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09/18/2009 01:42:50 PM · #1 |
I shoot with work lights from Home depot. I just got a couple more to ensure i have ample light in a room. The problem I have is that in small rooms sometimes parts of the lights can be pretty harsh. So I want to build something to for softening the light (a homemade softbox). Now I'm not a lighting expert as I should be...and I've seen softboxes used with flash units...has anyone done these with continuous lights....even better work lights? I'm going to use the cardboard box, tin foil, and white muslim method. These would be used for my portrait sessions...particulary want to try it on a shooting session i have planned for tomorrrow.
Thank you, |
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09/18/2009 01:53:15 PM · #2 |
| A white bed sheet works... Some people see to use a shower curtain cloth (not the plastic ones).... |
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09/18/2009 01:54:30 PM · #3 |
Well, those lights can be pretty hot, so enclosing them in a box might be problematic.
Some ripstop white nylon stretched over a pvc frame could be placed out in front of them to soften the light, and two of those sorts of frames, or two big white foamcore boards placed in a V formation, with the open end facing the subject, and then the lights placed in front of and aimed into the v-bank. This gives a nice bounced light--and if you put the nylon screen in front of this whole vbank, you have a great softbox.
I suppose you could also hang the white muslin up and bounce the worklights off of it.
I saw one guy hang a translucent vinyl shower curtain up, and light from behind it. Can't say if it came out good or not--didn't see the shots
White sheets work well. I have heard that loose weave cloth shower curtains can work, but can also give odd interference patterns from all that grid/weave stuff.
In all of these cases, you probably want to watch your white balance--custom if shooting jpg, or be sure to shoot a reference gray card, etc, for post processing.
Message edited by author 2009-09-18 13:56:16. |
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09/18/2009 02:00:29 PM · #4 |
Ditch the box and just do it the right way. Studio lights don't have to be expensive (or dangerous). You can get a pair of these for $75 with coupon code "prostudio"
A pair of brighter bulbs would run you $17, although you'd need to set a custom white balance since those aren't color corrected.
Message edited by author 2009-09-18 14:03:12. |
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09/18/2009 02:09:01 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
Ditch the box and just do it the right way. Studio lights don't have to be expensive (or dangerous). You can get a pair of these for $75 with coupon code "prostudio"
A pair of brighter bulbs would run you $17, although you'd need to set a custom white balance since those aren't color corrected. |
Yea--MUCH better way to go, and you might find something at a local camera store that is similar. Particularly if you are doing portraits, since the hot lights will be very uncomfortable for your model, too. |
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09/18/2009 02:58:03 PM · #6 |
And you know what you can do with those lights????
If you need more power you can just make a little mod to it.
   
By the way I don't use these for actual photo shoots.
BUT I did this shot using this light (flood light) and a white 45" reflector.
Message edited by author 2009-09-18 15:44:30. |
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09/18/2009 03:03:27 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
A pair of brighter bulbs would run you $17, although you'd need to set a custom white balance since those aren't color corrected. |
Looks like they over exposed these bulbs cause I can hardly see them, hahaha |
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09/18/2009 10:24:05 PM · #8 |
I know you guys are right..but my momma always said I was hard headed...s I created one anyways just to see it and give it a try tomorrow...Here is what it looks like.
  
When I'm no longer hard headed I'll buy a couple of real lights.
I'm going to have to use a couple of other lights (2 600W lights as well). But I think I'll have ample light. Now to actually plan the shoot....man i'm a litle behind on this. |
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09/20/2009 01:06:12 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by albc28:
I know you guys are right..but my momma always said I was hard headed...s I created one anyways just to see it and give it a try tomorrow...Here is what it looks like.
When I'm no longer hard headed I'll buy a couple of real lights.
I'm going to have to use a couple of other lights (2 600W lights as well). But I think I'll have ample light. Now to actually plan the shoot....man i'm a litle behind on this. |
You know the downside to this set up is your getting a lot of light spill from behind the softbox. see here
Sure the light goes through the soft box but it also bounces off it and back onto the wall behind it. Granted as soon as it hits the wall and bounces off it it becomes softer but it creates 1 a different color of light which could throw off your WB even more, and 2 changes the direction/focus of the light where you want it.
What you could do is put a black towel over it but you might burn it up because your light gets pretty dang hot but if you could some how control the spill you might have something here.
BTW for the same amount of cash used to purchase that shop light you could have bought a flash, hahaha |
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09/21/2009 09:15:47 AM · #10 |
This is true. For that same amout of cash I could have bought one of the lights that scalvert had shown. But i already had two similar lights.
By the way, the way I controlled the light bouncing back was by the angle I had the light facing. the nearest wall behind it was too far to contribute to the lighting on the subject. It worked out pretty good. I'll show photos in one or two of the upcoming challenges. |
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