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$19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
Playing around with off cam flash. Unfortunately i'm still not very good. Here are a couple from yesterday.
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>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
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>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
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>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
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I don't have any flash diffusers (yet) so everything is really harsh hard light.

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>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
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any lighting gurus have any tips?

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>> Anonymous
>>292565
I think you answered your own question.>>292562You need more light. You can tell that it's a single off camera flash. Synced flash isn't necessary either. Try to incorporate umbrellas and reflectors to spread the light more efficiently.

Also, softboxes are a nice touch too. Probably not at this distance, but anything closer to bring out the eyes in your subject.
>> Anonymous
>>292562
Yeah you really need to soften that light. Also dont like the shadow between the two sides. For me bringing the lights further to the front so the light met on the faces would've been better. Or a reflector on the front but basically I don't like the two sidelight effect.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
Obvious suggestion: Get an umbrella or two to go with your flashes.

>>292565
Not a lighting suggestion, but the angle here makes the girl on the back-right's head look weird.
>> Anonymous
>>292565

Make yourself some diffusers, duh! Also, if you want some infinite white lighting, check this out: http://vimeo.com/789519
>> Anonymous
>>292568
Just to add, I do like the criss-crossing shadows on the floor though and the light on the background, really brings the texture out
>> Anonymous
>>292558
Bokeh wonderland!
>> ANTMY !qDIAcd3vJM
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Umbrellas are nice. I have 2 white/silver wescotts that work wonderfully. However, soft boxes, and octoboxes are superior.

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>> Anonymous
these are really good!
>> Anonymous
>>292685
Please explain to me how they're better, other than the fact that octos and softboxes dont have horrendous catchlights?
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>292929
If you understand light falloff (I assume you do), the major benefits is being able to bring your "lights" close to your subject. (shoot through umbrellas are good for this too) It also arguably gives a softer look to it

Plus umbrellas aren't as directional as a softbox, they tend to scatter light around the room as well, its easier to isolate the background from showing up when you use a softbox.
>> Anonymous
>>292936
I do understand falloff. Thanks for the explanation, it does make sense to me.
>> NatureGuy !se3A3TwzdY
>>292558
>>292685

I'm liking these. I don't know too much about lighting and such to be of much use, but main detraction of the second image is the flash highlights in her eyes look bad and unnatural. The other come off as a lot more posed and less genuine.
>> ­
>>292936

a reflected umbrella is a parabolic source and won't throw light everywhere. it will also give you more control to shape the light.

all sources are good, they all work differently and have different purposes.

l2photograph
>> Anonymous
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question for you homos

i'm about to get some alien bees lights and soft boxes as well and don't know which ones i should get

i've already got umbrellas and have two 24"x24" boxes from my old set but i don't think they fit on the alien bees. anyway, i asked my friend who also has alien bees and he said i should get the strip box instead of the more squarish soft boxes.

is he just trying to trick me into getting those (because i know he will want to borrow mine) or are they really better than the squarish ones? either ones are the same price

also, what's so good about an octabox? is it just the old adage of bigger is better for soft boxes?

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>> Anonymous
>>292957

Bigger is better.
>> ­
>>292962
surface area, strip box has less surface area. you can use this as an advantage when accent lighting however.
>> Anonymous
>>292957
>>292962

Doesn't a larger softbox require more light to illuminate effectively?

I speak as someone with not much experience lighting large objects. I only have a hotshoe flash I use off-camera (lolstrobist).
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>292957
A reply for you fag,

Different mods do different things, it all depends on what you want to do.

You're going to need more than just strip boxes.

Also which bees are you getting? Remember that boxes will take down anywhere from 2/3 of a stop to a full stop
>> Anonymous
>>292957
alien bees will accept any softbox that has a speedring, and alien bees softboxes have a speedring built in, so they will work on any strobe that attaches via speedring.

For what it is worth, I have the giant softbox, and more often than not, I would rather have the stripbox because of two reasons:
1. the light is restricted but soft
B. it is easier to hide the catchlights from a stripbox
>> Anonymous
>>292971

sup queerbag

i'm doing fine with just umbrellas and the two small boxes. i don't think i want the strip boxes, they look too tight. fuck that noise

2 b400 and 1 b800

>>292982

i don't even know what a speedring is. the ones i have clamp on by tightening screws around the collar of the soft box rig. it's some made in china shit
>> Anonymous
>>292988
right, that collar is called a speedring.

alien bees have antennae on the top of the unit, and when you squeeze those antennae, it moves little grabber fingers that release/grab speedrings and reflectors
>> Anonymous
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i wouldn't call what i have a speedring, it takes ages to tighten and barely holds on to it. it's ghetto as fuck

this is what i have. it looks nothing like what the alien bees have
>> Anonymous
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>>292996
my bad, you made in china shit is not a speedring

speedrings are the closest thing that strobe companies have to a standard for mounting light modifiers

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>> Anonymous
does this mean when i upgrade to another system, my soft boxes and stuff will still be usable
>> Anonymous
photo threads that turn into gear threads are awesome
>> Anonymous
>>292565
>>292562
>>292560
You need some fill light for these.

>>292559
This was pretty good, considering you don't have any diffusion.

>>292558
Best of the lot. The shadow of her nose is quite harsh though, but there's not much you can do about it without diffusion. I like the borkeh, I don't see a lot of off camera flash shots with borkeh, everyone seems to be shooting at f/8-f/16.

Get softboxes or umbrellas and you'll probably get amazing results.
>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
>>293077
Ah, actually the first shot was available light. I just bunched it up with the rest since it was taken on the same day.
>> ANTMY !qDIAcd3vJM
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>>292929

Bouncing off a white, or silver umbrella can still give you pretty harsh light. I feel that any box will give you nice diffused portrait light. Umbrellas also are not as accurate as to where you want the light. Most of the time its just like. Durrrr, flash, bounce, illuminate, durrrr.

But they're so cheap, so you have to love them.

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>> Anonymous
if im not planning to buy umbrella or softbox or anything big, what flash-attachable equipment i should go for (like bouncer or?) to get nice and soft light?
>> Anonymous
>>293464
an umbrella or a softbox