Lastolite Hilite

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Len
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I've decided I want to have a go at some home portraits and I've just purchased a Lasolite Hilite pop-up background with white vinyl train. Its the 8' x 7' version.
I intended using the Nikon CLS lighting system to illuminate the setup. At the moment I've got 3 speedlights. I used 2 for inside the background and 1 for lighting my subject. I need to illuminate the vinyl train and was looking for ideas on the best option.
Would I be better getting a 4th speedlite for the train? My other idea was to get two continuous lights for the Hilite to free up 2 of the speedlites.
If I go for the continuous lighting for the Hilite, what strength of bulbs would I require to obtain the high key effect I'm looking for?
Christmas greetings to you all.
 
I've decided I want to have a go at some home portraits and I've just purchased a Lasolite Hilite pop-up background with white vinyl train. Its the 8' x 7' version.
I intended using the Nikon CLS lighting system to illuminate the setup. At the moment I've got 3 speedlights. I used 2 for inside the background and 1 for lighting my subject. I need to illuminate the vinyl train and was looking for ideas on the best option.
Would I be better getting a 4th speedlite for the train? My other idea was to get two continuous lights for the Hilite to free up 2 of the speedlites.
If I go for the continuous lighting for the Hilite, what strength of bulbs would I require to obtain the high key effect I'm looking for?
Christmas greetings to you all.

Why continuous?
 
Don't use continuous in a Hilite. 1. Fire hazard. It will melt. 2. Won't be able to get the power high enough in ratio with your key to blow it out.
Train needs lighting from both sides, so two lights.
Just an FYI, I'd use studio heads in the large 8x7... You're going to have some serious battery drain and long recycle times.
 
I have the smaller version and even with that, you'd struggle with speedlights. Studio heads all the way.
 
Another vote for studio heads. Two of the smart flash from Lencarta will be more than ample for the hilite.

This will free up the two speed lights for the train and the last in an umbrella for the subject. Any parts of the train not bright enough can be cleaned up using exposure compensation adjustment brush in Lightroom.

Get yourself some triggers to make them all work together, the RF-602's from Yongnuo are über cheap and so simple and reliable to use.
 
As above, you'll need flash in the hilite.

And as you can see from Beth's post, the train requires a couple of lights too.

So before we even get to illuminating your subject, you've given yourself a task of arranging and balancing 4 lights.

A minimum of one light for your subject will give you a very ordinary looking portrait, with honestly less 'appeal' than one carefully placed light with a plain wall in the background. You'll also want a proper trigger system, CLS isn't really up to this job.

After all that work, you're down to the hard part of portraiture, which is getting your subject posed whilst relaxed and then engaging with them to produce the feel you want in your images.

There's a good reason we always recommend learning to light with a single light and building up from there, it makes life much easier.

there's also a good reason we discourage people from shooting white background shots in a domestic setting - it's a lot of kit, and takes a lot of space, and is difficult to do well.

Lastly: just for pedantry really, high key isn't just 'white background', it's a common misconception.
 
If you have a light meter to set your lights, it would help... especially if you've never used a HiLite before. You're being braver than I ever was... I started with one light, and a black velvet background. You're looking at a potential (ideally recommended for your product(s)) 6 light set up.
 
Would I be better getting a 4th speedlite for the train? My other idea was to get two continuous lights for the Hilite to free up 2 of the speedlites.


don't get continuous light sources for your train. Lighting a floor with the highlight is challenging. I think its easier to use paper/vinyl for full length white (but just IMHO) use studio heads instead of speed light and CLS won't really work You'll have to use manual
 
Just playing with the lights today. Let me say that I did some with a white background and grey. I much prefer the grey!
 
