Reflectors

[Manfred M]

For video, I have a set of Dedo Lightstream reflectors, which are great for lighting interviews or small music videos: just one light source is needed and then you bounce the light from there using a variety of reflectors with different diffusion levels. The #1 reflector is almost like a mirror and the others get progressively more diffuse and soft as you go up the number scale. The idea is that you take advantage of the inverse square law by effectively increasing the distance from the light source to the subject, providing a much more natural light with better fall-off. I've experimented a few times with using the smaller reflectors as fills for still photography, and they're pretty good for that as well. They can be mounted on a magic arm on a tripod or a C-stand so you can adjust the height and angle. There are some videos on youtube, look up Dedo Lightstream or the competing and very similar products CRLS (Lightbridge) or K-flect. They're really designed for video but work well for still photography.

Brad - the question that Bruce was asking is how to do this on the cheap, based on what he owns.

Commercial video lighting, like the Dedo line is an expensive proposal and far outside of what most of the members would look at investing for still photography. I did a quick price check and the Dedo gear looks like it runs about twice as much as the top of the line ProPhoto gear used by high end commercial still photographers.

From a fundamentals standpoint, I agree that video lighting can be used for still photography. The physics that underlies both is identical. A flash, whether it is a studio flash or a small flash (speedlight) send out a very bright, but very short duration burst of light.

Video lights don't push out nearly as much light, but have to do it continuously. This is why these lights tend to be more expensive that photo lighting, especially when it comes to "cool" lights that are using LED technology. The "hot" lights on the other hand can be far less expensive, but are particularly unpleasant to use in portraiture because of the high levels of heat they generate; unpleasant to sit under and heavy duty leather gloves are required to adjust them to prevent burns.

I formally trained using both types of lighting and would suggest that continuous lights are okay for still-life work, but are not the ideal solution for portraiture.

[rpcrowe]

I don't use more than one (independent) reflector when shooting portraits. My primary use would be for clamshell or beauty lighting; using a beauty dish (or a Joe Demb Flash diffuser and a hotshoe flash) over a camera and using a reflector beneath the subject to open shadows on the face.

Using a reflector to open shadows outdoors is effective but can become a two edged sword. If the sun is very bright and you have the reflector close enough to the subject to open the shadows the reflected light can become uncomfortable for your subject and cause the subject to squint. The bright light of the reflector can also cause the pupils to contract and become abnormally small.

You are often caught between the Devil and a hard place when using reflectors outdoors on a windy day. The reflector can catch the wind and become a sail. This is O.K. if you have an assistant holding the reflector but, if you attach the reflector to a stand, you need to weight down the stand with a sandbag or other weight. I mostly shoot alone with no assistant to hold the reflector...

When I say "independent" reflector, I am excluding reflector/diffusers attached or used with a flash - such as the Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Professional. I am a happy user of Joe Demb's products.

I especially like the Saucer FlipIt for portrait work. https://www.dembflashproducts.com/products/saucer/

IMO: combined with a Clear Diffusion Section, I think that the light is quite soft and flattering.

Here is a portrait done with a Godox on-camera flash in manual bounced into the Joe Demb Saucer FlipIt as the main light source with no reflectors other than the Demb Saucer used...

[bhurley]

Commercial video lighting, like the Dedo line is an expensive proposal and far outside of what most of the members would look at investing for still photography..

Understood, but I was really talking about the reflectors, not the lights. I do use a Dedolight LED (which like other LEDs doesn't get very warm but you're right it was expensive, about $1,200 Canadian), but it's the reflectors that are the innovation here; the 25 x 25 cm reflectors run about $115 Canadian each. Because they can eliminate the need for extra lights, the total cost ends up being pretty reasonable: one light and three reflectors can replace a four-light setup with no need for add-on diffusion. I also got some small 7 x 10 cm reflectors for about $50 each that can be used as spot fills and are portable enough to bring on outdoor shoots.

[Manfred M]

Understood, but I was really talking about the reflectors, not the lights. I do use a Dedolight LED (which like other LEDs doesn't get very warm but you're right it was expensive, about $1,200 Canadian), but it's the reflectors that are the innovation here; the 25 x 25 cm reflectors run about $115 Canadian each. Because they can eliminate the need for extra lights, the total cost ends up being pretty reasonable: one light and three reflectors can replace a four-light setup with no need for add-on diffusion. I also got some small 7 x 10 cm reflectors for about $50 each that can be used as spot fills and are portable enough to bring on outdoor shoots.

A few years ago, for $100 Cdn I bought a light stand, small flash bracket and shoot through umbrella. Much better value that $115 Cdn for a 25cm reflector. I never use anything that small for portraiture. Still life work, yes.

[rpcrowe]

I purchased a used Sunpak MS400 studio strobe along with a used Chimera Medium (36x48 Inch) Softbox for $125 USD on my local craigslist. Although the size and weight of this unit makes it primarily useful for studio work, it is a wonderfully large and soft light source for a minimum price.

I also purchased a large beauty dish and a very decent Chinese studio strobe along with a Century stand for $100 USD from the same seller.

If you have access to an urban Craigslist or other Internet sales site (other than eBay) and if you know your equipment and also have patience, you can get some very good bargains in lighting equipment. The local Craigslist has far fewer viewers than eBay and the competition is not quite as great making the pricing more advantageous for the buyer. Also when buying an item that is large or very heavy like the 600 Watt Sunpak Studio Strobe, the cost of shipment of an eBay item can be immense.