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Archive 2013 · Mixing strobes and sun

jayvo86
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Mixing strobes and sun

What are you guys doing for diffusion.

The shot below is a 24x36 softbox mixed with the sun, but you can see the harshness coming in from the side.

I'm thinking about hanging at medium scrim jim with a 1-1/4 china silk on a c-stand to the side when mixing with strobes.

I also think I could use two c-stands with the scrim jim over head when I'm shooting couples to soften the sun from above. (2-3pm)

I've used an 7' umbrella before, but it turns into a sail when you're not holding it.

What do you guys think?

Oct 16, 2013 at 02:45 AM

jayvo86
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Mixing strobes and sun

On this photo the sun really came out in full force.

Oct 16, 2013 at 02:51 AM

bbourizk
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Mixing strobes and sun

Don't shoot at 2-3pm...shoot later in the day and have the sun behind your subject. If you have to shoot at those times try to find open shade.

1 is a very nice shot by the way.

Oct 16, 2013 at 05:44 AM

jfinite
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Mixing strobes and sun

^This.

Oct 16, 2013 at 05:59 AM

RyanDuggar
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Mixing strobes and sun

Shoot later in day or have an assistant holding a diffusion panel to soften that sunlight or shoot in the shade.

Oct 16, 2013 at 08:12 AM

hatch1921
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Mixing strobes and sun

Time of day makes a big difference. Later in the day or early morning is much better. You'll find the light to be softer and the color saturation to be much nicer. But, if you want to shoot at high noon... that is fine as well. Open shade as suggested helps. Having someone hold a diffusion panel would make a huge difference. I use a 4x6 panel for location work. With a single subject and she is small, a 5-n-1 reflector/diffusion panel would be fine as well.

Hatch

Edited on Oct 16, 2013 at 02:48 PM · View previous versions

Oct 16, 2013 at 09:34 AM

Steve Wylie
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Mixing strobes and sun

Sometimes you can't wait until later in the day. Every year I shoot a bunch of high school cheerleaders after school (the only time they can get together for the length of time required to shoot each one). For these waist-up photos, I have one of them hold a diffusion panel just out of frame on the sunny side, and fill with a Qflash fitted with a socked beauty dish. Works great, and handholding the diffusion panel enables us to deal with any wind that might otherwise topple a stand-mounted scrim.

Oct 16, 2013 at 10:24 AM

friscoron
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Mixing strobes and sun

Agree with Steve, but we shouldn't be afraid of working with sunlight. Granted, this isn't mid-day sun but it is still pretty intense about an hour before sunset and I lit this couple with one SB-910 speedlight on a stand.

I've shot mid-day portraits with my Einstein light and a parabolic umbrella. You can get a really gorgeous blue sky this way.

Here's my sample:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/10302793525_c42ee6f27c_c.jpg

Oct 16, 2013 at 11:42 AM

RyanDuggar
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Mixing strobes and sun

I think in your example the angle of sun is hitting behind them which can actually add to a picture. His example was sun on side of her face. With that said, I agree, does not mean you should avoid time of day unless you can control it. I also use einsteins and don't mind any time of day with it. Can pretty much walk into any situation and come out lookin pretty

Oct 17, 2013 at 01:33 PM

jeremy_clay
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Mixing strobes and sun

I hit is with a softbox, a beauty dish, hell even a boring brolly..it's all about the appliction. First shot is a Softliter II from really, really close (I wanted to not interfere much with the ambient light)

http://jclayphoto.com/v1site_images/galleries/gallery352/045.JPG

shot 2 is a 60 in box, double panel diffusion (PCB)

http://jclayphoto.com/v1site_images/galleries/gallery352/001(pp_w900_h600).PNG

not loading I assume because it's a png - here's another

http://jclayphoto.com/v1site_images/galleries/gallery352/023.JPG

and here we see a barebulb, 1600 watt strobe (helps pop the reflective qualities of the cars)

http://jclayphoto.com/v1site_images/galleries/gallery355/026.JPG

different mods for the application you need!

Oct 17, 2013 at 02:17 PM

joshua grasso
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Mixing strobes and sun

nice examples jeremy

Oct 18, 2013 at 06:41 AM

jayvo86
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Mixing strobes and sun

Jeremy - Is the car shot a single exposure or did you shoot the scene then have the wedding party step in?

Oct 18, 2013 at 05:52 PM

jeremy_clay
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Mixing strobes and sun

jayvo86 wrote:
Jeremy - Is the car shot a single exposure or did you shoot the scene then have the wedding party step in?

Just one shot. My man andy_king was holding a strobe on a 16ft extension or so, almost in a beauty dsh position

Oct 18, 2013 at 06:07 PM

CW100
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Mixing strobes and sun

bbourizk wrote:
Don't shoot at 2-3pm...shoot later in the day and have the sun behind your subject. If you have to shoot at those times try to find open shade.

that's my strategy

Oct 19, 2013 at 06:39 AM

popinvasion
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Mixing strobes and sun

Your harshness is another's smooth. I don't mind the light you achieved, maybe a tad hot but not bad.

Oct 19, 2013 at 12:36 PM


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