Over a stop more lighting for pennies . .

[xpatUSA]

Pardon me for posting trivial stuff here

I often shoot small items for illustrative purposes right here at the computer desk under a single desk lamp with a 13W (actual) CFL in it. Long ago, the white plastic insert had already hardened, cracked, crumbled away - leaving the brown "bakelite"-colored shell as a dysfunctional reflector (brown light, anybody?).

Recently I restored a Fender Champ guitar amplifier that had chromed bits that were rusty and definitely past polishing. So, I bought some chrome-finish spray paint which worked quite well.

Today, there was a tiny "click" in my brain and off I went to fetch the said spray can.

Before, at 14" from the lamp: 440 lux.
After, at the same distance: 935 lux.

Log2(935/440) = 1.1 stops . . not bad, eh?



Background, FYI, Singer Gazelle, Rover 100 and a good serving of Sigma green/magenta blotching . . .

[chauncey]

You spray painted something...what. I'm lost here.

[xpatUSA]

You spray painted something...what. I'm lost here.

Here y'are:

[Manfred M]

Had you used white paint, you would have ended up with a nice diffuse light source at a cost of a touch less light.

[xpatUSA]

Had you used white paint, you would have ended up with a nice diffuse light source at a cost of a touch less light.

Indeed, Manfred.

Fortunately, I managed to mottle the surface a lot and get a few runs into the bargain, so that might help