Using a softbox

spaceriot

spaceriot

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Tori
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Hi there,

I am looking to photograph items such as cupcakes, cookies, filled cakes etc and would like to eliminate shadows and make the shots look professional. I was thinking about buying a softbox but have looked on ebay and there seems to be a lot!

Please could someone kindly point me in the direction of, dare I say it, "low cost" softboxes and also tell me the relevant lights/lamps I would need.

Many thanks,

spaceriot
 
if you have no shadows it will look scheisse,

pick a budget then we'll throw solutions at you

also what kit do you have now?
 
Take a look here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=1809721&postcount=1 I just bought one of the portable softboxes the other week from FITP, only really used it a couple of times but so far I'm well impressed :)

As for eliminating shadows david1701 is right, no shadows looks wrong. It's the light and shadows that give whatever you shoot shape, texture and form. The key thing is to get the balance right for the given situation and effect you want to achieve ;)
 
using a shiny floor can give reflections that look good, but also brings in more lighting issues
 
OK maybe I'm getting confused then with what I mean and what I'm saying!

So would I not go for something enclosed? Like an enclosed box (which I thought was a soft box)?

The link (I think) is showing a light with a diffuser then I presume I would put the items onto a floor of some kind, for example.

Here's the link to what I meant: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-90CM-90CM...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item27ad8e0a0f

Thanks again, I appreciate your help!
 
Yes that sounds about right! Thank for clearing that up! Well perhaps a softbox is more universal than a light tent then? Now I don't know which to pursue...

On Maplin I can only see this one for £39.99 but searched for "photo" as I couldn't see a photography section?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=229132
 
spaceriot said:
Hi there,

I am looking to photograph items such as cupcakes, cookies, filled cakes etc and would like to eliminate shadows and make the shots look professional. I was thinking about buying a softbox but have looked on ebay and there seems to be a lot!

Please could someone kindly point me in the direction of, dare I say it, "low cost" softboxes and also tell me the relevant lights/lamps I would need.

Many thanks,

spaceriot
Click to expand...


You certainly could use a light tent,however, here are some foodie shots, quite a few of which were taken using one of my softboxes :)
 
I personally would use a softbox (on a speedlight - but thats my style) either to one side or behind to build some shadow up then use either a reflector or a second softbox on a lower power for filling those shadows to control their depth
 
OK I think I'll have a look at some softboxes then! I think I would get better use out of in the future too.

Thanks! And the food shots are fab!
 
spaceriot said:
OK I think I'll have a look at some softboxes
Click to expand...

I have one of FITPs speedlight soft boxes if you want a close up look, as we are both in Milton Keynes, it shouldn't be a problem meeting up somewhere :)
 
Thank you for the offer, very kind! I think I'm going to go with a light tent for the time being. I wouldn't make use of the other kit at the minute.

Thanks again though.
 
You don't need to spend much money for a lighting set up that will give decent result. I built this out of a cardboard box and some white bin liners. I have used it for product type shots and also as a softbox for portraits.

4256151309_0bf623396e.jpg


here are a few shots I took using this set up

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4253962657_4dd1aed775.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/4254716306_6c1bdf025e.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4254709868_96f7900bb3.jpg

The background is a plastic documents folder.

They might not be perfect but that is more to do with my limited knowledge than a fault of the equipment used. These were my first ever attempt at this typoe of photograpghy.

I hope it shows that you don't need fancy kit to get decent results.
 
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Flash In The Pan said:
You certainly could use a light tent,however, here are some foodie shots, quite a few of which were taken using one of my softboxes :)
Click to expand...
FITP, I love the food shots and this is something I want to get into.
Can you advise me what I need.
At the mo, I have 2 Canon ettl flash guns and a 40D.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
You certainly could use a light tent,however, here are some foodie shots, quite a few of which were taken using one of my softboxes :)
Click to expand...

I would agree. I shot a cake portfolio this weekend using a single softbox as a keylight and one kill-spill to light the background. I used a folding reflector and a couple of white foam boards to provide some additional shadow fill. You have to be fairly careful not to kill too much shadow as things like icing starts to lose its shape.

http://www.andyreedphotography.co.uk/default.aspx?Title=Sara_White's_Cake_Collection

Andy.
 
Andyman said:
Just another name for an angled reflector. It gives a fairly wide cover but without sideways light spill. A bit like shining a big torch.

http://www.juststudiogear.co.uk/bowens-bw-1885-s-type-spill-kill-reflector-with-bracket.html

Andy.
Click to expand...
Actually that isn't a kill spill, it's a standard reflector. A lot of new sellers don't seem to know the difference but Bowens should in fact know better because AFAIK they invented the true spill kill reflector:)

This is a spill kill, which literally does just that - sending the light forwards but not in a controlled way

Edit: Oops, just realised that it isn't Bowens selling it
 
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