Anyone used a black bottletop on a Lastolite HiLite?

Alzibiff

Alzibiff

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Alan
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As the title says .... I want to take low key photographs at events and was thinking that the black bottletop for my hilite may be a good way to go - has anyone any experience of using one?

I guess that the big factor is the material which the bottletop is made of - how good is it at soaking up light given that the subject will only be in the order of 300mm, (maybe a wee bit more), away from it? How do you store it in order to ensure that it does not get creased? Do you need any/much post processing to make black really black?

Finally - any tips on lighting for low key using the hilite and bottletop, remembering that I am looking to shoot at events and client homes rather than in a spacious studio.

Thank you all in advance,

Alan
 
I have one but have still not used it. I have used the back of the hilite as a black backdrop for black background shots to good effect though.
 
Mmmmm - thanks Cowasaki - will do some experimenting later today - looks like there is a possibility there which I hadn't considered - was worried about the potential for reflection as the hilite back looks rather shiny - and made up of two sections sewn together.

Thank you,
Alan
 
Alzibiff said:
Mmmmm - thanks Cowasaki - will do some experimenting later today - looks like there is a possibility there which I hadn't considered - was worried about the potential for reflection as the hilite back looks rather shiny - and made up of two sections sewn together.

Thank you,
Alan
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Interesting thread this, i had the same thought regarding the back of the Hilite looking a bit shiny although Donald's example looks like it worked a treat. I have a a thick/dark black king size sheet i used to use and thought maybe throwing it over hilite would also work :thinking:
 
Mr Mike said:
Interesting thread this, i had the same thought regarding the back of the Hilite looking a bit shiny although Donald's example looks like it worked a treat. I have a a thick/dark black king size sheet i used to use and thought maybe throwing it over hilite would also work :thinking:
Click to expand...

I would say that it would do. If you buy a load of those cheap plastic spring clips that you see at B&Q and the like then pulling it reasonably tight and clipping it will reduce or remove the creases.
 
Just done a "try out", and although my model wasn't very large, he stood - sat - around 12-18" away from the back of the hilite which is where any subject would need to stand at a typical event shoot (for me at least).

First image is as it came out of the camera showing the seam across the hilite, (creases are there too if you look hard enough).

TeddyAsItComes.jpg


and the second is after a levels adjustment in Photoshop - drag of the left hand slider to meet the start of the the histogram data and then a black point selection into the brightest part of the black.

TeddyLevelsAdjust.jpg



Lighting was from two Speedlites. The first at 1/128 power to the left of the teddy as you look at the picture, flash head "snooted" with an A4 leaflet to reduce spill onto the background. Main light bounced into a white reflecting umbrella directly in front of and higher than the teddy itself.
Alan
 
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Alzibiff said:
Just done a "try out", and although my model wasn't very large, he stood - sat - around 12-18" away from the back of the hilite which is where any subject would need to stand at a typical event shoot (for me at least).

First image is as it came out of the camera showing the seam across the hilite, (creases are there too if you look hard enough).



and the second is after a levels adjustment in Photoshop - drag of the left hand slider to meet the start of the the histogram data and then a black point selection into the brightest part of the black.




Lighting was from two Speedlites. The first at 1/128 power to the left of the teddy as you look at the picture, flash head "snooted" with an A4 leaflet to reduce spill onto the background. Main light bounced into a white reflecting umbrella directly in front of and higher than the teddy itself.
Alan
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, just proves the point again that it can work fine using the rear of the hilite and a little extra PP'n
 
Mmmm - tried with a real person and although I didn't have much time, I DID manage to take a meter reading for the main light - this isn't going to be as easy as I thought.

As my teddy shot, the first one is straight out of the camera - cropped in this case

camera.jpg


and the second one.....

The histogram was already showing lots of black on the far left so in the levels dialog, just picked the lightest black with the black eyedropper and got to this....

edit.jpg


Subject looks resonably well exposed to me but the hilite background is reflecting too much light in places which is bringing things down too much maybe? How would you assess it?

The grey of the trousers looks the same as the black hilite which is why the grey trousers look black in the adjusted image. Looking at it again it doesn't look too bad a shot - just not sure on how much consistency I would get "in the field" at a proper event, using the hilite rear. Y'know - I am going to HAVE to try the Lastolite bottetop now!

Alan
 
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Probably not what you have in mind BUT,

There is a man, who had an idea, spoke with lastolite and they made it to his specs.
its Black, its 8'x7', its a pop up, and it absorbs light so well that it must be made from anti-matter!!
They are not cheap, but they are awesome!!

As an example, the only PP on this is a crop. (no time at a busy event for PP)
my boy was stood approx a foot from the backdrop ( I was testing for events)
1 light approx 2.5m from the Backdrop, 1 hairlight from top right.
Thomas_0122.jpg


If you want any further details drop me a PM
 
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I have for a couple of things including an event a while back.

p490002456-5.jpg


You really need to use some soft of back light to "rim" the subject and separate them from the gloom.

If there are any creases they show up but you can PP them out if you try and over expose the material shows up and higlights the creaes even more...

But that said it does work and you have to do some PP on a highlight even on white, especially if you use the train. You do not need to do that with the black one though :-)
 
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