Bokeh with stobes

[elliotedwards]

Hi TP

Me asking another question.

How do you get a nice bokeh while still using strobes? I use bx400's and at 1.4/2.8 etc I get completely overexposed images

Would using a ND filter help?

If so, what filters can I use that wont kill the bank or the quality as I've heard filters do hurt the quality of images slightly.

Id be after the square ones so I can use on all lenses as opposed to a fixed sized one.

If im completely wrong with the above, what else can I do?

Do anyone make ND gels?

 

[asphotographymk]

Less light. Move the light further away or defuse it somehow (even a gel will do this).

 

[HoppyUK]

It's always going to be a struggle getting 400Ws down to very low f/numbers. Options include:

- ND filter over lens. Easy, though more than 2-3 stops makes the viewfinder quite dark.
- Just use the modelling lights, no flash. Easy.
- ND gel over the light. Bit of a faff.

With the second two options, studio ambient light level must be very low, preferably zero.

 

[elliotedwards]

It's always going to be a struggle getting 400Ws down to very low f/numbers. Options include:

- ND filter over lens. Easy, though more than 2-3 stops makes the viewfinder quite dark.
- Just use the modelling lights, no flash. Easy.
- ND gel over the light. Bit of a faff.

With the second two options, studio ambient light level must be very low, preferably zero.

Completely forgot about ambient lighting..

I probably will go with ND Filters, they may come in handy on location too.

Does brand really matter though?

 

[HoppyUK]

Completely forgot about ambient lighting..

I probably will go with ND Filters, they may come in handy on location too.

Does brand really matter though?

Quality always matters, though for this kind of work I'd guess it may be less of a concern. There are some very cheap ND filters around and they'd certainly be sufficient to give you a good idea of what's workable.

You want the lightest ND possible to keep the viewfinder bright. Shoot Raw at lowest ISO and you could probably get away with a stop or so of over-exposure without losing anything significant - pull back in post processing. Every little helps.