disposable softbox

[wendellt]

Been away for a while
thought i should share some technical info since im outstanding member of the year heres my contribution

shooting fashion week backstage requires lots of ingenuity since its hectic back there you need to shoot with modified equipment that is comact and disposable
i mention disposabel because buying a $700 proFoto beauty dish every country your in is not practical, nor is paying excess baggage for the item in airports around the world
saying this i have done both at least once and learned my lesson

so i made my self a softbox with 1 large square folded in half to 45 degrees and two cut triangles and gaffa tape
i figured just as long as the diffusser material in this case nylon is about 25 to 30cm away from the flash head thats a good mini softbox the design
rule* the more distance from the diffusser material to flash head the softer the light is

pocketwizard and sb800 attahced and you got all you need, after the event i trashed the thing

here is the thing, my assistant james demonstrates


here are examples
in photoshop curves adjustment highlight bias and of course cloning tool to smooth out the skin but just a little bit, suffice to say not much work

in most of these the light is held relatively 1.2 metres away from the subject and from studying the angle of the shadows under the chin and nose or the highlights in the eyes you can determine the position
sb800 flash always set to manual 1/32 power which is more than enough flash for this close range stuff, obviosuly when shooting full length i go to 1/8th

im shooting around at 1/125 f4.5, ISO320 but settings are relative to each picture
also if you want to check you can just check the camera data on each image i cant remember exactly what i used

[PiroStitch]

great work and two thumbs up for disposable light modifiers Still remember the softbox you put together on the train earlier this year!

[Geoff]

Interesting and informative Wendell, thanks mate.
You are outstanding! (and unique!)

[wendellt]

you know whats funny wayne

that triangle bit was the same bit of cardboard i used last year at fashion week
and whats testament to this is that piece of cardboard lasted through sydney, new York and New Zealand over the span of 9 months

and whats odd is that i use the expensive profoto stuff all the time in the studio but compare the results to the sb800 you cant tell the difference same qualioty of light

only difference between a sb800 and an expensive ProFoto strobe is power output, consistency and speed of flash bursts but for basic stuff sb800 and home made modifiers kick ass

thanks guys

[sheepie]

...that piece of cardboard lasted through sydney, new York and New Zealand over the span of 9 months

Come on Wendell - admit it, it's your brand-new studio equipment after you gave it a 'durability' test

You're getting amazing results these days Wendell - always a pleasure seeing your work, and getting an insight into the methods used. I gotta say though - I don't get why they keep choosing models that don't look 'normal' (that first one is a great shot, but she scares me a little ).

[wendellt]

thanks sheepie

if you want a serious answer its that people are bored of atypical barbie doll 'pretty'
fashion is cutting edge so the more exotic or alien looking the model the more edgy it is, and designers like that
gone are the days of perfect symetrical models like Linda Evangelista

and not to mention its a quick backstage shot when shot properly everyone is gorgeous

[surenj]

Damn maybe you should have posted before I bought the Golden Eagle kit!! Nice shots as usual...

[biggerry]

perfect symetrical models like Linda Evangelista

yep, that first model is definitely not symmetrical, those ears are not level

*goes away to check own ears*


thanks for sharing the howto - always helpful to plebs like me....

[Alex]

Fantastic work, Wendell! Thank you for sharing the details. Very clever.

Alex

[karenkwan]

Haha THAT IS AWESOME!! I love it!
The pictures of the models are great too I love fashion/beauty shots *thumbs up*

I should really purchase an external flash and do that too!

[radar]

Great work Wendell and thanks for the insight.

I wonder what the guy behind James is thinking as he is holding is fancy LiteDome platinum series

cheers,

André

[rex]

wouldnt it be practical if we use a ready made softbox like the guy holding at the back. seems to be a collapsible softbox. it doesnt look too expensive and i dont think its too heavy to add weight on your luggage when travelling, than spending time assembling DIY softbox. unless you left it at home. ( just asking. forgive my english guys).

[Grev]

I love seeing the DIY stuff.

I am currently doing this DIY beauty dish, will post pictures when I'm done with it (if I'm ever done...)