EssentialPhoto

Garry Edwards said:
It may be worth pointing out that the stability requirements for hotshoe flashguns when used on a boom arm are very different to the requirements for studio flash heads.

And as for photographers recommending particular products in promotional videos - well, that's called advertising:)
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1. Glad you recognise the difference.
2. Like you turn threads into Lencarta adverts, for example.

Garry, I've no wish to argue with you any further.
 
HoppyUK said:
Stability comes from the size of the footprint, and careful set-up with weight directly over the front leg and the counter-balance.

My Manfrotto 420 Combi boom is big, heavy and stable, but it's not a C-stand. And it's more stable than some C-stands you can buy for similar money.
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I am glad you are happy with your Manfrotto, they make very nice gear. I use one of their pods.
 
Had a play with the beauty dish this morning. It's my first decent go with the strobes, too. Oh wow, I love strobes and modelling lights! Being able to see exactly where light is landing makes life SO much easier!

Anyhow, I promised a sample with the beauty dish. This is straight out of camera. No sharpening or any other adjustment applied.

Silver Beauty Dish by JennyGW-Photography, on Flickr
 
:thumbs:

Nice light. Just to confirm, that's a 55cm silver BD. Distance? With/out diffuser/grid? Cheers.
 
HoppyUK said:
(y)

Nice light. Just to confirm, that's a 55cm silver BD. Distance? With/out diffuser/grid? Cheers.
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Thanks, Hoppy :) With grid, no diffuser, about 2.5 feet and it's silver. I was expecting a harder light, but I'm loving this!

Sadly, I received a stripbox instead of an octabox, but I'll test tomorrow when they replace it. I think combining the dish and box will give the balance of fill/shadow I'm aiming for.
 
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JennyGW said:
1. Glad you recognise the difference.
2. Like you turn threads into Lencarta adverts, for example.

Garry, I've no wish to argue with you any further.
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And I have no wish to argue with anyone...

All that I did was to point out that boom arm attachments are inherently unsafe. I know, because I bought one once, when I didn't know any better. Nowhere in this thread have I linked to either of the Lencarta boom arms, or even mentioned that they exist, so I really don't know what I've done to justify your comments
 
JennyGW said:
Thanks, Hoppy :) With grid, no diffuser, about 2.5 feet and it's silver. I was expecting a harder light, but I'm loving this!

Sadly, I received a stripbox instead of an octabox, but I'll test tomorrow when they replace it. I think combining the dish and box will give the balance of fill/shadow I'm aiming for.
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I was too, that's why I asked really. Cool :)
 
Not as harsh as I had expected . It seems like you love it , which is good .
 
Octabox up and going now.

Strobist: Beauty dish with grid camera left and high and close for accent. 120cm octagonal softbox camera right, level and set back for fill.


Portrait by JennyGW-Photography, on Flickr
 
Have you tried polystyrene insulated board as reflector for that kind of shot, instead of a fill-in light? Very handy, known as 'flats' like these that came up on google http://i.ebayimg.com/t/3x-Poly-Boar...00/s/MTAwMFg2Njc=/z/YG0AAOxydlFSyG3T/$_35.JPG

From Wickes etc £9 http://www.wickes.co.uk/Polystyrene-50mmx600x2-4m/p/210802
Paint one side black, seal the edges with gaffa tape, supported in a cycle stand £10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PORTABLE-INDOOR-OUTDOOR-ROLLING-BICYCLE/dp/B008RYAUDS/ref=sr_1_23?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1397651728&sr=1-23&keywords=cycle stand

I'm liking the light in this low-key b&w one Jen, from your Flickr. What did you use for that? Generally speaking, one of my lighting mottos is 'less is more' :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jennygw/13846453463/in/photostream/ Edit: not sure that link works, image ref ending 463.
 
