Strip light for key light for profile pictures

[gossamer]

Hi,

I have a D500 with a 24-70mm and I'm trying to set up an environment for taking profile pictures / headshots for a few friends. I also have two Flashpoint XPLOR 600s with two Glow 36" octoboxes and an SB700 flash for lighting the background.

I purchased the Fovitec 14x62 strip softbox with the Bowens mount and, while it worked well with my XPLOR 600, it's impossible to disassemble. It's just set up in a spare bedroom, so I can't leave it up permanently. Do you have another that you recommend? Maybe something from Glow?

This is the setup I've created:

The image doesn't show the camera in front of the subject. Is this the setup you use for profile pics / professional headshots? Here's a picture I took with this setup:

Comments and criticism welcome (and appreciated!)

 

[tirediron]

Is your title a typo? You say strip light for key, but the diagram shows it as the rim... Looking at the image, I would ditch the rim altogether.

 

[gossamer]

Ah, yes, I meant strip light for rim light.

You believe I should eliminate the "gridded rim light" entirely, and just use the key light with a reflector and the background light to illuminate the background?

 

[smoke665]

When I think of rim light I think of a light behind the subject that creates a line between the subject and the background and definitely not in competition with the key. I've never been a fan of unexplained light on the fill side of the face. Additional lights should complement each other, not detract. As Tirediron said eliminate the rim as placed.

 

[tirediron]

If you look carefully, your rim light is actually providing more light than the key. You can try dropping it 1.5 - 2 stops, but I would likely just kill it, pull the key a little left and be done.

 

[adamhiram]

If you’re looking for a new strip box, I have a Glow EZ Lock 12”x56” strip box that I really like and would definitely recommend. It collapses like an umbrella, and other than removing the deflector plate, you don’t need to disassemble anything to store it, and can even leave both diffusion panels and grid on it. My only complaint is that it’s a bit large for the speed lights I use it with, but you shouldn’t have any issues with your XPLOR 600 lights.

You can see an example of it here, where I am using an almost identical lighting setup.