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How much use do your different modifiers get?

no_surrender
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p.1 #1 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

I have mainly portraits in mind when I ask, whether in studio or outdoor group shots...

What modifiers get the most use and which ones are great to have, but mostly sit on the shelf?

Nov 17, 2012 at 01:55 AM

henryp
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p.1 #2 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

In studio for traditional lighting I generally use a soft box for my main light, an umbrella for my fill and a smaller soft box as the hair light. I've been known to swap the main light for a Westcott Halo from time to time.

Out of the studio things vary depending on each shooting situation and you have to take the wind into account. It doesn't take much of a breeze to send an umbrella sailing, light and stand attached.

Henry Posner
henryp@bhphoto.com
B&H Photo-Video

Nov 21, 2012 at 05:58 PM

hugowolf
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p.1 #3 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

I use all sorts of modifiers often: softboxes, softboxes with grids, snoots, various reflectors, beautry dishes, etc.

I don't use umbrellas much at all now. And I hardly ever use barn doors, but there are times when they are used too to direct light spill.

I do keep barn doors on a light most of the time: some clients seem to see it as a sign of a 'real' studio, perhaps from watching real Hollywood movies.

Brian A

Nov 21, 2012 at 07:34 PM

rico
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p.1 #4 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

SB for soft light, BD for moderate hardness, fresnel for hard. I only use the SB for fill, and should move to V-flats. BD and fresnel are fine choices for key in either portrait or tabletop. I rarely use my strip light, reflectors, grids, snoot, or small hard boxes; the umbrellas I might as well throw away. I always use barn doors on the fresnel, but barndoors are pretty ineffective otherwise. Flags, diffusers, bounce cards and gobos are essential (and cheap).

Nov 22, 2012 at 06:37 AM

aztwang1
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p.1 #5 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

Profoto 's my choice. Beauty Dish, White and Silver are my favorite weapons of choice for key lights and I love the use of white and black grids for both dishes. Second would be 5' Octa, 4x6 and 3x4 softbox, depending how soft and how much of the body I'm wanting to light. A toss up for second is the Magnum reflector with grids. I use 1x4 strip banks with grids for rim/edge light and use reflectors, white and silver and sometimes a sunfire to warm up the skin tone. I use white/black V-flats extensively for bounce and to take away light. IMO the use of the black side of V-flats for light subtraction is imperative and many times is a forgotten necessity. Remember there are rules to lighting and each one is made to be broken at some time and place

Nov 22, 2012 at 11:48 AM

Mark_L
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p.1 #6 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

I use a white 22" beauty dish 85% of the time. Right in tight you get the beauty dish 'look', pulled back a few feet and you get full body coverage with defined shdows that are between hard and soft. With a grid you get very focused light with a softer edge to the shadows than a reflector. It is good on location in wind and can cover a small group.

I don't use softboxes and octa boxes anymore, the light is too boring and they are a pain to use outside.

Nov 22, 2012 at 01:09 PM

no_surrender
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p.1 #7 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Any preference to the color of the BD and why? I have a 22" silver with sock...considering a grid.

I currently have one medium sized SB and one 84" parabolic umbrella in addition to the BD. After watching a few tutorials by Joel Grimes, I've been considering a second SB w/ grid, but I also want a strip bank w/ grid to use as a hair light. Wouldn't a gridded reflector serve nearly the same purpose at roughly 60-70% the cost?

Nov 23, 2012 at 04:35 AM

Waki
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p.1 #8 · How much use do your different modifiers get?

I use a 22" Mola Demi in white and with a grid about 75% of the time. I use a diffuser sock some times when shooting females depending on the model, clothing and their wishes (if shooting for them). I use Profoto and am thinking of getting a silver BD....but I really want to work with the Magnum reflector.
I have a several softboxes and both Westcott parabolics along with a few Buff PLM parabolics. All of them have diffusers which make them work a lot like an indirect octa. They stay in storage 90% of the time. One of the guys at the studio has a Larson 4x6 softbox which I have grown to like.
Mostly I shoot with the Demi, a Elinchrom 39" Deep Octa, gridded 7" reflectors and a 14x55 strip box - not all at once. I rarely use more than 2 lights at once. I use reflectors, a few V flats and flags too indoors. Outside, its Demi and a Lastolite 24x24 McNally version cause its white inside. Plus reflectors.
Sorry I got so wordy.

Nov 28, 2012 at 03:56 AM

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