# Seeking advice on using beauty dish for outdoor shooting



## julianliu (Oct 23, 2013)

I am going to shoot a fashion style portrait this weekend, and I plan to use my 16" beauty dish for the first time . First time to use beauty dish as well as the grids. Could anybody who had experience of using beauty dish tell me whether it's necessary to put grid on it. And any advice on how to use it effectively?

Also I have a c stand but I feel it's too heavy to use outdoors but I am also afraid my manfroto stand may not be enough for the wind. 

I am also little nervous this time since I do not have much experience on this type of shoot and We are going to a lake I have never been before. So plus all these, I am afraid I may disappoint my model without getting good photos and lose chance of shooting for a second time, even though it's only TFCD. 

any advice would be much appreciated. 

-Julian


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## tirediron (Oct 23, 2013)

If you have a C-Stand, USE IT! Sand-bags too! There's nothing quite so sickening as the sound of gear being caught in the wind and succumbing to gravity. The use of a grid is strictly a matter of preference. A grid's purpose is to concentrate the light, that is to make it a narrow stream of light rather than a broad fan. It gives you much more rapid fall-off and harsher shadows. Because of the nature of a beauty dish, they're best used on a boom, otherwise the stand can get in the way of shooting.

This is a 22" white BD high and left, 30 deg. grid:


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## julianliu (Oct 23, 2013)

Thanks John. 

Since the light will be concentrated with grids, do you feel you need to adjust your beauty dish direction a lot when you shoot people ? 

Julian


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## Designer (Oct 23, 2013)

julianliu said:


> Thanks John.
> 
> Since the light will be concentrated with grids, do you feel you need to adjust your beauty dish direction a lot when you shoot people ?
> 
> Julian



You'll have to adjust your light every time the model moves.  Ask her to not move until you get 3 or 4 shots, then move.  Try some with and some without the grid.


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## tirediron (Oct 23, 2013)

Designer said:


> julianliu said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks John.
> ...



This.  Exactly!  ^^  Think of a gridded light as water coming out of a small hose at high pressure, and a non-gridded modifier as water coming out of a sprinkler.  If you have a skilled/experienced model, you can explain the lighting to him/her and have them flow-pose through a range leaving the light in position as you shoot, then, move the light and start over.


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## KmH (Oct 23, 2013)

Which is why paying an experienced model actually save money in the long run. 
Time is money.


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## julianliu (Oct 24, 2013)

Thanks everybody for advice. I will try both with and without to see how the picture turns out and also see how model reacts. Wish me good luck


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