Rolls of SOFTBOX material (white mesh)

joe mcnally swears by not using that stuff, and just uses a £2 bedsheet instead... if there's an affordable 'proper' alternative, I'm very interested too, could use some silks..
 
Kite shop - try Chalkies... kiteworks.co.uk

Arthur
 
Indeed - and it's rather good for making kites with as well - oddly enough :D
 
chandlery is always a good shout for weird stuff, a crashed kite could be a goody as its dead for them but the material is good
 
Flash In The Pan said:
So, 7 metres for a car-sized bit :naughty:
Click to expand...

yep... nice and light too, will make grip work a bit easier... I need a pretty large amount for an upcoming shoot, and getting it off the reel would save persuading the mother to sew bed sheets together :lol:

I'll request a swatch of black and white and see how it holds up to lights through it :)
 
White skirt lining from your local material shop is pretty close also.
 
This might be a totally daft suggestion, but opalescent Perspex or some other form of stiff plastic sheeting would be good for rigidity if you could get it big enough and vaguely affordable.

Have you thought about putting a curve into the bottom to help blend with the train?
 
If you're still planning to make a large illuminated background with this, bear in mind that it will cause serious wraparound lighting problems (as already pointed out to you) and will also be difficult to light evenly
 
this is actually something I have done (for once) working with a big white cloth and a pair of dead ancient flashes with shoot through brollies behind then lit with a single softbox key up front - a certain member on here.....

needs more light top right (I think I moved the light later) flare wasn't an issue but coulda been.....
fair bit of wrap there but manageable I think with practice it could work but this was quick and dirty and my first whack at white bg
 
david1701 said:
...fair bit of wrap there but manageable I think with practice it could work but this was quick and dirty and my first whack at white bg
Click to expand...

I'd say there was minimal wrap for this style of portraiture in that shot. I'd like a bit more in there, and I'd also put more softness on the front light - closer/larger, a bit lower and more central.

Personal thing admitedly, some people like quite a lot of shadow modelling but I think it's more flattering, for both male and female, to go softer. It's also much easier during a shoot in that the subject has more freedom of movement without having to reposition the lights if they are facing first one way and then the other.

How big was the background, and how far was the subject from it?
 
3 ft in front 1.5m wide ish

we were just screwing around so it needs a reflector and probably backing the key off some.....
 
Slightly off the point (sorry).

Gary, are you planning to use this in your studio instead of a backdrop with lights? If so, can I ask why?

With my studio I have a hilite, but thinking of changing to vinyl backdrop with lights. So I'm interested in finding out why you're considering the reverse.

Cheers
 
Rudesing said:
Slightly off the point (sorry).

Gary, are you planning to use this in your studio instead of a backdrop with lights? If so, can I ask why?

With my studio I have a hilite, but thinking of changing to vinyl backdrop with lights. So I'm interested in finding out why you're considering the reverse.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Can't speak for Gary, but I'm planning to get a HiLite to save space.

I reckon it will save me two or maybe three feet set-up area in width (which I really need) and the same in depth (which could be handy).

Also, because you can work right up close if needs be, the background becomes effectively bigger - better for groups and controlling wrap.
 
HoppyUK said:
Can't speak for Gary
Click to expand...

LIAR!

I'm planning to get a HiLite to save space.

I reckon it will save me two or maybe three feet set-up area in width (which I really need) and the same in depth (which could be handy).

Also, because you can work right up close if needs be, the background becomes effectively bigger - better for groups and controlling wrap.

Gary :D

OK Serious answer? I want slightly more control than I currently have. I want to cut down on ALL processing and get my shot READY FOR VIEWING in camera. It might be impossible, but I won't stop trying until I have no time to try. I can't really answer any better than that until I have my proper studio light. If they give me the additional control needed, and remove my need to process before a viewing, then I will obviously not be changing things.

Just to clarify, I do understand the need to process the final selected images, but I really want to get as close as possible in camera, which will save me a LOT of time going forward.

G.
 
HoppyUK said:
Can't speak for Gary, but I'm planning to get a HiLite to save space.

I reckon it will save me two or maybe three feet set-up area in width (which I really need) and the same in depth (which could be handy).

Also, because you can work right up close if needs be, the background becomes effectively bigger - better for groups and controlling wrap.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

My concern with the Hilite is the size (for a semi-permanent studio, not for home visits). I have the 6by7, I use it landscape as the kids move around so much and it's still not really wide enough and of course it's not tall enough for adults. I put a 3m sheet in front of the hilite which does help a lot with the size but obviously the sheet is grey outside of the Hilite.

I also find the flooring hard to work with (but getting a reflective floor will hopefully solve that problem).

So I'm trying to decide whether to stick with what I've got, swap the Hilite for the next size up or go with vinyl instead. Hmmmm
 
EdinburghGary said:
LIAR!

I'm planning to get a HiLite to save space.

I reckon it will save me two or maybe three feet set-up area in width (which I really need) and the same in depth (which could be handy).

Also, because you can work right up close if needs be, the background becomes effectively bigger - better for groups and controlling wrap.

Gary :D

OK Serious answer? I want slightly more control than I currently have. I want to cut down on ALL processing and get my shot READY FOR VIEWING in camera. It might be impossible, but I won't stop trying until I have no time to try. I can't really answer any better than that until I have my proper studio light. If they give me the additional control needed, and remove my need to process before a viewing, then I will obviously not be changing things.

Just to clarify, I do understand the need to process the final selected images, but I really want to get as close as possible in camera, which will save me a LOT of time going forward.

G.
Click to expand...

:D Thanks for your thoughts!

When you work out how to get your shots SOOC to client viewing, patent it and I'll buy it!!! Or maybe, I'll try it out, give you a review and then you patent it :naughty:

Could we see a non-processed image from your studio? I'm interested to see how much processing is currently needed.
 
Ambermile said:
Indeed - and it's rather good for making kites with as well - oddly enough :D
Click to expand...

so true i have heaps of them under my bed :), I think if i inflated one of my Waroos it would defuse the light better then my softboxes ?
lol
 
Flash In The Pan said:
So, 7 metres for a car-sized bit :naughty:
Click to expand...

Except that the further you move back from the car, the more length you need. I tried this technique for black cars (on location at night) but without perfect conditions I spent most of the night trying to keep the bloody light stands upright and holding the material. Better to use it a metre at a time and move along the car (long exposure or composited) or better still restrict its use to detail shots.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top