Tagged Questions
4
votes
2answers
85 views
Does the diameter of openings on photographic lighting grids affect brightness?
I was kind of thinking about different grid options considering the depth vs diameter of individual openings and get to a interesting point (at least for me :-) ). Let's consider a very simple home ...
8
votes
2answers
213 views
Does this RGB-patterned reflector have benefits for digital photography?
B2Pro has announced a parabolic umbrella reflector for photographic lighting. The surface of the umbrella is printed with a hexagonal array of red, green, and blue spots:
The manufacturer makes the ...
4
votes
4answers
523 views
These photos were taken to show the different effects of light, but what's actually different?
B&H released an info-graphic today to show the effects of different lighting with modifiers, but they all look the same to me. The first photo looks different with the darker shadows, sure, and ...
7
votes
1answer
373 views
How can I light someone to make him look evil or Machiavellian?
What would be the best way to use light to make someone's face look evil, creepy or Machiavellian?
7
votes
3answers
7k views
When and how to use a push-on flash diffuser?
I've bought a cheap flash on eBay and got this fancy flash diffuser as a free gift:
So, what are the effects of a light diffuser like this one? What difference does it make to the resulting photo? ...
12
votes
4answers
469 views
Is there a difference between a large, far light source, and a small, close one?
As I was doing my reverse engineering of the lighting for this question, I wondered whether there's any discernable difference between a large light modifier far away versus a small light modifier ...
8
votes
2answers
581 views
Why diffuse a softbox?
I just read "Lessons Learned on The Flash Bus Tour" and saw this image. In it, an assistant is holding some sort of white shoot-through diffuser (I got a similar one in my 5-in-one reflector kit) ...
7
votes
2answers
418 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of grids vs. snoots for light control?
Both are, in general, used to control the area that's lit.
What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of both? When would you prefer one over the other?
1
vote
1answer
189 views
Kino Flo: should I buy 4 fixtures with one ballast? Would I need anything else?
Not much experience with Kino Flos...
Considering buying 4x of these: Kino Flo 4Bank 4' Fixture Only
And am wondering if I could get away with only one ballast: Kino Flo Mega 4Bank DMX Ballast ...
16
votes
3answers
642 views
What are the disadvantages of using a diffuser on a flash?
I am thinking of using a diffuser on my canon speedlight flash to soften harsh shadows when shooting indoors. I was wondering what the disadvantages of this might be.
4
votes
1answer
218 views
Does UV light pass through the fabric of a softbox?
Studio flash makers sell both bare flash tubes and flash tubes with a UV coating to block the UV emissions. Quite a few studio monolights come up on eBay without the UV coating, and I'm wondering if ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
What does a black reflector do?
I'm familiar with using white / silver / gold reflectors to add fill light to a photo. When would you use a black "reflector"?
11
votes
2answers
479 views
What are the lighting characteristics of a beauty dish?
How does light from a beauty dish behave, and when and why would you use one?
8
votes
5answers
1k views
What is a good softbox for small hotshoe flash?
What are the good softboxes for a small flash like a Canon Speedlite 430EX, for example?
16
votes
3answers
597 views
What is the difference between a softbox and a shoot-through umbrella?
As far as I can see, using shoot-through umbrellas is slightly cheaper than using softboxes.
Would I give up anything if I went with umbrellas?
Would it make any difference to the images I create?
13
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I achieve smooth light falloff in portraits?
I'm having trouble getting a nice, smooth light falloff when shooting portraits. If you look at the left side of David Hobby's beautiful portrait, thats the effect I am trying to achieve. I have ...
8
votes
5answers
728 views
How can I prevent light spill from an umbrella?
I've been reading Strobist lately and love the moody half-lit-half-dark effect in a lot of these types of photos. I'm a beginner and have a limited equipment budget, so I got a 45" ...
