# Lighting Setup & Specular Highlights



## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

Finally finished up editing on last shoot, and reviewing my notes on the shots. Throughout the edits I struggled with the effects of oil and sweat (location was really warm that day), and the ravages of health and age on the subjects. Based on those experiences I've made some changes:


My kit now includes a "mini" makeup kit with a few essentials (translucent powder, brush) and some of these.
 


I also found this article helpful Strobist: Lighting 102: Controlling Specular Highlights and plan on incorporating much of it in my next shoot. I knew most of this, but failed to execute, won't happen again. Several hours of uneccesary post editing have permanently etched this in my brain.
Obviously couldn't do it on location, but I'm wondering if firing a strobe with 7" reflector into large white V-flat might be a good alternative for fill?


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## tirediron (Jul 25, 2019)

Excellent article!  A lighted V flat could make a decent fill, but it needs a lot of room since you would have to have the light well back from it to get maximum benefit.  I have 72" & 84" umbrellas that make great fill modifiers, and because they're umbrellas they pack down to almost nothing...


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

tirediron said:


> Excellent article!  A lighted V flat could make a decent fill, but it needs a lot of room since you would have to have the light well back from it to get maximum benefit.  I have 72" & 84" umbrellas that make great fill modifiers, and because they're umbrellas they pack down to almost nothing...



Two 4x8 sheets of 5mm ply, hinged on one side and painted white one side/black on the other, would store easily hanging on the wall, and have multiple function. Just haven't got around to it yet. On the umbrellas, I'm really starting to rethink the softbox vs 7' umbrella with diffusion. The ability to knock down and store quickly is really appealing, plus using it as fill as per the article would require less space on the set.


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## Braineack (Jul 25, 2019)

thats why i moved to collapsible umbrella boxes and brollies.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 25, 2019)

You might also want to consider the interior surface of your modifiers. The trend these days is silver but I think that is because people "think" they want a punchy fashion look to all the people shots, ignoring the fact most of their subject are not going to be sub 25 year old models with excellent makeup.

White interior surfaces will produce flatter light, thus fewer specular highlights. A quick under exposed front shot of your modifier will tell you if it produces hot spots which will translate into specular highlights.


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

JB makes a good point about white interior in modifiers. The good case in point or some umbrellas they got years ago in the 1980s which had extremely  flat white  vinyl interiors. They gave very soft diffused light much more so than semi-shiny fabric interiors, which are much more common. These were old Gold  Star brand umbrellas I bought in 1986 and it is now fairly hard to find this type of umbrella interior. However with some looking, you can find these types of umbrellas. Yes, I think a large 7 foot tall V-flat would make a good  Fill Light,with a very large  Square inch count,and as you pointed out it requires very little storage space.

You could also make a very large scrim panel with a translucent fabric and fire one or two flash heads through that to create a very large and soft source of light.  You could also fire the flash at white reflecting fabric as well. There are a lot of ways to create a large soft light source.

As was pointed out in the Article you linked us to, A 60 inch diameter umbrella was what he was using.  A few years ago I bought a Wescott 72 inch parabolic umbrella with a silver interior. I found it extremely cumbersome to use.

There are several photography approaches that utilize two V-flats, and these are extremely versatile modifiers, since you can use one or two flashes in each flat or no flash in one.  Home improvement centers sell very large sheets of insulation board and the prices are extremely reasonable. As you probably realize a little bit of tape and two boards become a V-flat, and eliminate the need for a light stand to support the light modifier. For firing two lights into the flat I have used one stand and a superclamp and spigot on the shaft to support the second light.

As far as cutting down on specularity,I think it is about equal as far as diffusing light by using a frosted flashtube cover,  bringing the light closer, thus making it effectively larger, or increasing the physical size of the modifier, or by adding a second layer of diffusion to the modifier. Good example: the double diffusion system where a  reflecting umbrella first scrambles the light, then that light is bounced and goes through a translucent fabric cover. This is correctly known as an umbrella box; many people incorrectly call this a "brolly box", which to me is merely a shoot through of the flash tube light through a thin nylon front cover. This is single diffusion. With the umbrella box light first hits the reflecting umbrella, and then bounces through the front cover. I greatly prefer this.

