Help- first time using parabolic umbrella for a glamour shoot - advice

[Foxtrot_01]

Hello,
I just purchased an impact 7' parabolic umbrella, prior I have used rectangular softboxes for my shoots. I was hoping to get some advice on the positioning of the parabolic umbrella, this is a full body shot, as per the model her best side is the left side.
I have a home studio, model is 6 feet away from the backdrop(black or white). I'm using 2 flashpoint 320m monolights for the parabolic umbrella and a rectangular softbox as fill and using a third strobe with barn doors for hairlight. The fill will have to be one of the rectangular softboxes.

Any advice overall and/or on positioning of lights is much appreciated.

 

[Derrel]

A 7 foot umbrella creates a very large light source...indoors it well might not require you to use a separate fill.

This image was one 7' white Wescott umbrella camera right and one flash fired off the corner of my living room. Desaturated using the "Gameday" preset in Lightroom.

Note how much fill there is on the shadow side of the face...the umbrella was 6-8 feet from him. Speedotron flashes. Each probably at 200 Watt-seconds or less.

 

[Foxtrot_01]

A 7 foot umbrella creates a very large light source...indoors it well might not require you to use a separate fill.

This image was one 7' white Wescott umbrella camera right and one flash fired off the corner of my living room. Desaturated using the "Gameday" preset in Lightroom.

Note how much fill there is on the shadow side of the face...the umbrella was 6-8 feet from him. Speedotron flashes. Each probably at 200 Watt-seconds or less.

Thank you for the response, I have a flaspoint II 320m 150W will this be enough for the 7' parabolic umbrella?

 

[Designer]

Hello,
I just purchased an impact 7' parabolic umbrella, prior I have used rectangular softboxes for my shoots. I was hoping to get some advice on the positioning of the parabolic umbrella, this is a full body shot, as per the model her best side is the left side.
I have a home studio, model is 6 feet away from the backdrop(black or white). I'm using 2 flashpoint 320m monolights for the parabolic umbrella and a rectangular softbox as fill and using a third strobe with barn doors for hairlight. The fill will have to be one of the rectangular softboxes.

Any advice overall and/or on positioning of lights is much appreciated.

I agree with Derrel; you won't need another light for fill. Start with positioning the large umbrella at about 30 degrees off the axis of your lens. Increase the angle in steps until you get the ratio of light to shadow that you want. Probably 45 degrees will be the optimum. You might consider using your third light on the short side as a bare bulb for some modeling highlights.

 

[Derrel]

Your 320M will be enough...you might not even need to use it at full power!

 

[Foxtrot_01]

Your 320M will be enough...you might not even need to use it at full power!

I was afraid that at 150W might not be enough so I panicked and ordered a Godox 400W.

 

[Derrel]

Well...you'll soon have another flash,that's always a good thing.

 

[JBPhotog]

A V-flat white side facing the model can add nice even fill from a large modifier. If your local hardware shop sells 4'x8' white Styrofoam insulation panels, they are perfect for building a V-flat and indispensable for in studio lighting. The 1.5" or thicker panels work best at staying upright when placed in a V.

 

[Derrel]

Home Depot, Lowe's, etc have these insulation boards by the lumber, in most cases.

 

[JBPhotog]

Yes, bought mine at Home Depot but had to roof rack them home, make sure you secure all edges and drive slowly otherwise you'll be picking up styrofoam shrapnel on the edge of the road. I have a few flat reflectors in the 2" thick and a few V-flats in the 1.5" thickness. I painted one side of them flat black to double as negative Phil, LOL.

There are various methods to form a flexible hinge between two styrofoam panels. I used some moderately thick black vinyl from a fabric store and glued it to the edges of the board with LePage PL 300 caulking, it is designed to not melt the styrofoam.

 

[fmw]

The large umbrella will provide very soft lighting. Get it as close as you can to the model without under-lighting the composition. Use white or silver reflectors for fill. The distance depends on the amount of fill you want.

 

[RobertFoster1977]

Use Proper Studio Lights. Lighting has the potential to make or break your product photos. There are three main types of studio lights: Fluorescent, LED and Tungsten. Fluorescent lights are energy-efficient but have a low output of light.

 

[choidavid]

Using 1 light and creating fills/shadows with V-flats is the best way to learn studio lighting. Experiment with the distance between the subject and the backdrop, as well as the subject and the light. Turn off all the lights except for the key light and spin it around the subject from all possible angles. Use the white/black side of the flat to create fill or even darker shadows on the subject. This was what my professor taught us in my first day of lighting class. And probably the best lesson in photography I ever had, as it applies to understanding and 'manipulating' natural light!

 

[choidavid]

Use Proper Studio Lights. Lighting has the potential to make or break your product photos. There are three main types of studio lights: Fluorescent, LED and Tungsten. Fluorescent lights are energy-efficient but have a low output of light.

It's true. There's a reason why pro equipment are priced so highly -they maintain power and temperature like no other. With cheaper strobes you will notice power change and temperature shifts, which means more time in post.