What's My Next Modifier Purchase?

[smoke665]

Two monolights one with a 35" Octobox. Already have numerous umbrellas both translucent and reflective. Thinking maybe a stripbox?

 

[Destin]

I've been eyeing a strip box myself, they look nice for providing an even rim light. I'm also looking at getting a beauty dish for when I want more portable, wind proof lighting. But I don't know your needs there.

I have two octaboxes myself (32 and 48 inch). If you don't have a grid for your octabox, get one. Makes a huge difference in the quality of light and basically turns it into a completely different modifier.

 

[smoke665]

If you don't have a grid for your octabox, get one.

Oh yeah, forgot that, thanks for reminding me.

 

[astroNikon]

Only buy modifiers with grids. You'll love them, and you'll have them if you need them.

 

[tirediron]

You can always make strip boxes out of umbrellas or soft boxes... I get a LOT of use out of my beauty dish...

 

[Destin]

You can always make strip boxes out of umbrellas or soft boxes... I get a LOT of use out of my beauty dish...

Not to hijack, but what beauty dish do you use? What type of light do you mount on?

 

[Derrel]

You can mask-down a larger softbox to make a strip box.

I think you might consider some Paul C. Buff company accessories, like a 4-way barn doors set and the set of four grids (10,20,30,and 40 degree set) Paul C. Buff, Inc. - Set of 4 Grids for 7AB/R

The barn doors set is based on this Paul C. Buff - The LiteMod System "litemod" base, to which gels and the snoot are attached. With the grids, and the 4-way barndoors, you can mimic the light from many sizes of strip boxes, and control the light much more so than with a strip box.

One of the 'secrets' to using grids is to add diffusion layers! Many people will try a honeycomb grid as a portrait accent light or hair light, and find that the light is too hot, too specular, and then cease using this type of lighting. But, again, the key is in modifying the light, and adding diffusion to get the right degree of specularity from a given light. Buff sells a set of six 8" x 10" diffusion sheets here on this page: Paul C. Buff - Gels and Filters

Do not be afraid to use three or four sheets of diffusion material if needed! Diffusers are so,so important that professional studio flash systems like Speedotron make them for every size of reflector, for direct-to-reflector-snap-on. ( Speedotron mylar diffuser) I often use three diffusers on one light as a hairlight.

A reflector, a 20-degree grid or a 30-degree grid, and then two or three or four diffusion sheets, and a barn doors set makes an excellent kicker/rim/hair light solution. The key is to combine all three basic tools--the grid, diffuser, and the barn doors set. Without all three, you're just flailing in the wind. The grid helps, but the diffusion sheets modify the light; the barn doors control the exact spread of the light--something that cannot be done very much with a strip box, which is basically "one thing", and not almost infinitely variable. This system is much more-versartile than a snoot, which is a fairly crude device.

 

[tirediron]

You can always make strip boxes out of umbrellas or soft boxes... I get a LOT of use out of my beauty dish...

Not to hijack, but what beauty dish do you use? What type of light do you mount on?

Mine is a generic white, 22" dish from eBay, mounted on a Speedotron Brownline M11 head.

 

[astroNikon]

You can mask-down a larger softbox to make a strip box.

Originally I used black posterboard, with a large slot cut out, over my brollys to make stripboxes. Worked perfectly.

 

[table1349]

smoke665
Modifiers are like lenses. You buy what you need. What are you trying to shoot? What look(s) are you going for? Answer those questions and you will know what you need to add.

 

[cherylynne1]

I wanted a lightweight, portable, cheap ring light, so I purchased this: Neewer Round Universal Collapsible Magnetic Ring Flash Diffuser Soft Box 45cm/18" for Macro and Portrait Photography Amazon.com : Neewer Round Universal Collapsible Magnetic Ring Flash Diffuser Soft Box 45cm/18" for Macro and Portrait Photography : Camera & Photo

I haven't had a chance to do much more than a couple of test shots, but it has the exact look I was going for. It can be taken off camera or kept on, and it can fold up to a pretty small size for traveling. I wouldn't really call it versatile...it works best with certain types of faces and with certain focal lengths. But when you want that particular look, it's great!

 

[Derrel]

Mine is a generic white, 22" dish from eBay, mounted on a Speedotron Brownline M11 head.

Same here, generic one from e-Bay, but a 20-incher. The dish came from the factory in Bowens mount, but I bolted on a Chimera softbox speed ring (about 1 inch thick) AND behind that a Speedotron Universal Mount bracket, to allow about 2 inches longer clearance for the Speedotron Black Line flashtubes to have enough clearance for the deflector disc inside the dish. I have a shoot later today, might try to shoot a few shots with it.

These generic beauty dishes are all over e-Bay. Are they a Mola? No. But they are under $90. i bought the 20-inch model because I happened to have a Speedo 20-inch mylar snap-on diffuser in 20-inch size, so...

 

[smoke665]

You can always make strip boxes out of umbrellas or soft boxes

Originally I used black posterboard, with a large slot cut out,

Going to try this.

@Derrel I've looked at the Buff accessories, some of them tend to be a little higher in price then other sources. I like the snap on approach.

What are you trying to shoot? What look(s) are you going for?

Is I don't have a clue a valid answer????? LOL I've done very little in studio work, but I think I want to try. We have grand kids ranging in age from 2 to 22, that will be my primary subjects.

 

[Derrel]

['ve looked at the Buff accessories, some of them tend to be a little higher in price then other sources.

Well...they are well-made and part of the system, and they have tremendous versatility. Take a gander at Broncolor or Profoto system accessories, and you'll look at the Buff ancillary gear as positively a bargain! Profoto used to sell a 6-inch or so round, frosted glass globe diffuser for about $799. A cottage industry sprung up creating DIY Home Depot globes for $6 for the porch light glass globe (!!!) and $5 worth of accessory materials to mount it! Not kidding either: the globe was $799 or so!

But do consider that a grid/barndoor/diffusion system can be used on hundreds of different types of lighting scenarios. The grids give intensity and direction control; the barn doors regulate or restrict the spill AND can be used to prevent lens flares when the light is aimed toward the lens; and the diffusion sheets control the light's specularity/softness quite a bit, and can allow you to match a 7" reflector to a 3 x 4 foot softbox or 35 inch Octa's degree of specularity in portraiture.

Without grids and barn doors, the standard 7 inch reflector is not all "that" useful in many situations. As far as "knowing" what modifier to buy for what uses ahead of time, agreed, very difficult, and this is why I'm recommending a system of three Buff-manufactured devices that leverage that brand's standard, 7-inch reflector.

 

[astroNikon]

Originally I used black posterboard, with a large slot cut out,

Going to try this.

When you do don't cut it out. But use an exacto and cut the Top & Bottom horizontal lines, then one down the middle but not all the way to the top.
Like this (ignore the dots) :
|____|
. . |
__|__
| . . . . |
Then Fold it the pieces out. It kinda creates Barn Doors / one big grid to keep the light from spilling out in all directions.

hmm .. I'll try to find mine and post a pic.