Gayle's Eclectic Photos
(K=91109) - Comment Date 1/28/2007
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hi,Kathleen... check out this info: http://www.popphoto.com/howto/1952/how-to-diffusion-filters.html
i always just used pantyhose over my lens back in the day... regards,gayle
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Derk Jager
(K=865) - Comment Date 2/9/2007
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I have always used tracing paper hung from a dowel or rod attached to a stand. Very economical and very controllable. The larger the distance from your light source to the diffuser the greater the diffusion. Good luck.
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/10/2007
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I use devices called lightform panels. These are the devices you talk about made from PVC tubing. They work quite well and have many different cloth coverings depending on the effect you want. The cloth comes in black, white reflective, white translucent, silver reflective and gold reflective. They come in all sizes from 1 foot square to large ones that are around 8 feet 4 feet. You can easily make them yourself out of store bought pvc pipe and glue joints. The material can be purchased from fabric stores, typically rip stop nylon works well for the translucent panels. When I shoot reflective glows in glass I use a roll of drafting velum as the diffuser as I do not want to see any texture in the reflection.
I highly suggest getting the series of tapes or the DVD put out by Dean Collins. He was the creator of the lightform panel and shows how to use them for a multitude of applications, both inside the studio and outside.
This photo shows how a large Lightform panel is set up to light a background. One was used on each side to provide even illumination.
Phil
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Lightform Panel White Translucent / Black
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Gayle's Eclectic Photos
(K=91109) - Comment Date 2/10/2007
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hi,Phil...i found your info and illustrative studio photo to be quite informative...with the set up shown,can you point me in the direction of any photos you shot?...it would be very instructive if those posting studio shots included their setup info in the abouts... Thanks! regards,gayle
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/10/2007
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Gayle,
This particular setup was used for a clothing company catalog. It was all high key lighting on white paper background.
Here is one of the images that was taken. Almost no Photoshop used, I like to get it right in the camera if I can.
I will post some more images of the complete setup from the camera view.
Phil
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Sample High Key Catalog Shot
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/10/2007
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Gayle,
Here is a picture of the setup from the side. You can see a light panel on each side facing the backdground. The black panel shields the camera from the light and also make an A frame to hold up the light panel. Overhead was a 4x6 foot softbox for overall lighting from above. The main light was a 2x7 foot halfdome on the left and a 7 foot diameter Octabank on the right as the fill light. A small Stripdome light was used as a sweep across the front floor to light up the shadow areas on the paper. You can sort of see it peeking out from behind the light on the right.
Note: The photos taken with this setup as shown above are very flat. They were done that way on purpose as they were meant to be used in a printed catalog done on a WEB press where you only have about 4 stops of lattitude. If this was going to be used for electronic display or projection I would have expanded the contrast a bit by varying the lighting ratios a bit more between the lights to make it a bit more dramatic.
Hope this was helpful,
Phil
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High Key Lighting Setup
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Gayle's Eclectic Photos
(K=91109) - Comment Date 2/10/2007
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hi and thanks,Phil !...first off,your replies were delayed by one full day to my inbox...strange thing is,replies to my image comments are received to my inbox right away...only forum replies lag...any idea why?
Appreciate the detailed info with photos...very valuable to those of us who have not ventured into this area of photography...i had to pass on a paid opportunity because of my lack of experience with studio setups as well as not a digital shooter,so decided this was the year i would learn from those of you with the expertise...
Verbal instruction coupled with image examples is an excellent way to learn and the next best thing to being there in person...
Do i have your permission to copy/paste this info for my own use?...
take care,gayle
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/11/2007
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Gayle,
Feel free to use whatever info you wish. I hope you find it helpful. Here is a link to my camera club web site. I teach a studio lighting workshop once a month for our club members. There are some lighting diagrams on there and sample images if you want to take a look.
http://www.sbccphoto.org/Photographic_Workshops.asp?W=3
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Phil
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Gayle's Eclectic Photos
(K=91109) - Comment Date 2/11/2007
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Thanks,Phil and i will check out club link...i didn't receive your reply in my inbox and just came back to check for replies...back in December,all of my inbox UF notices of replies/comments were delayed by at least a full day or two,but then it returned to normal...any clue? regards,gayle
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/12/2007
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Gayle,
Yahoo is delaying the mail again, I am sure it will come through eventually. We are looking at new mail server software that will be more compatable with yahoo.com mail as they have some special requirements to un-delay mail. If you have some other mail acount such as gmail or hotmail, it may be better to use that. They don't seem to have any problems handling our mail. Let me know if you want to change your email address.
Phil
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