I'll put some pics up later when I get a chance. To do the white background (head and shoulders) in a limited space, is a total faff and I'm not happy doing it so much - used 5 (!) lights. The grey looked better and used 3 lights. IMG_1481547682.612575.jpg

IMG_1481547698.444520.jpg

And of course, the obligatory bedroom wall [emoji6]
 
Thanks for the info guys. Earlier in the thread I was advised not to use continuous light. The reason I thought of continuous was because I'd been watching videos on Youtube trying to get some tips. In this one the photographer is using continuous lights to illuminate the Hilite.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noGmS90mbME
 
Thanks for the info guys. Earlier in the thread I was advised not to use continuous light. The reason I thought of continuous was because I'd been watching videos on Youtube trying to get some tips. In this one the photographer is using continuous lights to illuminate the Hilite.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noGmS90mbME
No he's not using continuous, that was all flash.

You'll also note he wasn't using the train, whilst the hilite is fairly easy to use as a BG, adding the train adds layers of additional problems.
 
In this video you can see how much more work is involved for the train.
Though, if I'm being picky, You can see the light spill round her ankles, and he still keeps saying 'high key' inappropriately.

Also in that video you get to see how much space is required to get the full length shot, I reckon the camera is about 15-20 feet from the back wall, the hilite therefore saves about 6-10 feet compared to a paper or vinyl backdrop.
 
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I think grey can look better than white - same lighting, just no lights on the background to get the grey light

Hood by Sir._.SR, on Flickr

Hat - colour by Sir._.SR, on Flickr

In small spaces the white background is a PITA and I ended up using 5 lights - its a bit of a workaround as I don't have loads of space.

The reason I'm putting these two up is that I wanted to illustrate that people discount grey a bit too much in favour of white. You shouldn't!!
 
...and after seeing those shots I wont be discounting the grey. That's a lovely shot Sir SR. Thanks for the help. As I said I've just got hold of the Hilite (picked it up as new for £200 with the vinyl train so not a big outlay) and I've got a lot of learning to do. These tips are invaluable. Can you recommend a decent light meter to get me started?
 
...and after seeing those shots I wont be discounting the grey. That's a lovely shot Sir SR. Thanks for the help. As I said I've just got hold of the Hilite (picked it up as new for £200 with the vinyl train so not a big outlay) and I've got a lot of learning to do. These tips are invaluable. Can you recommend a decent light meter to get me started?

I have to say I end up using the blinkies on the histogram- less scientific but more intuitive in my hands.

I have a light meter that I use for film though.
 
The usual 'starter' meter is a Sekonic 308, but they're so often recommended that they hold their value brilliantly.

If you shop around you can pick up an old Minolta meter for around £20.

But you can live without a meter using the histogram and blinkies.
 
I quite often use the smaller one as a softbox - it's great for mimicking window light. Afterall, that's in effect what it is.
And alternatively you can use a large softbox as a Hilite, that's what I used to do, on the rare occasions that I wanted that effect, before the Hilite was "invented"
 
And alternatively you can use a large softbox as a Hilite, that's what I used to do, on the rare occasions that I wanted that effect, before the Hilite was "invented"

I think I did this after you mentioned it - I used a large octabox, and it was so much easier than using the hilite.
 
And alternatively you can use a large softbox as a Hilite, that's what I used to do, on the rare occasions that I wanted that effect, before the Hilite was "invented"

Yes, that will also work.

However the Hilite has advantages rather than using a traditional softbox as a background in that 1. It's larger 2. You're able to spread the light out using two light sources, one from each side, minimising hotspots and falloffs and 3. It's completely self supporting.
 
Yes, that will also work.

However the Hilite has advantages rather than using a traditional softbox as a background in that 1. It's larger 2. You're able to spread the light out using two light sources, one from each side, minimising hotspots and falloffs and 3. It's completely self supporting.
True. But at that time I was using a softbox that I had made for furniture photography - 8' x 4' x 4' with 4 flash heads inside, very even light distribution and self supporting. I had it made specially, but although much bigger and better than the Hilite, it cost far less. Since then I've used 2 x large rectangular softboxes side by side, and removing the join in PP is a 2 minute job, at most. With the right light stands, it's easy to get them perfectly square and touching the floor.
 
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