Lighting Setup & Specular Highlights

[smoke665]

Stumbled across this video this morning for a V-Flat that collapses for transport. may have to try this one.

 

[JBPhotog]

V flats are very versatile and now for $195 US you can buy a portable model, https://www.adorama.com/vwvflat.html

I like the DIY one, art shops also sell the white one side, black on the other foam core if one want one to kill spill.

 

[smoke665]

I like the DIY one, art shops also sell the white one side, black on the other foam core if one want one to kill spill.

I saw the commercial one, which comes with a carry bag. I like the DYI approach. Rather then use gaffers tape though, Gorilla tape (fabric reinforced) comes in white and black and lot cheaper.

 

[JBPhotog]

I think the commercial one is a bit pricey considering the actual material costs and it’s eventual durability.

Keep us posted as to your DIY project, I’d like to see what you come up with.

 

[Derrel]

One should keep in mind that two large 42 x 72" PVC pipe frames can make a V-flat substitute that is extremely versatile light modifier: light can be shot through silks, reflected by white reflective fabric, or used as a black panel subtracter. The beauty of the flat is how easy it is to make, and how inexpensive it really is. Fabrics cost more money, but are very useful.

About 15 years ago there was a guy who used to sell a really good book online, and the book was dedicated to the so-called"scrim lighting" technique. About 40 years ago I was introduced to scrim lighting by a man named Clarence Palmer, my small town's only studio photographer. He showed a set of beautiful portraits that he had done using what were then the "new thing," and yet it was an old thing… scrims,which are also called panels. The beauty of panels is that they can be joined together with wire, tape, or clips, or clamps.

 

[smoke665]

@Derrel Ive used a smaller DYI scrim outside on occasion. DW had a nice size PVC frame that she no longer used for needle work. It snapped together and had sleeves that snapped over the rails to hold the material in place. Very easy to setup. Most times I try to avoid the direct sun now so it doesn't get used much.

After your comment a little searching and I found this. Interesting take on clamshell lighting.

 

[Derrel]

Scrim Jims are nicely made. So are panels made by California Sunbounce.
Dean Collins had his old Lightform brand of panels. There is available a PDF document called Tinkertoys or possibly Tinkertools that has blueprints for around 75 to 100 items that can be built using PVC pipe, and I believe the author of this PDF was Dean Collins himself.

That clamshell lighting set up shown in the video above took me immediately back to the 1980s and Dean Collins and his Lightform version of the same type of shoot. That same type of lighting was used very often back in the days of the Lightform panel!

 

[Derrel]

One issue that was sometimes discussed by Dean Colon's back in the day was using more than one diffusing fabric over a scrim. When one wants the softest possible light, it is pretty easy to add a second layer of diffusing material over the frame. Secondarily one can change the position of the light and reflector in relation to its distance from The fabric, which is only shown for a few seconds in the video using the Scrim Jim butterfly lighting set up.

Back into 2012 I was hired to do a headshot by an Insurance agent who was pretty much bald. I used a small soft box as my main light, and an 11 inch deep reflector with a 20° grid as my accent light, direct it in toward to him. At first I used one layer of frosted mylar diffusion over the reflector and grid , Then I added a second diffuser, and finally I settled upon using three layers of diffusing material.

This is the advantage of using a scrim as opposed to using a traditional modifier: the scrim can be fitted with one,two,or even three layers of diffusion material to get just the right quality of light. The frame can even be fitted irregularly, such as with a black mesh screen type of material to cut down on intensity, or the screen can be angled in relation to the subject, or the main light can be shot over the top of the scrim, with some raw light allowed to go toward the subject or background, but the majority of the light being directed through the diffusing material.

A scrim can even be placed in front of a soft box to create extremely soft lighting that will give virtually no specular highlights, and which will have extremely soft diffuse highlights, reminiscent of fog lighting.

Scrim lighting allows the photographer to modify the light to the situation at hand.

 

[smoke665]

At first I used one layer of frosted mylar diffusion over the reflector and grid , Then I added a second diffuser, and finally I settled upon using three layers

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding of diffusion is that it scatters light, decreases the power of the light, and has no affect on the hardness or softness of the light. I can't find the source but I thought I read somewhere that stacking multiple layers on top of each other had negligible effect on scattering the light. Conversely putting space between the layers increased the scatter. Also the last diffusion material closest to the subject would determine the quality (softness or hardness) of the light.

Lastly I'm confused when you say you put the diffusion "over" the grid rather then behind as doing so would seem to negate any modification of the pattern by the grid.

 

[Braineack]

When I chose my collapsible softbox, I had the choice of white or silver interior. I went silver since I knew I'd use it outdoors a lot and was hoping to get a bit more umpfh out of it.

 

[Braineack]

here's the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXFDGDK/ref=psdc_14014901_t3_B07FCSVDBR?th=1

 

[smoke665]

here's the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXFDGDK/ref=psdc_14014901_t3_B07FCSVDBR?th=1

Looks like a good choice. I paid twice that for a 47" from Buff. It's of better quality then the other soft boxes I've since picked up. It collapses easily, but adding diffusion and a grid make it more difficult on any of them. That's why I'm lazy and don't collapse them any more.

 

[Braineack]

these take like 10 seconds to setup, and the carry case is very nice; impressive quality for the price.

 

[JBPhotog]

At first I used one layer of frosted mylar diffusion over the reflector and grid , Then I added a second diffuser, and finally I settled upon using three layers

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding of diffusion is that it scatters light, decreases the power of the light, and has no affect on the hardness or softness of the light. I can't find the source but I thought I read somewhere that stacking multiple layers on top of each other had negligible effect on scattering the light. Conversely putting space between the layers increased the scatter. Also the last diffusion material closest to the subject would determine the quality (softness or hardness) of the light.

Lastly I'm confused when you say you put the diffusion "over" the grid rather then behind as doing so would seem to negate any modification of the pattern by the grid.

I think some clarification to that statement may in order but the entire purpose of diffusion is to change the characteristics of the light source.

If the light to subject distance and size of the light source doesn't change then effectively yes, the quality of the light from a bare strobe or one with diffusion doesn't really change the hardness or softness, with caveats. One caveat is, does the actual lamp cast uneven illumination due to characteristics of the illumination projection, think of a filament flashlight bulb. In that case a layer of diffusion will even out the illumination.

The other caveat is, what are the densities of the diffusion? Many of the budget modifiers use thinner diffusion and when coupled with a silver interior they can exhibit hot spots which will of course make them more specular. Rosco makes several different densities of diffusion all with their own unique characteristics, many are full diffusion some are light diffusion which will not affect the beam angle of the originating light source and maintain the hot spot.

 

[Derrel]

Diffusion that has "no effect on the hardness of the light"?????

Look at Speedotron's clip-on mylar difusers or the Roscoe company's diffusion Material, like Tuff Spun

Look on the web for the slanted Lens, And his review of several different Roscoe diffision materials and a -_very _ hard light.

The whole idea of diffusion is to soften and modify light. The idea that diffusion scatters Light, but does not soften it is incorrect. When light is scattered it effectively becomes a larger source, or a less-intense source of origin...therebye softening the
Light.