Hilite: Lighting with flashes

Dazb75

Dazb75

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I know this subject has been covered to death, but I thought I would add my experience to the pot ...

I read somewhere that you light a hilite using two flashes and just placing them on the floor inside (on the plastic stands). I thought it would save space, where width is an issue, and setup time.

I tried this with two YN-565EX flashes (on 1/4 power) and it doesn't work. It only lights up 2/3 of the surface. The top 1/3 is still very muddy. Of course, this is fine if you're shooting kids or pets!

Maybe if I increase the power of the flashes, I could light the whole area, but the sacrifice is recycling times.

So, it's back to using the flashes on light stands and inserting them from each side.
 
How about the possibility of putting the stands inside the Hi-lite, in a more upright position, with the speed-lights pointing to the back of the Hi-lite, you would probably get away with this, as speed-lights are quite a bit lighter (in weight) than studio lights, so the stands will be less prone to falling over, i guess you may get some outline from the stands in the photos, but that could be sorted in PP,may be worth trying them inside the Hi-lite and see how they turn out.
 
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mike weeks said:
Should be fairly obvious that closer to the flash will be lighter and further away darker. Even if you up the power there will be a difference in power levels.

Mike
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Yes, common sense should have prevailed.
 
Have you considered getting some heavier duty spreader poles and attaching your Speedlite to them ..then point the heads into the hilite.
 
Dazb75 said:
Maybe if I increase the power of the flashes, I could light the whole area
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Or increase camera ISO....

That would still leave the issue of overlighting the bottom 2/3.

Where are you pointing the flash guns? Positioning is crucial.
 
Dazb75 said:
I am placing them about a foot in from each side and pointing them towards the middle of the back.
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Try pointing them towards the top back corner with the bounce card extended to prevent some of the light spilling onto the front.

You're basically trying to shotgun light the back surface.
 
Dazb75 said:
I was using Stofen diffusers on the flashguns. Is this a good idea?
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It can be. I've never really done A/B testing on this. Spend half an hour fiddling and see what you get.

Tip: turn the lights down while experimenting. It's easier to see uneven grey than uneven white.
 
Dazb75 said:
I was using Stofen diffusers on the flashguns. Is this a good idea?
Click to expand...

I use flagged Stofens - small piece of card so no light falls directly on the front surface.

As JR says, experiment. Small angle changes can make quite a difference. Best way is to have blinkies enabled and set exposure so they're blinking black/white around the threshold. You can see the pattern of brightness very easily.
 
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