| Author | Thread |
|
|
12/25/2008 11:42:22 PM · #1 |
| Firstly, Merry Christmas to all! Now the question. As I further trek down the road of doing the "Strobist" thing, I have purchased some relevant equipment and next on the list is LIGHT STANDS AND UMBRELLAS. I will be shooting flashes only and have ordered the flash / umbrellas attachments to go onto the stands. I now need the umbrellas and the stands on which to place them. I do not have a studio and will mostly be doing environmental stuff so portability will certainly be important. The umbrellas come in several finishes but I'm thinking white?? I can get these things on ebay for ridiculously cheap but I'm wondering if someone can advise on the benefits of one type of stand system versus the other. Is a boom a wise idea? Shall I just get another couple or three tripods? Do I shave my head again or try matching my socks on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays? Just kidding. But seriously, I'd like to do this somewhat right and would rather get the proper gear that just fixate on price. Any help would be appreciated. Please and thanks. |
|
|
|
12/25/2008 11:59:21 PM · #2 |
I have a couple of umbrellas that are actually shoot through umbrellas with a reversable cover on them, one side of the cover is black other side is silver. So in all they are 3 in 1. As far as stands go. If you are only going to use Flash/Speedlights SB-600 or 800 You will not need anything super heavy duty. basic light stands or even tall tripods will do the trick for ya. Lowel has a few stands that are pretty compact when folded up and are pretty stable.
|
|
|
|
12/26/2008 12:20:04 AM · #3 |
| Thanks Rocko. Yeah, the idea of the "shoot thru" umbrella offers a lot of flexibility but would a diffuser not do the same trick if you needed to point the flash directly at the subject? On the stand issue, I'm thinking the leg variability on a tripod may be more adaptable than standard light stands when faced with terrain which is goofy? Is there also a size of umbrella I should look at. Thanks BTW for responding. |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 12:25:04 AM · #4 |
diffusers dont work nearly as well as they dont spread the light enough... thats why you get the umbrella: then the light is spread across the whole diameter of the umbrella and not like a 5 inch diffuser. Of course, you could just bounce off walls/cielings, but this isn't as controllable as umbrella/flash combo.
As for stands: I use manfrotto stands that cost me $45 each (i have 3 of them). The legs aren't independently adjustable but i've never had a problem rigging something under the wonky leg for balance. They weigh next to nothing and fold up to something like 30 inches which is great for on the fly shooting.
I wouldnt go for the tripod option just because the bases are so large and require more space to set up, so if youre in a confined indoor space people will trip up etc and you will sacrifice working space just for the tripod, which in my head doesnt convey any worthwhile benefits. |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 12:53:58 AM · #5 |
| Thanks Tez .....BTW ....you're photos are great. Okay, I like Manfrotto stuff as the quality is top notch and I'll certainly look closer at that. Maybe beanbags will help level out the imperfections of varied terrain or else I'll just grab a passing bunny and shove it under a leg. Any thoughts on umbrella size? |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 12:58:30 AM · #6 |
A couple of things to consider...
Umbrella - You need to size your umbrella for the size of your lights. Since you are going to be using flash, you need to consider how much output the flash has compared to the size of the umbrella. If you get a large umbrella (say a 60") and use a small flash to either shoot through or bounce out of, you are going to lose a lot of light in absorbsion and the spread of the light (the more it spreads, the weaker the light hitting your subject). Even the 40" umbrellas might be pushing it a bit unless you have larger size flashes. You want to fill your umbrella with the light. To get an idea of how your umbrellas and flashes are doing, take a picture of them and see if your umbrella is filled or if there is a dark ring around the outer edge.
Reflective umbrellas are going to give you more usable bounced light, but you are going to lose more in light spread unless you have your umbrella real close (which you probably will anyway unless you are just going for fill or a kicker light). I think it's a softer light also. Shoot throughs can give you hot spots and less diffusion, which means harsher light and stronger shadows. This is compounded if your flash is too small for the umbrella size. Sometimes a little diffusion is what you are after, so they do have a place.
White will give you a more neutral light. Silver will give you more reflective light but a bit colder looking. Gold will be more subduded and warmer looking. You can use color balance to adjust all of these to what you want, but white is a good all around choice.
You might consider the smaller softboxes for your flashes. Softboxes give you much more control than umbrellas, more "usable" light is directed at your subject while still creating soft diffused lighting. They also take up less room than an umbrella in most cases but unless you get the EZ-Up type they are not as easy to fold and stow.