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HoppyUK said:
Have you tried polystyrene insulated board as reflector for that kind of shot, instead of a fill-in light? Very handy, known as 'flats' like these that came up on google http://i.ebayimg.com/t/3x-Poly-Boar...00/s/MTAwMFg2Njc=/z/YG0AAOxydlFSyG3T/$_35.JPG

From Wickes etc £9 http://www.wickes.co.uk/Polystyrene-50mmx600x2-4m/p/210802
Paint one side black, seal the edges with gaffa tape, supported in a cycle stand £10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PORTABLE-INDOOR-OUTDOOR-ROLLING-BICYCLE/dp/B008RYAUDS/ref=sr_1_23?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1397651728&sr=1-23&keywords=cycle stand

I'm liking the light in this low-key b&w one Jen, from your Flickr. What did you use for that? Generally speaking, one of my lighting mottos is 'less is more' :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jennygw/13846453463/in/photostream/ Edit: not sure that link works, image ref ending 463.
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Hi Hoppy,

I have never tried that before, but I'm very interested in it. Have you seen these videos from Thorsten Ott?

https://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157640700700044/

Omg, Wickes! Never thought of them, and a cycle stand. Would never have thought of that, ingenious. I'm not sure I have the space needed. The way I'd like to do it is using the panel you suggest as a reflector and passing through a similar sized diffusing panel. Love how Thorsten has done this. Thanks for the tips on how to put it together! Any ideas on the diffuser panels? I've seen a few DIY efforts, but none that I would be brave enough to attempt.

Thanks for your kind words on my portrait. I love that light, too. Agree, the simpler the better. That's a 55cm silver dish with grid and no diffuser about 3 foot from victim and bottom of dish about top of head high.

Working though my Speedlite setups with new strobes the afternoon, jeez it's so much easier! Want to find a Speedlite with a modelling light, lol

Any chance of seeing some of your work, Hoppy?

Cheers,
Jenny
 
Hoppy, that idea of yours is awesome. I could put one against my side walls and wave goodbye to the horrible breeze blocks as well as adding light fill / control. If I could email you a beer I would, thanks!
 
Not really my idea, but thanks anyway :) Flats are cheap and easy and very effective for full-length, and take no space stored against a wall. The point really is that reflectors are so useful, like having an extra light in some situations. The fold-up white/silver ones are v good too, with a stand for easy and accurate positioning.

Glad you're getting on with the Elinchroms :thumbs: For any newcomers reading, studio heads are ten times easier than speedlites for learning, with a modelling lamp to show what's going on with the light. Plus with studio heads you get fast recycle and you can hammer them all day without overheating.

I don't post many of my own pictures, just the odd couple to illustrate technical points really. TBH I don't shoot much personal stuff these days, it's all work related that is either totally boring (like lens test targets) or for clients.
 
Quality of light is looking good(y). What's your thoughts on the products then? Is the softbox as good or well finished as one from broncolor or profoto with the ability to stand up to heavy use or more suited to weekend warrior/ semi-pro? Of course if you never put it away there is also much less wear and tear- factors like that are also worth considering for those purchasing.
What about the beauty dish? How do the grids look- quite tight?
 
Dr_O said:
Quality of light is looking good(y). What's your thoughts on the products then? Is the softbox as good or well finished as one from broncolor or profoto with the ability to stand up to heavy use or more suited to weekend warrior/ semi-pro? Of course if you never put it away there is also much less wear and tear- factors like that are also worth considering for those purchasing.
What about the beauty dish? How do the grids look- quite tight?
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I would describe the gear as economical. I looked around a lot before choosing these items, I had a very clear idea for the style of photography I wanted to achieve, too.

Take the 120cm softbox. This was £59, the Rotalux is £250. Mine works, it's at a standard I can work with right now. For £59 perfection is unlikely. I don't particularly like the way the box is build with two pieces making up the main part of the box, but as I will very likely only have to assemble it once, it's not an issue. If I was looking for portability I would have bought umbrella style softboxes, which are more expensive. The interior is a "bubbly" silver for added diffusion and there are 2 baffles, these were all important to me - after hot spots with Speedlite boxes I researched this a lot. The box also came with a grid included and this was key for me, too. I love grids and I would need a really compelling reason to ever buy a box without a grid again - or any other modifier that will take a grid.

On other reviews I've read I have been amazed how some togs seem intent on bashing their kit about to see how much of a beating it will take. As far as I can tell, as long as I don't use it as a giant Frisbee it should last long enough. If your name is Kai and you work for Digitalrev and are likely to freeze it or torch it with lighter fuel, then this is probably not the box for you.

So far I have just used the box for fill and it gives a beautiful, soft and even light. Would I recommend it? Yes.

The 55cm silver beauty dish, at £99, is of a similar standard of build to the softbox. The grid is not as tight as I would have expected, but the slight gap on one edge doesn't affect light in use. I tested the light facing it flat against a background and the pattern of light and fall off matched what I expected with no unevenness around the edging. Add the grid and it's stunning. Although the grid gobbled up about 2 stops of light, even with 200w/s strobes this wasn't an issue for me - dishes aren't generally used from a long way away.

