Ok, so I got a chance to take it outdoors for a spin (the wind was pretty still, so i didn't have any umbrella topple incidents.
Because I had the elinchrom cage mount on the umbrella, I struggled to get the umbrella on since I had to insert the rod into the umbrella cage. (yes i am aware that it came with a 7mm rod. Blame me for being a little lazy why don't ya!) The reason why I took this umbrella outside is because it suits my style of shooting: I am a night time, urban shooter that likes to keep things light which is why I purchased a d-lite 4 because it was plasticy and flimsy.... and blah blah blah-- the only real con is that it has a terrible flash duration yet I knew that when I had made the purchase)
Ok. last ones for the night. Good night everyone and here's to the new plm's
settings were all over the place. anywhere from f/5.6 to f/3.2, 1/30 to 1/50, and iso 100, iso 400, to iso 1600 (the last few shots explain why the homes are all so well lit.)
This is good use for PLM . . long distance lighting. The guide number for focused PLM of any size is 450 @ISO100 from 640WS flash. You have to be close to or over 100' from the house in some of the shots
they probably figured it was the special effects from the movies they were watching.
Haven't figured what the hex screw is for even though it's in the manual. I know there is a hex screw at the tip of the umbrella, but I was caught up in the moment of setting the plm up. I guess it's time to RTFM now that i've got the gist of the system down.
i'll see if i can get a friend in the studio in a week or two to see how the plm's make studio work so much easier.
One thing i am curious is how to better control the side spill light so that I can project more light forward rather than losing some spill light to the sides. I'll do some tests to see if I can get more of a spot light effect by pushing the strobe inside the umbrella.
Another benefit of using the plm system is that you don't have to use any more darned umbrella brackets (savings of $17) since the elinchrom system demanded that you had to use 7mm rods in order for light modifiers to work.
The positioning of the umbrella/softbox is this: impact silver umbrellas 48", softlighter II, PLM, elinchrom Octabank, and hensel's gigantic parabola system.
For distant positions best focus and spill control is usually achieved with the flashtube about 1.5" inside the front edge of the PLM. For closer shots IE 10' distance focus is best with tube parallel with PLM fabric front edge.
There is really very little side spill in these pix.
Paul Buff wrote:
For distant positions best focus and spill control is usually achieved with the flashtube about 1.5" inside the front edge of the PLM. For closer shots IE 10' distance focus is best with tube parallel with PLM fabric front edge.
There is really very little side spill in these pix.
This is what I was alluding to in my comment. It's pretty impressive. Are the pre-order fills going smoothly? Will it be ready for early October?
"1.5" inside the front edge of the PLM. For closer shots IE 10' distance focus is best with tube parallel with PLM fabric front edge."
ok. I'll go ahead and move the flash tube 1.5 inches later tonight and repeat the house test as I had the tube setup parallel with the fabric edge as per instructions.
What i meant in regards to the side spill was that some light was hitting the tree when I was directing the light towards the house on the other side.
I also noticed one unique aspect about the plm. If you stand behind the strobe and just hum a tone, the concentration of the sound is not strongest where the strobe parallels with the fabric. It is actually 20 inches behind the light stand. I'm going to run another test:
1) have the umbrella mounted on the light stand and place the strobe 20 inches behind the plm with a reflector on at the point where the sound is most concentrated as I believe this is the optimal angle for the plm. Yes, i will get tons of spill light, but there is something about standing 20 inches behind the plm that leads me to believe that there is an optimal focal point for the umbrella.
c2thew, that may make perfect sense, but in theory, you're trying to use the PLM to take light emitting in a hemisphere (a sphere cut in half) from the strobe and have the light come out basically collimated (all light projecting out in a cylindrical beam). Standing 20" behind means that all the sound is bouncing back to your focal point in a cone.
In other words, a different use. Straight flush is the neutral setting, and moving inward and outward will give different light patterns. Given my curiosity about using a small plm for product/still life work, pulling the light outside the plm might be appropriate.
That said, does anyone have any still life photos using the PLM? I'd love to see the look.
Can you demonstrate this in a You Tube Video.... Please?
1) have the umbrella mounted on the light stand and place the strobe 20 inches behind the plm with a reflector on at the point where the sound is most concentrated as I believe this is the optimal angle for the plm. Yes, i will get tons of spill light, but there is something about standing 20 inches behind the plm that leads me to believe that there is an optimal focal point for the umbrella.
Maybe you can use a reflector/cinfoil that will eliminate the spill at the 20" distance
for your tests
It will only focus with the flashtube parallel with the fabric face. That's how it's designed. Defocusing to a broader beam only takes up to a 2" change. Beyond that you no longer have a PLM. White is totally different because the parabola means nothing to speak of.
"It will only focus with the flashtube parallel with the fabric face. That's how it's designed. Defocusing to a broader beam only takes up to a 2" change. Beyond that you no longer have a PLM."
I agree that you will no longer have a plm 20 inches from the umbrella. What happens when the strobe is mounted 20 inches behind the parallel of the fabric and the stand is where the light is the softness (claim, has not been proven yet.) Based on how the light fills the umbrella, it would only make sense that there would be a lesser degree of a hot spot. (by the way, the dark area in the result portion is because the d-lite 4 that is holding the plm is blocking the light from the secondary d-lite 4 that is 20 inches behind it.)
don't get me wrong, i'm loving the plm. I'm just trying to see what other aspects this light modifier has to offer.
re: kacey. If I do a video, it would take almost 3 hours to upload due to my slow connection. I'll do one, but only when I'm a little more confident that I understand the plm.
"Standing 20" behind means that all the sound is bouncing back to your focal point in a cone."
From what I concluded, the light is most diffused 20 inches from the umbrella without the need for a diffusion panel. (I purchased one anyway as it is impractical to have two stands just for one light.)
"In other words, a different use. Straight flush is the neutral setting"
straight flash is more of a beauty dish look. slight hot spot in the center and an even lighting that spreads from the sides.
"and moving inward and outward will give different light patterns. Given my curiosity about using a small plm for product/still life work, pulling the light outside the plm might be appropriate."
it would replicate the plm with it's diffusion panel on, so yes I would agree that still/product life work would definitely be appropriate.
"That said, does anyone have any still life photos using the PLM? I'd love to see the look."
c2thew wrote:
re: kacey. If I do a video, it would take almost 3 hours to upload due to my slow connection. I'll do one, but only when I'm a little more confident that I understand the plm.
I was joking with you.... The image of you humming into to the Umbrella I found funny.
c2thew wrote:
"Standing 20" behind means that all the sound is bouncing back to your focal point in a cone."
From what I concluded, the light is most diffused 20 inches from the umbrella without the need for a diffusion panel. (I purchased one anyway as it is impractical to have two stands just for one light.)
Well, if it's loudest at 20" then it's all coming back to you. I guess you could define that as softness, as a subject at 20" would be hit from a lot greater angles, filling in shadows nicely, and with much higher effective efficiency than a diffuser should. In other words, it's acting as a parabola--whether that's the design intent or not. But that's semantics and whatever helps you take photos best, is the best explanation for your understanding. (i.e. I'm being all engineer-y on you, my apologies)
That said, I'm looking forward to seeing some close focus/still life stuff. Thanks for doing that.
)