Making Shapes With Your Strobe?!

[brentbizozwell]

Can anyone give me some ideas as to how and cast certain "light shapes" with your strobe? I was looking at some interesting Demarchelier photos and found this gem

http://www.artandcommerce.com/DOC/AAC/Media/TR2_WATERMARKED/73/0c/33/a7/AAC260039.jpg

I just love the two rectangles he made with his strobe and I do believe they came from the the same source with a fill directly to the right of that. Can anyone tell me how I can make this and other shapes with light?

 

[Dmitri]

You can take a piece of cardboard (or anything) and cut some shapes in it, then hold it in front of the light at various distances.

 

[brentbizozwell]

Ok but do they make an actual piece of equipment that he possibly used for this or do you think he just used big black scrims?

 

[Derrel]

Ok but do they make an actual piece of equipment that he possibly used for this or do you think he just used big black scrims?

If you do a search for "cookaloris" you will find several ready-made sets from multiple manufacturers. A cookaloris is often called a "cookie".

Light Controls - Cookaloris, an Introduction...

 

[Big Mike]

I knew they were called cookies...but I didn't know it was short for Cookaloris. Thanks Derrel.

 

[KmH]

You might also check out, "cucoloris'.

Here is a brief:
Cucoloris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You might also explore 'gobo' :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobo_(lighting)

 

[table1349]

"The name originated when a girl called Lori was working on a shoot. It was an interview with some important character or other, and it was in the evening and they were losing light as the sun was setting but Lori was really taken with the shadows cast by the setting sun as it streamed in through a tree outside and into the room. As they were setting up she kept pointing it out and telling everyone how beautiful it looked. Sadly by the time they had set up they had lost the light and Lori kept saying how sad she was that they had lost all the beautiful patterns on the walls and now they were boring to her. Then someone had a bright idea to make a cookie that would give a similar effect! They quickly knocked one up with random holes and it worked giving the effect we all know and love. Lori was very happy. Then whenever they were doing another one of those shoots Lori would always ask if they could use the special cookie and they started reffering to it as Lori's cookie!

Over time the phrase mutated into the cookaloris, as it was faster to say."