Light Stands - You want a light stand that will support your light, umbrella/softbox, boom, or anything else you put on it without tipping over. Besides lights, you might want to put on a boom to hold a Light Disc, diffuser, gobo, filter, reflectors or any number of other things that having a arm with a clamp available comes in handy. I always have several extra light stands just for that purpose. I even use them to prop things against. Your light stands can be with you a while, maybe even when you move up to bigger studio lights and can use bigger umbrellas and softboxes. I also like the air cushioned light stands. I can lower and raise them with one hand because the air cushion keeps them from collasping as soon as I losen the knob. I also like the Manfotto light stands. And I think black is better than silver as they are less intrusive.
And don't forget Pocket Wizards to set your flash off too. Or some way to remotely fire them so you don't have to have cables running between your camera and flashes.
Mike
|
|
|
|
12/26/2008 01:10:05 AM · #7 |
| Thanks Mike. I'm going to be using SB-600 flashes and also will be getting a Nikon SU-800 as my master. That said, I understand the SB-600 flash has a weaker output than the SB-800 but that is not a huge issue for me at this time. Never thought of the soft box route and I'll look into that as well. It appears that "white" umbrellas will win as I now own 2 8gb CF cards and I'll be able to accommodate a shoot in raw and mess with the white balance ....if needed. Besides being black, Manfrotto has won my trust and besides, it sounds German which is always Fuken Gruven. lol. Thanks! |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 01:20:09 AM · #8 |
| For umbrella size, bigger usually means softer light (depending on distance), but one thing to consider since you'll be doing outdoor portraits is bigger also catches the wind a lot more too. I like to use my 60 inch, but if there's a good breeze I'll switch to the 40 inch. On the big umbrellas I'll flip down the wide-angle diffuser on the flash to hit more of the umbrella. I haven't tested with/without so I'm not really sure how much that helps but seems logical. Sandbags are great to have for stability, but are a pain if you're carrying your gear a good distance without a cart. I use one of those wire "granny" carts to lug the stuff around. Another alternative to carrying around heavy sandbags around a beach or park... take some plastic grocery bags and fill them with rocks or sand where you end up shooting to weigh down your stands. Have fun, can't wait to see your work! |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 02:53:35 AM · #9 |
| Thanks Marc, I'll conclude this episode with medium sized brellas and creative random items to support my light stands. The granny carts? Well, I can borrow that from my 84 year old mother. ;-) I'll post my new found skills on the site when I have something to share. Thanks to all for the insights and cheers to spending a few sheckles on stuff that will hopefully make me into a more accomplished picture guy. |
|
|
|
12/26/2008 07:44:08 PM · #10 |
Depending on where you are going and what's available naturally, instead of lugging sandbags, waterbags, leg weights, etc., lug empty bags (cordova nylon makes for good bags) and fill them with rocks or dirt or other heavy stuff on location. Then dump them back out when you leave.
Another trick for wind is to use those cork screw dog tie downs that screw into the ground and you can clip your dog to. If you have bare ground you can screen them down and run a strap from it to your light stand to hold it down. I've used them to plant my tripod down solid on the ground by putting the tripod right over one that is screwed down good and then using a tie down strap that has one of those little ratchet gizmos so I can snug the tripod down so it isn't going to move for anything. It's great for taking long exposure, panaromic shots or multiple exposure over a period of time. I read about this in an article years ago by a photographer that takes Mormon church shots. He takes one in the day and another one after it's dark and the lights come on. I think he was doing film and double exposures so he needs his camera good and solid. I forget the details on what he did, but the trick with the tripod has been real handy at times.
The other trick is to intice several friends along with a promise of pizza later and have them hold everything down... and to carry all the heavy stuff. ;D
Mike
Message edited by author 2008-12-26 19:44:50.
|
|
|
|
12/26/2008 09:56:16 PM · #11 |
umbrella size:
I use 43" umbrellas. This gives me a nice compromise of light quality and portability, as well as not getting pissed off with wind issues (although one has blown over on a band shoot). I have 3 shoot thru and 2 silver reflective. I'll usually use the shoot-thru for singles or doubles and then the reflective ones when i need bigger spread or when i need more contrasty light.
For flashes i have 2 vivitar 285hvs and one little nikon sb-24 i picked up from ebay for like $30 and a whole bunch of gels. So i dont have particularly expensive stuff, but ive never needed it (yet) and i've lit groups of 10 ppl plus.
I weigh my stuff down with whatever I have to hand- typically my camera bag, which is heavy as it contains my lenses etc- or shoes, or plastic bags filled with dirt... if it works, it works and after the shoot you wont care whether it looked dumb or not.
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 12/26/2025 12:59:31 PM EST.
