From the outset it was my aim to make a table top studio while spending as little money as possible.
First stop was Argos. They had a sale on their GU10 spotlamps at just £1.99 each. I bought 8.
Next stop, Wickes to get some wood. I needed a little bit of help from the boys and girl at Wooden Tiger to chop it up into 10cm squares. Next was to stick the blocks together so I either had light stands 2 or 3 blocks high. After a quick sanding and varnishing all that was left do it was to drill a hole for the cable, and attach the spotlight.
I already had a bunch of GU10 LED bulbs left over from a previous project so I didn't need to buy any, but they can be had now for around £5 each. I have them in a variety of colours, green, blue, orange, red and of course white.
The backdrop is just a simple bit of white card. Granted the lights aren't going to win any awards for beauty, but they do the job.
Shopping List
GU10 Spot Lights x 8 @ £1.99 each = £15.92
Wood = £5.99
Electrical Cable 50 metres (way more than required) £10.99
Plug Sockets x 8 @ £0.92 each = £7.36
GU10 LED bulb x 8 @ £5.00 each = £40.00
So for a shade over £40 (£80 if I'd have had to buy the LED bulbs again) I have myself a table top LED light studio that I can use for photographing small products.
My next DIY project is already half way assembled, a 100cm x 60cm light box.