There is more than one approach that will work to cut down on specularity on skin.  Removing skin oil is a good step, and dusting your subject's skin with a high-quality translucent powder that has no UV reflection capability is a good idea. A few years ago there was a brand new skin powder That when exposed to electronic flash,photographed as a ghastly shade of white. I remember seeing the red carpet photos from the Academy Awards that year and they were many Hollywood celebrities who had extreme amounts of white all over their faces!


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

I have a couple of silver reflective umbrellas, but most are white, and various white, silver and gold reflectors. The  brighter silver seems to be  to hot for most application. I also have a couple of collapsibles, that could best be described as "dull" silver, that I use frequently. I found them used in a thrift store so I have no idea if its just age or if they came that way. I've found them really helpful in minimizing red skin without the hot spots.

On the V flats about all you can find anymore is the foam core with film on one side and foil on the other, neither of which accepts paint well, and are fragile. There's another that's a fiber core with a painted foil on both sides that they use in heating and A/C, that would work well but they stopped stocking it at the big box stores.


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

As far as umbrellas go white can be sort of a shiny white nylon or it can be a flat white vinyl interior. I have noticed that the flat white vinyl interior produces softer light than the much more typical white fabric, which is often extremely shiny.when you really look at it, a lot of the so-called white interior umbrellas are a very shiny,almost silver color, and yet the manufacture or sell it describes them as white interior umbrellas. 

I have one old 1970s Speedotron metallized silver umbrella, and it gives a lot of sparkle to skin tones. It's my opinion that when you shoot with the idea of converting to black-and-white that the slightly more-specular silvered umbrellas give a better look than Duller-finished  modifiers.

Back when I was learning studio lighting in the 1980s, I learned a lot from Gary Bernstein books and one thing that he wrote really stuck with me and that is that when shooting for black-and-white he preferred smaller light sources rather than larger light sources ( which he liked for color work).


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

One idea about painting over foil is to lay down duct tape as the base, and then primer and paint over the duct tape. Another alternative is to use contact cement to lay down sheets of heavy duty craft paper, and to paint that.


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

Derrel said:


> that is that when shooting for black-and-white he preferred smaller light sources rather than larger light sources ( which he liked for color work).



You might remember awhile back I posted an experiment using the same light source at various distances from the subject to show the amount of spread and the effect on shadows.  The white foam wig head was a uniform non reflective type of surface, so I didn't really get the specular highlights you'd normally see on oily skin when moving the light back. I might need to revisit that experiment using a more appropriate subject and trying it with both color and B&W.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 26, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> I have a couple of silver reflective umbrellas, but most are white, and various white, silver and gold reflectors. The  brighter silver seems to be  to hot for most application. I also have a couple of collapsibles, that could best be described as "dull" silver, that I use frequently. I found them used in a thrift store so I have no idea if its just age or if they came that way. I've found them really helpful in minimizing red skin without the hot spots.
> 
> On the V flats about all you can find anymore is the foam core with film on one side and foil on the other, neither of which accepts paint well, and are fragile. There's another that's a fiber core with a painted foil on both sides that they use in heating and A/C, that would work well but they stopped stocking it at the big box stores.



I use styrofoam insulation boards as my V-flats. They can be had in a couple of thicknesses, mine are 2". They come in 4'x8' sheets, completely white and will not yellow like white foam board and are reasonably inexpensive. Take two of  them and either gaffer tape a hinge or as I did, get some webbed vinyl material and make a hinge which was caulked to the styrofoam(special foam caulk is required). They take paint really well so the backs are easily converted to flat black and once opened to a V or L they stand on their own.

The caveats are obvious, they don't travel well once assembled and getting them from your big box home DIY store is a wee bit challenging, drive slow and strap them down , LOL.


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## smoke665 (Jul 26, 2019)

@JBPhotog question? Any guidelines on placing your lights? High, low, dead on, and distance from?


