Light diffuser for photography

Photos for forum articles are often made on my deskside work station using the light from the fluorescent ring tube incorporated into the magnifier over the table. For shiny objects the light it provides is a bit too harsh and can obscure details, so i decided to build a diffuser that could be easily attached and detached from the lamp when needed.

A cardboard ring of the correct size was cut and fitted with four raised platforms to which rare earth magnets were glued. A well worn, thin handkerchief was sacrificed. It was glued to the ring with wood glue and trimmed with scissors. Total build time including glue drying was about an hour. In use it is simply pressed up against the bottom of the lamp; the magnets hold it place and it can be quickly removed.

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This picture of a shiny object was taken without the diffuser. The resulting glare makes it difficult to read some of the writing.

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With the diffuser in place, much of the offending glare is gone.

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It's not the answer to every photographing problem but it helps and its cheap and quickly made.