Getting a flash head low

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Mossberg

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What is the best way to get a flash head low? The lower height of the stands I have won't allow me go low enough to position the lower edge of my softbox at floor level. Do I need a C stand and boom arm?

I am trying to photograph someone stood, but struggle lighting their lower legs/feet. Unfortunately, actual floor space isn't allowing me to move the light further away.

Thanks in advance for your help.

M
 
A tripod with the post inverted?
 
If it is for a one off shoot then lean it over onto a low foot stool or coffee table, it'll be reet.

If you anticipate the scenario will be more common then a huge softbox, 1.6m will cover the whole body and allow you to continue using the existing equipment you have.

If the requirement is for a highlight on a shoe or specific detail then a speedlight on a stand placed on the floor should suffice.
 
I use a pair of low level Manfrotto stands or lay a long softbox on its side.

Maybe this offering from Lencarta will do the job - it's cheap enough. (y)
 
Sky said:
I use a pair of low level Manfrotto stands or lay a long softbox on its side.

Maybe this offering from Lencarta will do the job - it's cheap enough. (y)
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Yes. I bought mine via eBay, made an offer of £23, which they accepted, post free, so even cheaper https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/336080957139
The specs don't seem to give the minimum height with the column in place, it's 48cm.

I used to use a pair of them, with 140cm strip softboxes attached, with the column at max height the bottom of the softoxes would just touch the ground, which was perfect
 
Read my thread on the godox iT32
 
A roll of diffusion material suspended (I suspend it with a C-Stand and boom positioned horizontal with the roll on it, hanging down the desired distance) where you wish to have the face of the soft box, with a strobe on a stand several feet behind this diffuser, it will make the function of a very large soft box minus the soft box sides. position the light so it fills the diffusion material to the size needed, and you will achieve a result similar to a large soft box. If you have a large size 5 way reflector, you can do the same by removing the outer cover. The center scrim with a light behind it will achieve similar.

Charley
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes. I bought mine via eBay, made an offer of £23, which they accepted, post free, so even cheaper https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/336080957139
The specs don't seem to give the minimum height with the column in place, it's 48cm.

I used to use a pair of them, with 140cm strip softboxes attached, with the column at max height the bottom of the softoxes would just touch the ground, which was perfect
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This looks like an ideal solution.
 
CharleyL said:
A roll of diffusion material suspended (I suspend it with a C-Stand and boom positioned horizontal with the roll on it, hanging down the desired distance) where you wish to have the face of the soft box, with a strobe on a stand several feet behind this diffuser, it will make the function of a very large soft box minus the soft box sides. position the light so it fills the diffusion material to the size needed, and you will achieve a result similar to a large soft box. If you have a large size 5 way reflector, you can do the same by removing the outer cover. The center scrim with a light behind it will achieve similar.

Charley
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Thank you Charley. Unfortunately my available space wouldn't give me the space to do this, and I was using a grid on the softbox. However, good call on using the 5 in 1, I never thought of that!
 
Mossberg said:
What is the best way to get a flash head low? The lower height of the stands I have won't allow me go low enough to position the lower edge of my softbox at floor level. Do I need a C stand and boom arm?
Click to expand...
Low stand or boom both work. Or if you've got something like a triflector, remove the reflector bit and use that.

Or - and I do this quite often - angle a white reflector on the floor and bounce a spot off it from above / behind / beside the subject. Just make sure no light spills where you don't want it.
Mossberg said:
I am trying to photograph someone stood, but struggle lighting their lower legs/feet. Unfortunately, actual floor space isn't allowing me to move the light further away.

Thanks in advance for your help.

M
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You didn't actually ask this, but .. using two lights to light different parts of the same person can get really messy. You could probably make one work:

1. Have your light lower in line with the camera. Make sure it's double diffused, or
2. Feather your softbox. It's possible (if fiddly) to light someone full length with a small softbox.

If you do add a second light then make sure it's either on the camera axis or in line with the main light.
 
Thank you Juggler,

I'm lighting from the side and trying to get the full height of the person. I'm trying to create shadow and I have a 35x160cm softbox with grid, but the hight of my stand is stopping me getting it where I want it due to the floorspace I have available. I have tried tilting it down, but then I get too much light at the top.

When I think about it, if a boom can be used to get the lower light, that could be useful. That would allow me to use a light above for different moods too.
 
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In that case, I don't think that the Lencarta stand will do the job for you - I specifically designed it for the 140 x 30cm strip softbox, a longer one needs a higher stand,
It depends on light positioning, if the softbox(s) can be at a bit of a distance then, even with a honeycomb attached, the light spread would cover the whole of a human body and would allow the use of a higher stand, I used to have a lot of example shots, sadly lost due to a hard drive failure, and weirdly there don't seem to be any Lencarta videos on its use.

A boom arm would be a big help if you have the space, and a parrelogram boom arm, which allows the angle to remain constant when the height is adjusted, would be even better but would require much more space and money,
 
It's quite possible to light full length with a small softbox or your gridded stripbox and an ordinary stand. Have it highish and close but aim it slightly in front of the subject, i.e. at their feet. I've finally found an unretouched single light example - a 140x30 cm gridded stripbox - but haven't managed to find a pull back to show the set up. You can just see the corner of the softbox top left. Note this wasn't the final setup either, I actually pointed it downwards slightly further.

Note the rim light is ambient - mixed daylight & tungsten

SRC_3273.jpg
 
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TimHughes said:
A tripod with the post inverted?
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Just a compact tripod, legs spread out if needed and $2 spigot adapter will do

Manfrotto also has a small floor stand if needed. Last time i looked amazon had best price
 
You can buy a base, essentially the foolding feet of a light stand, a short tripod extension these run about 6 inch up to maybe 18 inch. With this you can make either a very low tripod, or a low light stand.
 
Mossberg said:
Thank you Juggler,

I'm lighting from the side and trying to get the full height of the person. I'm trying to create shadow and I have a 35x160cm softbox with grid, but the hight of my stand is stopping me getting it where I want it due to the floorspace I have available. I have tried tilting it down, but then I get too much light at the top.
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If you are getting too much falloff (too much light at the top), then just pull the light back...

But a (proper) boom stand is nice... a C-stand with grip arm is kind of "in-between."
 
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sk66 said:
If you are getting too much falloff (too much light at the top), then just pull the light back...

."
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Unfortunately I cant pull it further back due to lack of floor space, which is frustrating
 
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