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## JBPhotog (Jul 26, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> @JBPhotog question? Any guidelines on placing your lights? High, low, dead on, and distance from?



If the desire is to produce a wash of light, I place them pointing at the centre of the V at mid height and just far enough away as to not spill past the edge of the board. This is "the" best method for a high key set up or even background illumination. Use a light meter to check across the background for even illumination and adjust the distance of the flat if the light is too hot on one side with a drop off in the middle.

Here's a visual:


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## Derrel (Jul 26, 2019)

On the web there is a guy who has Several different videos covering the use of V-flats. I forget his name, but he has quite a few videos, and he is an older, established professional photographer. I want to say his name is Joe Edelman or something like that.


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## smoke665 (Jul 27, 2019)

JBPhotog said:


> If the desire is to produce a wash of light,




Actually thinking more along the lines of a soft fill on the subject. I've seen some shots by Lindsay Adler using a single light with large modifier high and straight on, with V-flats close on each side. Creates some really soft shadow detail with nice even transitions.

I can see where using them to light the background would help to even out the light and block spill. Ive used several different methods, one I like now is a DYI modifier that is similar to a shovel. With it I can throw a nice spread across the background but still maintain a slightly hotter spot in the center.

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like a good option, to use one up close as a background for a High Key. The V seems to provide that extra light around the edges more so then a flat background.


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## smoke665 (Jul 27, 2019)

Stumbled across this video this morning for a V-Flat that collapses for transport. 



   may have to try this one.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 27, 2019)

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.


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## smoke665 (Jul 27, 2019)

JBPhotog said:


> 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.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 27, 2019)

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.


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## Derrel (Jul 27, 2019)

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.


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## smoke665 (Jul 28, 2019)

@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.


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## Derrel (Jul 28, 2019)

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!


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## Derrel (Jul 28, 2019)

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.


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## smoke665 (Jul 28, 2019)

Derrel said:


> 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.


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## Braineack (Jul 28, 2019)

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.


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## Braineack (Jul 29, 2019)

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


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## smoke665 (Jul 29, 2019)

Braineack said:


> 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.


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## Braineack (Jul 29, 2019)

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


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## JBPhotog (Jul 29, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > 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
> ...



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.


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## Derrel (Jul 29, 2019)

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.


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## Derrel (Jul 29, 2019)

Yeah ,The grid fits inside the reflector, and the diffusion disc  is installed in front of of the grid. That is the way it was designed  to work. The idea comes from the lighting equipment manufacturer itself.

 You can check out other ways to do it, but this is the way Speedo  has designed its grids and it clip-on
Mylar diffusers. These are not cheap, crappy products, and they cost a bit of money but they last for years and years. You can also buy diffusion material by the sheet and put it in filter holders. It depends upon your brand of lights.

the honeycomb grid slips into the metal reflector. The Speedotron clip-on diffusers have three clips that attach to the rolled rim of a typical grid reflectorand they are designed to be stackable.My experience has been that the 11.5 inch deep reflector, called the "50° Grid Reflector" works very well when fitted with a 20° or 35° honeycomb grid,and one or two layers of frosted diffuser material, and the company's two-way barn doors. Their 20 inch reflector also works extremely well when modified this way. Until you have tried it,"You don't know what you are missing."

This system was designed by America's first manufacturer of studio electronic flash. This company began offering professional grade studio flash units before World War II, around 1939.  I have no idea why you have any doubts. I have been using this for a third of a century. This type of diffusing material works splendidly, and is not cheap crap.

 I am a little bit taken aback by some of the comments made in this thread about diffusing material (not)changing the inherent character of studio electronic flash. If diffusing material were so useless,then why has it had such a long long history in cinematography and in professional commercial and portrait photography ?


