bottom. If I want to adjust the head to point in another direction instead of straight up, I would have to manipulate it through the top. I also wouldn't have to remove the diffuser to change the optioning. This may not be an issue for people who can't adjust the speedlight head angle.

I position the diffuser on the speedlight by adjusting the lip to catch on the bottom of the jug. Then I taped the top of the bottom of the jug back on.   There is one glaring problem with this DIY Project. It is unbelievably dorky to have a massive homemade milkjug project on your $1000+ kit. 

Especially if you used the blue tape like I did.

These comparison Photos will help you decide if its worth taking this step.

The following photos were taken with 320 ISO, F9, 1/160, 18mm with the hotshoe mounted SB-900 set to TTL. The dressform was located 6ft from the photographer. The speedlight is also positioned straight up.

Milk Jug Diffuser with the plastic cap taped on.

Bouncing off the ceiling (control)

 In this case, the dressform has much more dimension with the ceiling bounce, but the diffusion with plastic cap gave a much more even lighting. The dress form in the plastic cape photo looks on the cusp of being too shiny from over exposure, however.

Milk Diffuser with Paper Cap

Here is another option for you. I took off the taped on plastic cap (the original milk jug bottom) and replaced it with a piece of thin white computer paper.  I find this to be the closest to the dreaded DMV lighting, but the light is much more even and may be more attractive in a portrait, which we explore below.

Portraits.

The following photos were taken at 36mm, 3 feet away from subject, 320 iso, F9, 1/200. I have not retouched these or light balanced these with photoshop. The speedlight was hotshoe mounted,  set to TTL, and pointed straight up.

Portrait with diffuser, plastic cap.

portrait with no diffuser, pointed at ceiling (control)

milk jug diffuser with paper cap

I don't know about this one, ceiling bounce seems to be a lot more flattering. To be fair, ceiling bounce will not always be available. That ceiling acts as a big diffuser in these situations, anyhow.

Summary
I set this up because I was looking for a less cumbersome on camera flash setup. This is really important in on-location event photography and in events when I (fingers crossed) have a second off camera flash.

What do you think? Is it worth the dork factor to get these sweet diffusion results?I definitely have mixed feelings.