I just bought some profoto gear and also purchased a photoflex 3x4 softbox and the profoto 22" white beauty dish. I know that the beauty dish is a somewhat alternative to a softbox and is much easier to set up and deal with. I'm not to keen on the softbox since I shoot mainly location lifestyle, action, sport type stuff. However I'm concerned that I will need the softbox for some reason. I would like to return it since I hate setting it up, etc. Not to mention I couldn't afford the Chimera after all of the lighting gear purchase so I also don't want to be viewed as unprofessional by using "photoflex".
The question is, can I get it least 90% of my shots that require some soft lighting with the 22" beauty dish? I also assume that if I need further diffusion I can get the profoto diffuser for it.
Anyone's advice opinions appreciated.
Matt
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Matte;
I use beauty dishes for almost all people shots as I see the shadow shape and structure follows the subject better than a boxes non uniform shadow shape created by the non round source. Some boxes offer cutouts that mask the box into a round source shape which is a practical solution to have both.
I stopped using box lights as main sources many years ago as I prefer the wrap of a strip light into a Styrofoam board, and the direction and specularity of a light source that is smaller yet closer to the subject. I do use the box for under plexi light for table tops though where they are practical.
Most of my shots though leave the Plumes and others to collect dust. I just bought some additional beauty dishes, and large Fresnels to put heads into , again farther away from box lights.
I switched to using the Photek softlighter, the 5" umbrella with the softbox-like front scrim and haven't gone back to a box since. People shots look better, to me, with the round catchlight in the eyes vs a square one, and the wrapping of the light from the soft bounce of the umbrella is just beautiful.
I also use a Norman 22" beauty dish with a scrim cover to also get a similar light to the Photek set up.
Boxes have their place, but too many people think that is the only way to go. There are so many different types of light modifiers that one just hase to experiment and find what they like.
Thanks for the response Neil. I've looked over your website before when you replied to a post a while back. I really admire your work. If you don't mind answering, I would ask how your lighting setup was on shots #1 and #3 in the beauty section of your site. The first one is the woman wearing the black beads without the shirt and the third is the frontal portrait with a somewhat soft look to it.
I stopped using box lights as main sources many years ago as I prefer the wrap of a strip light into a Styrofoam board, and the direction and specularity of a light source that is smaller yet closer to the subject. I do use the box for under plexi light for table tops though where they are practical.
Most of my shots though leave the Plumes and others to collect dust. I just bought some additional beauty dishes, and large Fresnels to put heads into , again farther away from box lights.
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Hi Neil,
I too am trying to get away from a 6' (tough to transport box) and use softer wrap-around lighting. Also more creative additional lights. Could you expand on your post:
1."strip light into a Styrofoam ": How, where and alone?
2 "specularity of a light source that is smaller yet close": With a beauty dish?
3 "the Plumes": What are they?
4."Fresnels to put heads": What is special about the fresnels?
Asher ,
If you put a strip light whether a box light or true strip light into a foam board at an angle about 45 Degrees , then use the board as the light it provides a wrap around light yet has a higher intensity where the light is closest to the foam. It's more liquid light than a box can do, but requires high power flash to do so. The other strip lights are Profoto, Broncolor, thin lights with linear tubes in 60 or 120 cm lengths. They can be run at the same angles as soft strip lights but take up no place at all. They can also be used close up to the subject but then have to be carefully placed as the light can be hard. Is it Denis Dubler who uses 3 120cm strips to form a triangle to do most all his beauty shots?
Yes the beauty dishes can be smallish light sources if placed farther away, yet as you bring it closer it becomes a wrap light yet retains that specularity that makes the skin live that a box light can only do if the distance is quite far. If you have modeling lights when it's right it sings. There are some beauty dishes that allow a grid over the flash tube to give the center portion that specular light meanwhile maintaining the dishes size to fill at the same axis. A good idea, yet I haven't tried them yet.
Plumes are one of the best light-boxes made. Super lightweight and flat. Others sometimes have better spill control, and heat resistance yet the wight of the Plumes and ease of set up makes them good choices for many studio or location shooters.
Fresnels are focusing lenses that have an adjustable mirror distance to lens that controls the angle of the light with a nice fall off around the edges. So it can be very hard light like the old B&W cinema films, or if they are close the relative size makes them a sort of soft light very specular yet you can control fall off and the edges keep their fall off.
Matt:
I had to go look, it's been 2 1/2 yrs. since I posted that site.
Photo 1 was probably done with a few beauty dishes on the background paper, a large strip light to the right perhaps into a foam board, and a smaller (30x115cm) to the left fairly close hence the harshness. There is probably a small lightbar (60cm) set vertically to reflect in the jewelry.
Photo 3 is the beauty light set up with a fresnel at or around the camera, 4 umbrellas to light the background and flagged with foam boards, a fill of some sort to pick up in the jewelry.
Shot 1 negative 160 VC, shot 3 Provia both on Hasselblad +150mm.
Thanks so much for the effort you put into your substantial answer. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll use it for reference!
For clarification re "box light or true strip light into a foam board at an angle about 45 Degrees , then use the board as the light it provides a wrap around".
Did you actually mean that the light is mounted into the foam board so that it lies, withing the foam board at an angle of 45 degrees, or else that it is mounted flush and that setup is used 45 degrees to the subject? The latter seems to be the most obvious, but perhaps not!
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