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## mrca (Aug 4, 2019)

Derrel, I like placing a diffusing panel over a silver panel on my 3x6 as fill.  A bit more pop with the specularity minimized.  I also keep a 6.5x6.5  on a rolling stand.  I can roll it into place with one hand and have a black on one side white on the other.  Can use with a diffuser panel and roll it in front of a light for a larger,  more diffused source.  Dean Collins was a fan of using that set up.  When I want to diffuse my fresnels to have continuous light that is diffused, that is what I do.   When it comes to controlling speculars, covered well  in Science and Magic.  A shot of me with my dreadnought Martin guitar is one huge glossy box.   Had to manage light 
angle to guitar and my face.


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## smoke665 (Aug 4, 2019)

Derrel said:


> am a little bit taken aback by some of the comments made in this thread about diffusing material (not)changing the inherent character of studio electronic flash. If diffusing material were so useless,then why has it had such a long long history in cinematography and in professional commercial and portrait photography ?



I don't think anyone is arguing that it doesn't in some manner change the characteristics of the light.  JB's explanation above was pretty good "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."

One thing not addressed by anyone is how much does space between the diffusion layers affect the diffusion effect?


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## Derrel (Aug 4, 2019)

The amount of space between the lamp and the diffusion screen is what makes scrim lighting so versatile, so adjustable to the situation. One could place the light unit very close or fairly far from the diffusion material and markedly change the nature of the light.

I think you should experiment a little bit on your own as you did with the distance experiment a few months ago. Take a diffuser panel or scrim and shoot a light through it from various distances ranging from 6 inches to about 3 feet. This will teach you an extremely valuable lesson about diffusion. I cannot possibly put into words enough to describe what you'll learn.


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## smoke665 (Aug 4, 2019)

Derrel said:


> I think you should experiment a little bit on your own as you did with the distance experiment a few months ago



Actually thinking the same, that it would make an interesting learning experiment. Will be back in this coming week, so will see what I can come up with. Also want to try a double diffusion experiment with the material stacked (no space between) and various distance between the diffusion material.


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## Derrel (Aug 4, 2019)

There is nothing quite like doing your own experiments. I am no longer able to write out lengthy and clear descriptions. larger diffusion panels are supremely versatile and can be used in many many different ways with both silk and ripstop nylon and reflective white and subtrative black fabrics. In commercially made fabrics, there are also silver and gold lame types of reflective fabric. The frames can be made from whatever material you have.

 As I alluded to above,the rather lengthy PDF document called tinker tools (or whatever) shows blueprints for well over 50 home built PVC pipe lighting devices.  I am sure that if you search for it you can find it posted somewhere on the World Wide Web.

 Somewhere I have a lighting diagram that utilizes one panel/frame and a double thickness of white silk material to create incredibly beautiful catch lights that are relatively huge on the eyeball and which uses a doubled layer of fabric through which the key light is directed and which hits the subject with diffuse light,but allows hot, unfiltered light to strike the background,which is gray paper but which is elevated up to white by way of it receiving much more light then goes through the diffusing material and because the light is  closer to the background than to the subject.  Because there are two layers of fabric where the light that hits the subject goes through, this light is soft and is diffused,and knocked down about two stops; because the light that hits the background paper is raw and un-diffused and it is substantially closer to the background than is the light that is angled through the diffusion panel, it elevates the gray up to white! I was shown this technique at a lighting workshop some years ago,and was impressed by both the beauty of the catch lights from the large illuminated scrim, and was impressed with the ability to lift a gray paper up to white, all the while using just one 400 Watt-second flash.

 Let's put it this way: a 42" x 72" large panel is a lot of square inches -- larger than a 6 foot diameter umbrella. This large of a panel will give you very soft light and will greatly cut down on  specular skin reflections. I personally am very fond of panels in this size,42" x 72", which is a good size For many uses. 42x42 inch square reflectors are also very useful.

With simple math I have determined that a panel which is 42 inches wide by 72 inches tall creates a light source that is 3,024 in.²   In terms of sheer size that is a very large light source.

One can either buy or can make white ripstop nylon diffusion panels.fabric stores sell amply wide lengths of this material, And it does not take too awful long to sew elastic retaining strips at the corners of each fabric.


