Make Color Correction "Gels" that fit like the strobe caps (or something similar) that come with the WL strobes and still allow for the connection of soft boxes. Dealing with softboxes and color correction is a nightmare for me..something simple would be a godsend.
the simplest way and safest way to do this is to cover the front of the softbox with sheets of gel cut from rolls of gelfrom Rosco or lee. Simple clothes pins do a good job of attaching the gels to the softboxes. If you don't have a company that caters to movie, television or stage production in your town you can order the gels through Calumet Photographic.
E-Vener wrote:
the simplest way and safest way to do this is to cover the front of the softbox with sheets of gel cut from rolls of gelfrom Rosco or lee. Simple clothes pins do a good job of attaching the
You can get by with less expensive sheet material when fixed to the inner baffle of the box
PeterBerressem wrote:
You can get by with less expensive sheet material when fixed to the inner baffle of the box
Agreed. 20x24" sheets do a great job, but I'll even use 12x12" sheets by clothespinning them to the softbox or octabox ribs right where the speedring connects to them. Even with the big protruding bulb covers of my Profoto heads they fit fine and don't melt unless I'm running the modeling lights on full and it's a really low-transmission gel.
One of the cheapest and most indispensible accessories I keep in my studio or camera bag are these little Lowel Gel Jawz. I use them for everything; including draping cloth, suspending products, you name it. About a buck and a half each clip.
BTW, Lowel also makes some really nice gel frames, which collapse very small. Not so good for softboxes but great for standard reflectors, speedlights and hot lights.
Very often I will just use a couple of the clips and just let the gel hang. Other times I'll just quick tape a piece of gel to the inside of the diffuser or the front of the inner diffuser if I'm in down-and-dirty mode and in a hurry. At times the gel might cover only a small portion of the center of the diffuser. Really depends whether I am doing critical color balance or just salting to taste.
E-Vener wrote:
and only do that if you have a fan cooled head, preferably one that blows air from the back and out around the flash tube and modeling lamp.
new here. Spent a lot of time wandering through this thread for some simple info on the PLM... just wanted to see some samples. Wasn't terribly interested in the technical merits of the lights or how people are using them. It works how you need it to or it doesn't. The light looks how you'd like it to or it doesn't.
my 86" PLM is pretty solid in make and I like the carrying case. Unfolds/folds and mounts/unmounts in seconds. Is a little heavy on the business end but if you're supposed to choke the light up into the umbrella it works fine, you just have to take some weight off of the umbrella side so it can slide into the mounting hole easily - tighten in and it's a heavy umbrella (big deal). Is very efficient - in the linked photos I'm at f/11, 1/8 power and the light is about 6-7 ft from subject (iso 200, barebulb AB800). With the diffuser I lost about 1.5 stops so I'm at f/11, between 1/4 and 1/2 power. Whether it's focusable or a true parabolic or whatever... it's a $80-100.00, 6 ft light modifier that puts out a nice light. Seems comparable to the ProFoto 7ft octo that I've used and from the samples I've seen is close enough in light quality to the Broncolor or ProFoto for 1/60'th (or 1/10'th) the price (I think my math's right). Believe me, if my business model supported buying these name brands I would probably do it because the make and true usability of the higher end stuff is warranted in their price but alas..... I'm on a budget and the Paul Buff works how I need it and looks like I want it. Using it outdoors, not sure, I would guess it would need to be a pretty still day... I think it's better suited to staying on a stand in a studio. My guess is it would fold outside of itself pretty easily if a gust came along, not to mention falling over (even if weighted down).
Images are jpegs straight out of the camera, no adjustments or sharpening.
I like your shots - the no diffuser version just pops more. There is a slight color balance difference. I have never tested a shoot through nylon from anybody that doesn't lower the color temperature by about 200°. Thanx for the comments.
I really want to see someone use one creatively... so far all the examples are pretty standard boring lighting... not that they're bad photo's, just not that exciting.
Lighting details; Elinchrom Quadra @ 200 w/s , Quadra A head used with the smallest silver PLM. For logistics reasons the light was about 30 feet was about 25 -30 feet away from subject and located up on a balcony over looking the ring so icludign the stand height it must have been about 2 feet above his head height. The Quadra was triggered using the EL- skyport.
camera + lens: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk. 3 + EF 35mm f/2.
Camera exposure settings: ISO 800, f/4 and a shutter speed of 1/200th second.
Of course if you mean creative as in models, set dressing, props, wardrobe and overall production values you'll have to look elsewhere -- I'm not a fashion photographer.
