Lighting set-ups.

[adamhiram]

your effective shutter speed becomes the flash duration

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this also apply to motion concerns?

Absolutely - for the Flashpoint AD360, it looks like this equates to 1/220s or faster. I used to use my camera's fastest sync speed for studio work, which was 1/200 with my old body, 1/250s with the new one. More recently, I started dialing it down to 1/125 at the advise of a portrait photographer who recommended it as a safe value for working with multiple flash systems, as not all are as responsive to faster sync speeds. As long as the ambient is gone, it doesn't really make any difference for exposure or motion.

 

[ronlane]

Guys this is some good feedback. I was reminded of the site where I could show my lighting diagram, so I quickly made one and thought I would share it here.

The one thing that I am wanting to do is make the white velour backdrop to be a black backdrop. I have about 5-6 feet of room from the backdrop to the subject and about the same to my camera. I have tried to feather the octabox away from the backdrop to help but even without the spill from the homemade snoot, I am getting light on the backdrop. It's a small space even for a living room.

Any suggestions.

 

[adamhiram]

The one thing that I am wanting to do is make the white velour backdrop to be a black backdrop.

You may need to spend a few bucks on a roll of black seamless paper or other black backdrop to accomplish that in such a small space. You may recall I attempted to do the same thing with a medium gray seamless backdrop using the same setup, and even with 8-10' of space and a grid on the octobox, there was still some spill I couldn't prevent. It's easy enough to fix in post using the adjustment brush, but in my experience that's just not enough space to prevent spill when you likely have walls on either side bouncing light.

 

[smoke665]

Any suggestions.

As I recall your background needs to be 4 full REFLECTIVE stops below the INCIDENT reading on your subject to go completely black. So if you meter for an incident reading of f/5.6 at the subject, then you'd need a reflective reading of the background at the camera of f/22. Obviously the further away from the background the easier it will be, but it can still be done. One thing you might also consider is the use of flags to block light and using a longer tube to modify your snoot. As I mentioned earlier this is a place where I found ambient light to a significant issue to overcome, because even without spill light to contend with I was having a hard time getting down to that 4 stop spread. Not surprisingly it was easier to take a black background white then a white to black.

 

[ronlane]

Thank you @adamhiram and @smoke665. This is some good information.

My plan is to purchase some black velour in the future to make it easier. But I am waiting to find some on sale and since I haven't been in a fabric store in like 10 years, i'm going to have to get my wife or mom to get it for me.

 

[smoke665]

My plan is to purchase some black velour in the future to make it easier.

Actually my memory was off just a little, it takes a difference of 4 1/2 stops to take a white background black. Here is where I did my experimentation using Dean Collins methods, and the video link. Adjusting Background LIght Study Using his methods takes a little practice to get it right, but once you do, you can make anything you want from a plain white background.

In addition to flags, grids will help to consolidate your light spread. Also you know the closer your light the softer it is, but the closer it is the less spread there is as well. Take your snoot move it up about 3' from a wall and snap a shot with it, now move it back 10' from the wall and snap a shot - compare the circles of light. It's a good visual of how light spread can increase with distance from the subject.

 

[ac12]

Thank you @adamhiram and @smoke665. This is some good information.

My plan is to purchase some black velour in the future to make it easier. But I am waiting to find some on sale and since I haven't been in a fabric store in like 10 years, i'm going to have to get my wife or mom to get it for me.

Go check out Joann's or similar.
You might get some ideas browsing the fabrics.
I got natural (light tan) muslin and one other fabric for my backdrop.
You just need someone to sew a pocket at the top to run your horizontal support through, for even support. Clamps don't work well, I tried.

 

[JBPhotog]

Thank you @adamhiram and @smoke665. This is some good information.

My plan is to purchase some black velour in the future to make it easier. But I am waiting to find some on sale and since I haven't been in a fabric store in like 10 years, i'm going to have to get my wife or mom to get it for me.

LOL, I venture into fabric shops quite often, without my wife or a female chaperone. Although this is 2018 and gender bias is supposed to be going the way of buggy whips, I do get looks from the female customers but just shrug it off, ha ha.

I am always looking for background ideas, accent fabrics, velcro etc. Black felt is a great option for killing spill or flagging a set and comes in double widths @100" wide.

 

[ac12]

Thank you @adamhiram and @smoke665. This is some good information.

My plan is to purchase some black velour in the future to make it easier. But I am waiting to find some on sale and since I haven't been in a fabric store in like 10 years, i'm going to have to get my wife or mom to get it for me.

LOL, I venture into fabric shops quite often, without my wife or a female chaperone. Although this is 2018 and gender bias is supposed to be going the way of buggy whips, I do get looks from the female customers but just shrug it off, ha ha.

