STUDIO UPGRADE COMPLETE: BACKLIT SOFTWALL.

No probs - Will help me learn some patience :LOL:
 
Great work Gary. Very well done mate (y)

I don't see that putting the primary diffusers back in the strip boxes can do anything but good, though maybe you don't need them.

The shadow at the front of your pic looks like it might be a reflection from the darker top of the background. Maybe it will vanish with a higher camera viewpoint?

Killing/controlling the reflection by turning a polariser to 90 degrees is a cool idea ;) It will also affect the light wrap on faces, but only top and bottom, not the sides at that angle of rotation. Camera height will also be critical (35-40 degrees to the floor from memory).

Purely out of being nosey, I would love to see three pics of just the background, with blinkies shown in action. a) shot where the background is just blown pure white all over, b) with the lights turned up half a stop, c) with the lights turned up one whole stop :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Great work Gary. Very well done mate (y)

I don't see that putting the primary diffusers back in the strip boxes can do anything but good, though maybe you don't need them.

The shadow at the front of your pic looks like it might be a reflection from the darker top of the background. Maybe it will vanish with a higher camera viewpoint?

Killing/controlling the reflection by turning a polariser to 90 degrees is a cool idea ;) It will also affect the light wrap on faces, but only top and bottom, not the sides at that angle of rotation. Camera height will also be critical (35-40 degrees to the floor from memory).

Purely out of being nosey, I would love to see three pics of just the background, with blinkies shown in action. a) shot where the background is just blown pure white all over, b) with the lights turned up half a stop, c) with the lights turned up one whole stop :)
Click to expand...

I will try and sort this for you over the weekend. With and without keylight, which also has an impact on the Backdrop...
 
Guys,

I'm going to need to go one step further before I am happy. I want to black out both the left and right wall, and the ceiling, as had a bald guy in today who caused me a few problems :)

So, not quite as perfect as I thought. I have bought 30 metres of blackout cloth, and I will be finished before midnight!

Wish me luck. I need it :LOL:

Gary.
 
Glad you have decided to blackout the lot thats what i ended up doing in my place. It made a massive difference to me.


md
 
EdinburghGary said:
Guys,

I'm going to need to go one step further before I am happy. I want to black out both the left and right wall, and the ceiling, as had a bald guy in today who caused me a few problems :)

So, not quite as perfect as I thought. I have bought 30 metres of blackout cloth, and I will be finished before midnight!

Wish me luck. I need it :LOL:

Gary.
Click to expand...

Polarising filter. Seriously, a polarising filter will sort him out! :D

At the same time as reducing the foreground reflection on the floor - similar angle probably.
 
Guys,

I now have more or less complete subject under exposure, with nicely blown backrounds, as a result of blacking off ceiling and walls. It's all very neat, and I now have a permanent low key setup too!

I will try and update the thread tomorrow (possibly in the evening) with lots of photos.

I have actually managed to get the light reduced to an extent that requires a reflector to give some fill on the other side of the face now. I am close to 100% control and ZERO PP :D

Gary.
 
...or a beer

or three.
 
Guys,

Sorry for lack of updates. I will TRY and get some photos tonight, but I am now 100% processing free.

Other things I HAD to do:

1: Black off the ceiling & two walls. It looks ace though, used drapes which act as a low key setup.

2: Ensure the sides of the internal strip softboxes are covered in foil. This renders them invisible inside my giant softwall...

3: Introduce a reflector on the LEFT of my subject, throwing some of the light from the Bowens Octo 150 back onto my subjects.

4: Use a custom in camera profile, encompassing Saturation, Contrast, Sharpening and White Balance tweaks (and as such, use Capture NX to process OR restrict myself to TIFF / JPEGS. I chose Capture NX.)

In short, you have the following:

FALSE NYLON WALL, TWO STRIP SOFTBOXES BEHIND. HIGHLY REFLECTIVE FLOOR, GIANT KEY LIGHT. Room size is exactly 4m deep, 4m wide, and 4m high. Reflective floor is 2.4 x 2.4 metre and 3/4 of a foot raised. The Nylon wall is exactly 20 inches from the back wall. The internal strip softboxes are approximately 8ft high, and are angled towards the centre of the floor. The internal softwall floor is literally mirrored.

The Internal Lights are putting out 1,000 watts each, the key light, 600 watts. This allows F10 / F11, with a completely blown wall, and nicely lit floor, with lovely shadows...

It's a great setup, and has cost me much more than it had to due to experimenting. Ignoring light costs, for a room this size, you are looking at £500 to £1,000.

Gary.
PS - When I get more time, and example, I will spec it out with diagrams, 100%.
 
sounds terrific Gary
and so pleased that you're sharing it with us
looking forward to pictures of the studio
and picture using the studio! :clap:
 
Gah! and no mention of all the times you were on the phone to me, venting your frustrations and getting my input!

You, Gary Whittle, SUCK! :D:D
 
Excellent work Gary and a great thread to follow (y) You'll be telling us next that there's no need to shoot Raw and that it can all be done in camera if you set it up properly ;)

Looking forward to the pics. Have you tried playing about with a polariser, see what it does to reflections? I think that might be another cool trick.
 
Sorry for lack of updates, tooooooooooo busy...I will get round to it soon I promise.

It's working well, getting me overall a nice presentable set out of camera. I just process photos which are bought now.

My current NEW biggest issue is if someone gets too close to my Octobox, it overexposes by quite some margin. Always easy to recover in processing, but defeats the purpose of process free. I think this would be an issue in any studio without a portable keylight...

G.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Sorry for lack of updates, tooooooooooo busy...I will get round to it soon I promise.

It's working well, getting me overall a nice presentable set out of camera. I just process photos which are bought now.

My current NEW biggest issue is if someone gets too close to my Octobox, it overexposes by quite some margin. Always easy to recover in processing, but defeats the purpose of process free. I think this would be an issue in any studio without a portable keylight...

G.
Click to expand...

Well yes, it will. ISL and all that. Can't you move it back? One of the advantages of a big softbox is that you can move it back, which minimises ISL fall-off, but still get soft light.

Did you have a go with a polarising filter on the floor reflections?
 
HoppyUK said:
Well yes, it will. ISL and all that. Can't you move it back? One of the advantages of a big softbox is that you can move it back, which minimises ISL fall-off, but still get soft light.

Did you have a go with a polarising filter on the floor reflections?
Click to expand...

I can't really move it any further away, but it's not a major issue - the over exposure I can probably get away with for viewings.

I tried the polariser to reduce shine on a bald head, didn't work. Not attempted it on the floor yet.

Gary.
 
Polariser didn't work at all, even rotated so the dot is at 90 degrees?

Tricky on a round surface like a bald head but it should take something off. I've used one to take the shine off cheeks quite well.
 
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