Lighting Kit Plans

geebs2006

geebs2006

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Ok after reading up on stuff posted in my other thread I have decided to buy the fllowing so far to get started out in "On Location" portrait, fashion etc type shoots:

1 SB900 Flashgun (to be used on and off camera)
1 light stand
A 33" diffuser to aim flash through

Am I on the right lines/likely to get good results with this or is there any other gear I should be looking at?

Brain is mince after reading alot on lighting in the last day or so :lol:
 
You planning to trigger your flash from your camera? If not, some wireless triggers might be an idea. Umbrella bracket to mount your flash?
Sometimes I think it's wise to start with only one light. You can do a lot with it while really learning along the way. And with that in mind perhaps you could add some sort of reflector, as those are versatile and so can be very useful. I think Flash in the Pan sells that sort of thing in the Classifieds part of the forum.
 
On location usually means outdoors.

If you are planning to shoot indoors then you should be fine, but outdoors you will lose a heck of a lot of light with a shoot through diffuser. Indoors, all the light spill gets reflected back from walls/ceiling and adds to the exposure as well as softening the light further. Outside, it just evaporates for no benefit.

I would use a silver umbrella or at least a solid white one. Even better, maybe one of the shoot-through/softbox brollies that Flash In The Pan is selling here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=157807
 
Ok so for outdoor - I could do away with the diffuser and get a reflector instead or the other items you have suggested?
 
TBH outdoors I would use one of the softboxes that FITP is selling at the top of his page.

Main reason is that they are efficient. You might have a big gun there but it's like a candle in the wind compared to the sun, and you'll need every drop of light you can get. You certainly cant afford to waste any, or you'll end up with the diffuser virtually on top of the model to get a decent exposure level. Even those little softboxes will make a pocket flash gun work very hard outdoors, and will struggle in bright sun.
 
so get something like the Ezy-Fold Softbox from FITP?
 
HoppyUK said:
TBH outdoors I would use one of the softboxes that FITP is selling at the top of his page.

Main reason is that they are efficient. You might have a big gun there but it's like a candle in the wind compared to the sun, and you'll need every drop of light you can get. You certainly cant afford to waste any, or you'll end up with the diffuser virtually on top of the model to get a decent exposure level. Even those little softboxes will make a pocket flash gun work very hard outdoors, and will struggle in bright sun.
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Hoppy, I am a little confused. Are you saying to use a softbox in sunlight or not ....genuine question:shrug:
 
Bruce120 said:
Hoppy, I am a little confused. Are you saying to use a softbox in sunlight or not ....genuine question:shrug:
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Yes is the short answer. You will need as much flash power as you can get, and my guess is that a small softbox will be best for that.

Direct flash will give you enough light with a powerful gun, if you shoot close at maybe 5-10ft, but as soon as you start to soften it with any kind of reflector, difuser or light shaper, you spread it and reduce the intensity substantially.

A 60cm softbox is quite small, so that's good for a higher light output even though it won't be as soft as something bigger. It also has a silver reflector which collects all the 'spare' light bouncing around the inside and forces it out of the front. With that combination working for you, you're in with a chance.

When it's dark I'll try and do some tests with various brollies and reflectors and see what the flash meter says. I haven't got a softbox like FITP sells, but I've got a small 65cm studio version somewhere which should be similar, plus a few brollies etc.
 
FITP does a 80cm Softbox - would that be ok or would 60cm be better?

And also, what stand would I need to hold the 80cm softbox that FITP sells?

Sorry for all the questions, new to all this :)
 
geebs2006 said:
FITP does a 80cm Softbox - would that be ok or would 60cm be better?

And also, what stand would I need to hold the 80cm softbox that FITP sells?

Sorry for all the questions, new to all this :)
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If I was buying, I'd get the 60cm version. a) because it will be brighter, and b) they are unstable enough as it is, even in light breeze.

Actually, that's another good reason for a softbox in preference to a brolly - they have better aerodynamics. Seriously, you try working solo outside with a brolly on a stand - flippin nightmare :eek:

Use a regular lighting stand - read FITP's thread in For Sale - I think there's some reference to stands. I weight them down with anything I can find, equipment bags mostly, attached with bungees.
 
geebs2006 said:
FITP does a 80cm Softbox - would that be ok or would 60cm be better?

And also, what stand would I need to hold the 80cm softbox that FITP sells?

Sorry for all the questions, new to all this :)
Click to expand...

7Dayshop do the Konig stands, these are good I think FITP was trying to source them
 
With the SB-900/D90 combo you could use CLS to trigger the SB-900, but being an optical system you need line of sight between the onboard flash and the 900, which either means having the light to camera-right, or mounting it backwards on the stand to use it camera-left.

It's also worth noting that the SB-900's foot is too big for a lot of hotshoe mounts, which is one of the reasons I include the clamp-type coldshoe with the softboxes I sell.
 
Bruce120 said:
7Dayshop do the Konig stands, these are good I think FITP was trying to source them
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Konig stands are pretty decent for the money, considering you get free delivery and a carrycase as well for the £11 that 7dayshop charge for them.
 
HoppyUK said:
...When it's dark I'll try and do some tests with various brollies and reflectors and see what the flash meter says. I haven't got a softbox like FITP sells, but I've got a small 65cm studio version somewhere which should be similar, plus a few brollies etc.
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As promised, a few tests to see how much light you get out of various brollies and a softbox, shooting outoors.

Flash gun was a Canon 580EX on full power, zoom head set to 35mm, everything is at ISO400, and the distance from reflector surface to flash meter 2m.

First the naked flash, fired direct, gave f/16.9 (that's 1/10th of a stop shy of f/22).

Firing into a 33in silver brolly dropped that to f/11.6 - 1.3 stops down on naked.

Firing into a 33in white brolly dropped it another 0.7 stops f/8.9 - 2.0 stops down on naked.

Firing through a 33in transluscent umbrella lost 0.4 stops more at f/8.5 - 2.4 stops down on naked.

Firing into a 65cm (26in) softbox - without any supplementary diffusing panel inside - gave f/11.2, which is 1.7 stops down on naked.

Fitting the flash with a Stofen diffuser inside the softbox, to spread the light more evenly for a better result lost another 0.5 stops at f/8.7, which is 2.2 stops down on naked. (Stofens normally lose more light than that, but the softbox collected the spill from the sides and 'recycled' it.)

I also took the flash indoors and did identical tests in the living room - light walls and white ceiling - and they were all 1-1.5 stops higher than outside.

These tests are only a guide, and things can change quite a lot depending on things like bigger/smaller umbrellas, how far they are positioned from the flash, setting of the zoom head etc. But at least they are like for like as far as I could manage.

Conclusions:
The moment you move outside, you lose at least one stop of light.

A silver umbrella or small softbox is most efficient, only losing 1.5-2 stops over direct flash. That's workable if it's not bright and sunny.

A white or shoot through umbrella loses 2-2.5 stops. You'll need a dull day for that.

Bearing in mind that a daylight exposure in bright sun would be 1/200sec (x-sync) at f/22 with ISO400 (sunny 16 rule) only a powerful hot shoe flash fired direct can equal that at 2m range.

So if if want to go head to head with nature, and even beat sunlight to get those atmospheric dark skies and backgrounds, you will need studio flash power of 400 Joules or more. But if you wait until the sun goes down, you're in with a fighting chance :thumbs: Dull days are good for strobists ;)
 
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