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## Derrel (Aug 4, 2019)

OK I think that perhaps we are overthinking this a little bit, but then again maybe not. Some food for thought: take two diffusing panels and place them as close as possible,or use two fabrics on one panel and shine a light through them. You'll find that adding the second layer of fabric substantially diffuses the light. If howeveryou put one panel in front of the light, and put a second panel 1 foot away you'll have even softer light. The idea that a second layer of diffusion does nothing because the two are  basically touching is beyond me. I have to question the idea that the number of layers of diffusion material has no bearing on the quality of light.


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## smoke665 (Aug 5, 2019)

Derrel said:


> OK I think that perhaps we are overthinking this a little bit, but then again maybe not



Being retired has it's luxuries. LOL I just need to figure out to best show/record the results.


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## Derrel (Aug 5, 2019)

How about one photo  from four different lighting set-ups? That should be plenty, just one photo made with each of several different set ups.


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## dennyr (Aug 12, 2019)

Braineack said:


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



Nice. 
It would probably require 10 of those to equal the weight of my metallic BD


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## Braineack (Aug 13, 2019)

Served me well this weekend:







the huge 3x4' softbox doesn't hurt either...


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## Derrel (Aug 13, 2019)

All of these made in China fabric light modifiers as well as metallic beauty dishes have really lowered the price. My first soft box was 149.99 ---today  A similar unit can be bought from China for around 35 bucks; although the quality is not as good,the price of entry has been lowered dramatically!


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## smoke665 (Aug 13, 2019)

Derrel said:


> My first soft box was 140 999



$140 k+ for a softbox, must have been a good one! LOL Sorry, couldn't resist, glad I'm not the only one with big fingers.

To your comment though, yes it's possible to buy the cheap models that will work for the occasional use, but the better quality models will still run you from $150-$300 or more depending on size. While the boxes might not differ much in their ability to reflect light, things like longevity and ease of setup are much better on the more expensive models. When it comes to diffusion material I've found some significant difference between the cheaper cloth and diffusion fabrics, and with the cost difference being so small it really doesn't make sense to go cheap.


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## Soocom1 (Aug 13, 2019)

I am soooooo going to get hammered for this.... 



given that I have a small amount of experience with sewing and know my way around a Bernina, I was very much on the side of buying alot of lighting eq. for years and then someone said you could rig it a few different ways. 

some of them went away through use and a first class wind storm, but... 

Ill have to either dig out the pics or post new ones, but I home brewed a few reflectors with tripods from Goodwill with no heads, and made some frames with muslin cloth bleached white of white. 

it works.


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## smoke665 (Aug 13, 2019)

Soocom1 said:


> made some frames with muslin cloth bleached white of white.



Nothing wrong with DYI, but as in my previous comment diffusion fabrics are relatively inexpensive, and there's a wide range of types available https://www.amazon.com/ALZO-Nylon-Diffusion-Fabric-Inches/dp/B0019HZQSO to more expensive Diffusion Fabrics from Rose Brand 

I found this article interesting on the effect different materials have Diffusion Confusion - The American Society of Cinematographers


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## Braineack (Aug 13, 2019)

Many times have I thought of building a frame and stretching that over.  Would make a good outdoor scrim too.


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## mrca (Aug 14, 2019)

I keep permanently up a 7' octa.  I have attached the base of the speed ring to the rolling stand with a steel stud. That way the weight and leverage of the octa doesn't weigh on the attachment to the light and I can remove the light to use it on other stands and with other modifiers. I have a carabiner that clips to the light and stand as a safety for the light that is hung off the back of the speedring.  Moving something that size is a piece of cake on a rolling stand and setting the octa vertical, it takes up little space pushed up against a wall.   Someone mentioned using a large scrim. I do the same with a 6.5' square scrim clamped to a rolling stand.  Try wrestling that around alone.  I roll it around with one hand.  It can be covered with a black/whiter panel for reflector or subtraction or a sheer.  Or a sheer over a silver to soften the specularity as a fill.   I use a 3x6 with angled legs that is free standing that stays on the shadow side with silver covered with sheer.


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