DIY Light Stands

Towards the end of 2017 I had a period of not being too well.  I decided to look around and create something that I needed for my photography from things that I already had at home, and could maybe adapt to use them for my photography on a minimal budget.

Not being a great user and liker of using flash, either on camera or off camera, and the amount of space flash units and stands would take up, I went for a very simple and cost effective set-up for my indoor lighting.  So I put to use two inexpensive desk lamps which are 7 watt LEDs, daylight balanced.

I needed to find some way of raising the desk lamps up from ground level.  I am fortunate to have more than one tripod, so I decided to find some way of adapting these desk lamps via a tripod to act as my lighting set-up.

• • • • The first thing I had to do was to find some way of attaching a quick-release plate to the bottom of a piece of wood.

      • I found an old metal computer desk which was no longer in use, but happened to have the right size of nuts welded onto it, so that I could attach this to the screw thread of a quick release plate.

      • I had to consider how to attach the metal plate and nut to the bottom of my wooden base.  I used my favourite product for indoors assembly, that is, No More Nails.  This on its own works, but it produces instability between the base of the wood and the base of the quick release plate.  To prevent this instability I then applied some more wood using No More Nails.

      • How to stop my desk lamps from falling off the base was the next problem to solve.  The solution was to apply more wood with the use of No More Nails, to make bumpers.

        Finally I had to find a way to direct the power cable to the lamp safely over the top of the wooden base.  This was simple – I just left a gap between the wood bumpers so that the cable and plug could hang to the floor.

                                                Quick release plate in position

                                                                Lamp base in holder

                                                              The whole assembly

        In summary, it may not be a piece of art or craftsmanship like my friend, Colin, or Marc Elliott, could produce, but for me, at a cost of less than fiver, I have a working solution to raising my desk lamps to the height I need for my photography, and a sense of satisfaction that I have been constructive and creative during a time of illness.  So, having photography as a hobby doesn’t always need to cost large sums of money.​