DIY Speedlight Grid Modifier

Ok so I'll start off by pointing out that this was an experiment to see what effect a grid would have on my speedlight as I had never used one before and wanted to give it a go.
Here's how it was made and some test shots!


It started off when I had seen this idea done before and thought I'd like to give that a go.
I done some research online and alot of guys seemed to be using black straws but these proved to be almost impossible to find in any shops so I kept a look out until someone suggested the use of a black plastic used in signmaking that is similar to corrogated card board. But where to get such a thing?...
It just happened that a fellow camera club member was a signmaker and so provided me we a few offcuts from his workshop. (Thanks Joe!)

So Armed with super glue, black insulation tape and my plastic sheets I began to cut strips to form the outer housing by wrapping it around the head of my SB 800 and taping it in place.
I then cut smaller strips about 1cm wide which I used to start building the grid by super glueing the strips into the outer housing

Here's a look at the bits and bobs as well as a look at the finished grid.
You can see the unused plastic to the right has been cut into strips.

Here you can see how the strips were layered inside the outer housing to form the honeycomb or grid.

And here's how it looks on the flash itself.

So what good will this do I hear you ask?
Well if you haven't used a grid before, it helps to project the beam from the flash, more directly at the subject and reduces the spread of light to different levels depending on how big the openings are in the grid.

Here's a shot without the home made grid on my SB 800.

And here's the difference my home made grid had on the flash.

A natural vignette is formed by the grid which can create a great effect in portraits and fashion shots.

Thats it , so go try it and enjoy!