I am always looking for background ideas, accent fabrics, velcro etc. Black felt is a great option for killing spill or flagging a set and comes in double widths @100" wide.

He he, I don't worry about what others think.
As far as I am concerned, a fabric store is simply another supply store.
I've gone into beauty stores, to buy a dozen nail buffers for my other hobby, where I needed a SUPER FINE abrasive pad.
Women stockings make great charcoal filter media holder for fish tanks.
I've used finger nail polish for decades, to secure small screws, so they won't back out.
And if you ever split your nail , you need to go into the cosmetic section of the store to talk to the gals about nail stuff to hold the two halves of the nail together. That HURT.

 

[JBPhotog]

I still own a silk stocking diffusion filter set I built over 30 years ago for my film days way before PS. You should have seen the look on the ladies face when I told her what I needed them for, I am positive she believed me, ha ha ha!

 

[Derrel]

Regarding "killing ambient" as an automatic or as a "given"...

Ummmm...one poster in this thread in another thread stated that he almost always turns OFF the modeling lamps after setting the lights in their position...

With bright modeling lights, and an f/5.6 lens opening, at a slow synch speed of say 1/60 second, it's pretty easy to get ghosting, and ambient light effects from powerful in-flash modeling lights. The difference between f/5.6 and f/11 is pretty major too...in the f/5.6 aperture range, there's PLENTY of light that will add to an image (often in a bad way, but at times, in a good way) in the form of either warmer, tungsten-tinged yellow tones, or even worse, a subtle "ghost" image that is formed, kind of underneath the flash image. The idea that ambient is "killed" automatically is not always the case, especially with high-intensity, quartz-halogen modeling lights that are bright.

It's ALWAYS a good idea to shoot a couple of no-flash-fired test shots, to verify that the ambient light level is sufficiently well below (meaning darken than) the f/stop and shutter speed and the ISO in use, to make darned sure that the ambient light (fluorescent, sun, modeling lights) are not affecting the exposure in some way. If on the test shots, with the flash trigger set to OFF or the PC sync cord disconnected, if there's a faint greenish or yellowish or reddish, under-exposed image visible at the ISO, f/stop, and shutter speed being used...that is going to pollute your colors...

 

[ac12]

I still own a silk stocking diffusion filter set I built over 30 years ago for my film days way before PS. You should have seen the look on the ladies face when I told her what I needed them for, I am positive she believed me, ha ha ha!

I remember those
Did you use neutral or black?

 

[mrca]

I still use a softar filter but used to experiment with a black Victoria Secret stocking material rubberbanded over the end of the lens. Also, with my Einsteins setting the modeling light to bulb, the modeling light goes off when the flash pops. Only time could encounter it effecting the color is in burst- in lower power ranges where I live, I get 6 pops per second- when it may not have time to cycle fully off. I prefer a dark studio, my last was totally dark, so ambient isn't a problem. I don't like to turn my modeling lights off on main and fill because I use them to control pupil size. They are 250 watts on the Einsteins. Also, I custom white balance then use a color checker passport on the first shot of a set up and adjust warmth uniformly in post.

 

[JBPhotog]

I still own a silk stocking diffusion filter set I built over 30 years ago for my film days way before PS. You should have seen the look on the ladies face when I told her what I needed them for, I am positive she believed me, ha ha ha!

I remember those
Did you use neutral or black?

I have black, grey and skin tone, the black was the most used. The skin tone was beautiful for a warming fog effect over the entire frame. I can not even remotely remember the brand but they were pricey and a very fine weave which made for a prefect soft filter affect.

 

[JBPhotog]

I still use a softar filter but used to experiment with a black Victoria Secret stocking material rubberbanded over the end of the lens. Also, with my Einsteins setting the modeling light to bulb, the modeling light goes off when the flash pops. Only time could encounter it effecting the color is in burst- in lower power ranges where I live, I get 6 pops per second- when it may not have time to cycle fully off. I prefer a dark studio, my last was totally dark, so ambient isn't a problem. I don't like to turn my modeling lights off on main and fill because I use them to control pupil size. They are 250 watts on the Einsteins. Also, I custom white balance then use a color checker passport on the first shot of a set up and adjust warmth uniformly in post.

My modelling lights are also 250 watt and never become an issue unless I am doing multiple pops to build exposure in large format settings where F32 and bellows extension drops the EV. Or when burning in LCD and LED panels.

I too prefer a dark studio and with 64 ISO as my base and 1/250 sync there are not many cases where contamination can occur. A light meter and WB card for post processing are standard procedure.