New Lastolite Hilite, can anyone help?

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tango

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Hello, last week i got lots of new kit which i'm thrilled about a pair of Interfit EXD200 flashes and the Lastolite Hilite background with the train.
I have 2 problems; firstly, i get a nice high key shot but there is a very obvious join where the background (which is lit from within) is white & the vinyl train appears grey.
If i alter levels to make the train grey then the rest is over exposed. - does anyone know how to avoid this a) when i take the shot and b) now i have a whole shoot of them, how to fix it in Elements? - i guess that could be a different section of the forum, but i'd rather solve it in camera.

Secondly, the shoot i did was on wednesday & i still havent managed to fold the hilite up again, took me 45 mins at a friends/clients house to get it in the car but its still not back in the bag, its like a wild beast. I have folded it up twice, but this time its taking days......Any words of wisdom!?
Thanks folks
 
Speak to PerfectPix on here!

He and I had some fun with one at the weekend. Went through about 300 shots between us. We had 2 x 300W heads in the side, metered at F16. We then used a slave from the top left pointing downwards with one softbox with the tri-flex or two softboxes for the taller shots.

We didnt play with the train too much, but I would try and get some more light on there. Perhaps a brolly dedicated towards the join? We have an event coming up on the 3rd April so will be able to give you some more info then :)

The folding up was interesting. We folded it into almost a butterfly or V shape from the sides, then it all just pulled itself in (the circular shape).

It's a great piece of kit!
 
Oh that wild beast comment made me laugh!

I have one and it once took three of us surrounding it to get it to surrender, I now need some extra bracing bars because I'm sure we have mutilated it. The problem is...............it does not seem to get any easier. I have a shoot with it this weekend and already my family are in therapy!

I did not buy the train because I had already been warned that the join was a problem so I use it for 3/4 shots and use a studio for full length.
 
tango said:
Hello, last week i got lots of new kit which i'm thrilled about a pair of Interfit EXD200 flashes and the Lastolite Hilite background with the train.
I have 2 problems; firstly, i get a nice high key shot but there is a very obvious join where the background (which is lit from within) is white & the vinyl train appears grey.
If i alter levels to make the train grey then the rest is over exposed. - does anyone know how to avoid this a) when i take the shot and b) now i have a whole shoot of them, how to fix it in Elements? - i guess that could be a different section of the forum, but i'd rather solve it in camera.
Click to expand...

It's a flawed design basically. It's a softbox placed behind the subject to produce so called 'high key' lighting (actually not high key, just a white background) which works fairly well, but the add-on train can never work because it isn't lit.

If you want to get it right in camera (which is the best approach) then you'll need to light it separately. How you do that will depend on the subject but basically will normally involve 2 lights, either fitted with barn doors to control light spill or at least 1 softbox (frontal) at a low level and acute angle, set to feather light on to the train without spilling on to the subject
 
Thank you to all.
My cunning plan was that with that background, i would only need 2 lights so it is nice & portable, not looking so cunning now!
I am pleased with the background but i could have kept my old white sheet instead of buying the vinyl....
I did try the vinyl both ways- i assume its shiny side up? The other side is like the underside of lino flooring.
 
Another Hilite question- bearing in mind i'm new to studio lights & backgrounds....
how do i meter? The lastolite website recommends about a 2 stop difference. Using a cuddly toy as my model, i take a reading of the main light from its cheek aiming to camera. Then how do i meter the Hilite background?

AliB- how did you get on this weekend. have you tamed the beast yet?
I still havent folded mine, i've got a shoot on Wed so will need to get it in the car. There is a video on the Lastolite site with mark cleghorn showing how to fold it, looks really easy!
 
I Used One Of Them Twice, First Time, Spent 20 Mins Refolding It(and To This Day Have No Idea How), Second Time Took Best Part Of An Hour. Then Sent It Back And Got Some Sheets, Far Easier And Better(y)
 
fletch5 - you are a wise man for sending it back, dont blame you.
I finally folded it up today, i've tried everyday since last wednesday & have a shoot tomorrow so had to get it in the car, whether or not i can get it home again remains to be seen!
tj
 
How Do You Find Supporting It?, Im Assuming We Talking Bout The Big Un(bout 2.5m Square) Mine Wouldnt Stand Up Straight And Kept Pulling The Support Stands About
 
Well, I've got it out of the bag and it is currently taking up rather a lot of our spare room. It will be Saturday night or Sunday before we have to try to get it back down. To be honest, I use a pro studio with a white cove and I don't think you can beat that but for home I actually rather like the thing! I've got three 300W heads and various attachments for them so I can use two for the background. I know it is not "true" high key but having limited space in the spare room it is invaluable. If I had the space and had a dedicated studio then I would just use a white background.

The video on the site of Mark folding it up will be getting an airing here at home!
 
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