Attached gris to the outside of a softbox?

wr_uk

wr_uk

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Wayne
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Hi, I purchased a couple of softboxes last year. I since purchased 2 grids to attached to the softboxes which arrived yesterday. As the softboxes dont have a lip I cant seem to attach the grids.
Are there any grids out there I can buy that will attached on the outside of the softboxes?

Thanks

Wayne
 
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wr_uk said:
Hi, I purchased a couple of softboxes last year. I since purchased 2 grids to attached to the softboxes which arrived yesterday. As the softboxes dont have a lip I cant seem to attach the grids.
Are there any grins out there I can buy that will attached on the outside of the softboxes?

Thanks

Wayne
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You'll have to modify the grids you have r modify the front diffuser to move it back to make space (might be the easiest option), softboxes are either designed to take a grid or not.

BTW, even if not planning to use grids, lips on softboxes make a difference to the usefulness of the softbox. This is a 'you should have asked earlier' response - sorry :)
 
wr_uk said:
Hi, I purchased a couple of softboxes last year. I since purchased 2 grids to attached to the softboxes which arrived yesterday. As the softboxes dont have a lip I cant seem to attach the grids.
Are there any grins out there I can buy that will attached on the outside of the softboxes?

Thanks

Wayne
Click to expand...

I came across someone who made grids to fit on the outside of Elinchrom softboxes but they were several hundred dollars. It'd be cheaper to (a) use gaffer tape or (b) buy new softboxes which are designed for grids.
 
wr_uk said:
Are there any grids out there I can buy that will attached on the outside of the softboxes?
Click to expand...

Lighttools do this, they're especially popular with Elinchrom users as they don't make grids for half their softboxes (and for the ones they do they're a nuisance) so there's not a lot of choice. They're a quality product but they'll cost more than the softbox so for most people it's not an option.

You'll probably find it's easier to just get a new softbox that's recessed and allows a grid to be fitted without having to go all Blue Peter on it.
 
simonbarker said:
Lighttools do this, they're especially popular with Elinchrom users as they don't make grids for half their softboxes (and for the ones they do they're a nuisance) so there's not a lot of choice. They're a quality product but they'll cost more than the softbox so for most people it's not an option.

You'll probably find it's easier to just get a new softbox that's recessed and allows a grid to be fitted without having to go all Blue Peter on it.
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^^^This.

But why do you need a grid in the first place? They seem to be 'the thing' ATM and they're very useful in certain situations, but quite unnecessary and with some serious downsides for most work - they make the light harder and eat brightness.
 
HoppyUK said:
^^^This.

But why do you need a grid in the first place? They seem to be 'the thing' ATM and they're very useful in certain situations, but quite unnecessary and with some serious downsides for most work - they make the light harder and eat brightness.
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They do make it a heck of a lot easier to control light in a small space - though I expect it's possible to manage without by means of flags, feathering & careful positioning.
 
juggler said:
They do make it a heck of a lot easier to control light in a small space - though I expect it's possible to manage without by means of flags, feathering & careful positioning.
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All true, and in certain situations a grid is invaluable, but mostly they're both unnecessary and undesirable. I have grids for most of my softboxes, but hardly ever use them - I go with the flags and screens etc approach, and I use them pretty much all the time. Thing is, you often want a bit of spill, that's what makes the lights overlap and merge, creating a one dominant overall lighting effect that looks natural and you can't see the joins. And if you simply put a grid on a softbox for no reason, the light will change.

I guess what I'm getting at is there seems to be an idea that a grid is some kind of magical tool that no proper photographer can be without. The same goes for beauty dishes TBH, and always working in manual 'because it's best' and that's what all professionals use.

Sorry, rant off :D
 
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I thought it said girls :pint:
 
The purpose for a grid is when you want a relatively large area of coverage with quicker falloff front to back (large/close), but you also want more distinct/harder shadows. Anything else is a bit misguided IMO, although it may not really matter.
 
HoppyUK said:
All true, and in certain situations a grid is invaluable, but mostly they're both unnecessary and undesirable. I have grids for most of my softboxes, but hardly ever use them - I go with the flags and screens etc approach. Thing is, you often want a bit of spill, that's what makes the lights overlap and merge, creating a one-light overall effect that looks natural. And if you simply put a grid on a softbox for no reason, the light will change.

I guess what I'm getting at is there seems to be an idea that a grid is some kind of magical tool that no proper photographer can be without. The same goes for beauty dishes TBH, and always working in manual 'because it's best' and that's what all professionals use.

Sorry, rant off :D
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I agree they're often undesirable.. it's in a small space that they come into their own. The other side effects are often acceptable or can be mitigated for.

Perhaps you could add a ring flash to your list of essential magical tools?
 
juggler said:
I agree they're often undesirable.. it's in a small space that they come into their own. The other side effects are often acceptable or can be mitigated for.

Perhaps you could add a ring flash to your list of essential magical tools?
Click to expand...

A Fong Dong is all you need :D
 
I find putting a grid on a softbox (and it's almost always a strip box - if I'm using a big octa, I'm rarely bothered about where the stray light goes :) ) is just quicker and easier than setting up flags. I haven't noticed it change the look of the light on the actual subject that much, just the fall off rate around the edges as Steven said. However, there are times, when they do cause an issue. I shot some smoke with two opposing strips with grids - worked really nicely - great edges to the smoke, and no spill on the background or into the lens in my small working space:-
http://owenlloydphotography.com/?p=2386

However, I then started making smoke with bulbs with the glass broken off. The reflections of the grids in what was left of the glass looked terrible, so I took the grids off. Of course now I had all the problems I fixed with the grids, back again. Spill on the background mostly. I anfled the boxes away from the background and towards camera. This cured the background spill, but created a lot of flare as light piled into the 105mm macro. I cured this with a black card rolled into a tube - a very long lens hood or snoot which I put over the lens. A tubular flag in effect.
http://owenlloydphotography.com/?p=2410
 
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