# The Learning Begins Anew



## smoke665 (May 3, 2018)

By the time UPS delivered it was to late to try it out. 22" silver beauty dish. Still on the way is the grid. Really excited to start working this into my lighting setups.


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## mrca (May 4, 2018)

If you have any questions let me know.  I previously posted recommending testing  the various configurations in the same set up, bd, bd with sock, bd with grid and bd with sock over grid and bd with grid over sock.   Each is subtly different.   My grid is old and I don't trust it staying in over a subject so have A clamps as safeties on the upper 2/3 with none on the bottom so I can get it as low as needed.  In the previous post that inspired you to buy it, it wasn't even used for my favorite purpose,  I call it my cheekbone light. Here's a shot with one that has been berry berry good to me on dating sites.


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## smoke665 (May 4, 2018)

@mrca most people associate the beauty dish with the female glamour shot (which it does quite well) but as your example illustrates, it can produce a very dramatic shot on males as well.


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## mrca (May 4, 2018)

A woman with great cheek bones also benefits from this modifiers.   Keep that in mind when you have a subject like that.  If a subject has great cheek bones and pretty good skin, I reach for it.  A bd isn't just a little harder than a softbox but softer than an undiffused light which is nice, but what it does to cheekbones is fantastic.   It's the difference between ho hum shots and wow.    People remember the wow.   It is an example that it only takes a year or so to become an ok photographer and make acceptable images,  it takes thousands of hours to master the craft.  Learning is the key .  Here, learning what this tool can do will take your work to another level.


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## smoke665 (May 4, 2018)

mrca said:


> Learning is the key . Here, learning what this tool can do will take your work to another level.



It would be nice to have a little income from the work to pay for more toys, but it's also nice to be able to learn, shoot and do only what I want. I will do the occasional shot for friends and their kids if I find them interesting or suit the shot I have in mind, but rarely charge more than the cost of the prints they order.  Unfortunately the freedom to explore also has it's downside, as you sometimes lose the edge on things you've learned previously, by not using them on a regular basis.


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## mrca (May 4, 2018)

I try to give folks what they want initially in the shoot then shoot what I want.  Guess which they almost always like.  Keep up the learning process.   You are doing the work and will improve.   You will find the techniques you have mastered will be there in the back of your brain ready for you to call on them when they are needed.


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