I really like some contrast and drama in portraits and the beauty dish gives this in spades. It does this without any nasty hot spots in a way I would call "positive light", not too soft, not too hard, just right!

Bottom line, I'd recommend it.

Both the dish and the softbox came with a standard Elinchrom adapter ring, they are also available with the Bowen's s-fit.

Early days for me with these mods, very pleased with them so far.

You can save a small amount by ordering their products via Ebay where the delivery is free, their website places a small charge.

Dealing with EssentialPhoto aka PixaPro was great. No hassle, a photographer on hand to answer any questions I had. They even sent a follow email to see how I was getting on once I'd got my gear. The tog and I had a good chat about all things lighting. Relaxed, friendly and professional was my experience.

If you've any questions, please fire away :)
 
Thanks Jenny

Good to know- there's always shades of grey when it comes to gear with lots of great value products out there as well as the cheap, nasty and throwaway ones. Sounds like it's worth including them as a contender in any purchasing decision:).

On the subject of caring for gear- there seems to be a lot of ex-baggage handlers out there- I used to do some work with a photographer and the gear was launched around the place and set up with the kind of care and coordination that a 2yr old has:eek:. I'm not saying it takes me 10mins to put up a light and modifier but he did seem very hashy- not a patch on Kai though:LOL:
 
Dr_O said:
Thanks Jenny

Good to know- there's always shades of grey when it comes to gear with lots of great value products out there as well as the cheap, nasty and throwaway ones. Sounds like it's worth including them as a contender in any purchasing decision:).

On the subject of caring for gear- there seems to be a lot of ex-baggage handlers out there- I used to do some work with a photographer and the gear was launched around the place and set up with the kind of care and coordination that a 2yr old has:eek:. I'm not saying it takes me 10mins to put up a light and modifier but he did seem very hashy- not a patch on Kai though:LOL:
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hehe, thanks Dr_O, glad you found my bleary-eyed write up helpful. That Kai is a danger to himself :D
 
Here is an example of a beauty dish being used in a 'non conventional' way. We'll come back to a more conventional setup in a minute.
Complete with an explanation by the photographer
The way you light depends on what you want to highlight
Let’s move now to another example, which demonstrates that light alone can be responsible for a picture’s success or failure…
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legs.jpg

I’ve always found that legs were among the nicest opportunities on Earth for photographers to study form and volume, but there again, lighting will have to be just right.
You may sometimes be able to get a decent picture of this kind of subject matters using a single light source, but two lights are needed for a real 3-D rendition. What mattered for this picture was of course to highlight the jewellery – preferably in a fairly subtle way, meaning that the jewellery should not be seen at first glance and from a far distance, but should nevertheless appear quite quickly once the viewer has discovered the beautiful shapes and textures of the legs. Rendering volumes and textures in the best possible way was essential.
A Lencarta beauty dish covered with a honeycomb grid was placed at left in a fairly high position, in order to fill the shadow areas of the legs at left, and mostly to brighten up the jewellery’s darker areas. Then a large softbox was placed at top right of the set, which was meant to create this highlight on the back leg and to brighten up mostly the bottom rows of the jewellery as well as the front portion of the two legs.

The very worst thing to do when entering a studio – unless you are already a very experienced photographer capable of “seeing” the best possible lighting set-up without even switching any light on – is to start lighting your subject matter with a light at camera left and another similar light placed symmetrically on the camera’s right side. That alone will kill all possibility of seeing any true tri-dimensionality.
I always say that a photographer is worth what his shadows are worth.
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Typically though, a beauty dish is used with the subject directly facing the light source, and with the beauty dish set high. What this does is to create the right shadows in the right places, it creates emphasis on the eyes, on the cheekbones and the lips. Unfortunately though it also shows up every pore, every skin defect, every imperfection in makeup too, so we tend to use it only for young models who have the right physical qualities for this effect.

This shot is fairly typical,
D3A_0893-re.jpg

There was also a second and third, gridded beauty dish on the hair, but that's pretty irrelevant as it didn't in any way affect the lighting on her face etc.

And here's an example with just a single light source, a 70cm beauty dish with no honeycomb grid.
lauren1.jpg


Of course, there was some additional light here - the daylight. But this was controlled by using the flash at a power setting that produced considerably more effect than the daylight.
 
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