What is it?

plastii · Sep 1, 2009

I went to my friends wedding few days ago and I saw the main photographer using some kind of flash/strobe. The banquet hall was pretty dark and in addition to his off camera speed light (bracket) he was triggering another source of light it looked like a big white bulb on very high stand. What is it? Just another flash/strobe? Not sure.
Thanks

Jaszek · Sep 1, 2009

maybe it was a flash with a Gary Fong Diffuser?

plastii · Sep 1, 2009

It wasn't Gary Fong. It looked like big light bulb.

GeneralBenson · Sep 1, 2009

Could have maybe been a bare bulb studio head. Can you describe anything about it or how it was being used...?

Ejazzle · Sep 1, 2009

i know what youre talking about. it looks like a big light with just a bare bulb?

THE DARKROOM :: The Blog of Josh Letchworth Photography

plastii · Sep 1, 2009

Ejazzle said:
i know what youre talking about. it looks like a big light with just a bare bulb?

Pretty much, but it's triggered by pocket wizard along with on camera SB-800. It has to be some kind of strobe, but I'm not sure. I was trying to find some info on-line but can't find anything. The photographer used in in low light condition (in the church and banquet hall) using very high stand (about 10 feet).

table1349 · Sep 2, 2009

Sounds like a strobe on a stand pointed up with a white scoop diffuser. Sorry, can't find a photo of one right now. I'm not a wedding photographer, but they are pretty common among the wedding shooters.

JerryPH · Sep 2, 2009

One doesn't really need them anyways. 95% of the reception halls that I've done are so dark that ambient is somewhere between ISO 1600 to ISO 3200 and F/1.4 to F/2.8 at shutter speeds between 1/25th to 1/80th. You do not want a large light source... I just use a couple of SB-600s somewhere between 8-13 feet off the ground set to something between 1/8th to 1/16th power. Sometimes if the place is a little brighter, I set it to 1/4, but never higher.

The idea being that you never want to overpower ambient, just supplement it. When overpowered, the shots just look "blech" plain.