shannon_mcgee Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I am moving into a new studio where I am very limited with space. I also shoot mostly children and have had to hold my breath several times 2 year olds almost knock over my light stands. Therefore, I would like to mount my 4 alien bees on the wall. The width of my room is only 10 feet. Alien Bees suggested I use the Bogen Super Clamps. I have looked these up but have no idea how I would make them work. Can anyone offer advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikos peri Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Why not go for a ceiling-mounted solution? Sorry, no specific idea about the clamps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs56 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I have not use this equipment yet, but I am doing my own research because I will need someting like it in the future. You can dowload the brochures from http://www.bogenimaging.us/ There is PDF brochures (many) Including Clamps & Super clamps brochure and many others tha may be helpfull. Sorry for my English I hope this help you Greetings from Mexico City Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannon_mcgee Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Nikos, I am fine going with a ceiling mounted solution...I'm lost in that area as well. Do you have any suggested products? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikos peri Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Off the rack, not right away. I've been working in a studio equiped this way on and off, and it is a godsend not to have things cluttering the floor. I'll take a closer look to see whether the rails and mounts are an off-the-shelf solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_kolanowski Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Shannon, In addition to the Bogen Super clamps, Bogen also offers some other products you might consider. The Wall boom works well in many cases, also look at the Bogen Avenger line of " Baby Plates" . I have also used the Auto Pole system to mount both backgrounds and lights. They are spring loaded poles that lock in place from floor to ceiling and eliminate the legs of a typical lightstand that get in the way. Good Luck, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andresfb Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I'm also researching Ceiling Mounted solutions and came up to this product: http://www.backdropoutlet.com/product_info.php?cPath=52_53&products_id=1257 It looks good enough and not a bad price Andres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikos peri Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 That's the one... works like a dream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks short Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Shannon, Calumet sells a Bogen ceiling rail system. You can buy kits or individual pieces. If you have a low ceiling ie: less than 10-12 ft you might not have enough space. The rails and pantographs take up about 3 ft of height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisprice Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Hi Shannon. If you are concerned about your light stands getting knocked over, you may want to consider getting century "C-type" models, like those made by Matthews: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=219&a=0&mnp=0.0&mxp=0.0&shs=&ci=5802&ac=&Submit.x=10&Submit.y=8&Submit=Go Put a heavy sandbag weight on each of the three legs. While there is still a chance the kids might trip on them, there's no way the stands themselves can be knocked over. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Bogen and Matthews Studio equipment make wall mounted booms. If you have good ceiling height (11 feet or more) a ceiling mounted rail system makes a lot of sense. In the meantime get 25lb sandbags for your stands, use two per stand. You can also make cheap (but not good looking) "ballasts" with 1 gallon plastic milk cartons and play box sand from Home Depot. Also tape any cables and cords to the floor with either Gaffer's or even better, tunnel tape. Tunnel tape has adhesive on the edges but not in the center so your cables remain clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_walton2 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Shannon, The ceiling girder system works well but if you are short of money, you could use some Bogen Autopoles which mount between the ceiling and floor, put your Super Clamps on the Autopoles and mount your light on the Superclamp by way of the brass screw head that comes with it or by using the Heavy Duty Flex Arm so you have a bit more movement with your lights... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill c. Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Shannon-- Most of the above answers are workable. With the Super Clamps, what you need to do is purchase an additional little adapter that fits in the hole in the clamp and mates up with your flash head. After that, you just need to find something to clamp it to. However, there's an EXTREMELY cheap and non-versitile approach. Back when I was working out of a garage with exposed beams, I purchased some little gizmos with wood screw threads on one side and 1/4" x 20 threads on the other. You use a couple of locked nuts to drive the wood screw end into a stud, and then you can attach pretty much anything you want via the 1/4" x 20. For the Alien Bees, you'll need to get an adapter that screws into a 1/4" x 20, which should be very easy to find at a good camera store. The screws are about 29 cents each, and the adapters are about $3-$5. It can work on a wall, too, but as I mentioned, it's not versitile. Once the screws are in place you leave them there. I had a bunch in strategic places for background illumination, and they came in handy. Even if you don't have exposed beams, you can still put them in a ceiling. Just get a stud finder from Home Depot and locate the ceiling studs inside the wallboard, then make sure that's where you drive the wood screw in. That's if you don't mind messing up your ceiling. But if I were you, I'd get the Wescott rig if it's at all within your budget. Happy shooting. -BC- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisprice Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Shannon, Bill Cornett has some good ideas on a do-it-yourself setup. His post reminded me of some of the unusual clamps and mounts offered by Lowel: http://www.lowel.com/clamps.html In particular, the "bigfoot and scissors mount" and the "screw-in stud" could be a solution for an inexpensive fixed-position wall or ceiling mounting system. While they are not designed to hold a huge amount of weight, they might work fine with your ABs. If it were me, I'd safety wire the head to a secure eyebolt, just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harris_goldstein Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 IF you're mounting them to the wall and IF you can predetermine the position (front to back), it's a relatively simple matter to fashion a triangular bracket that bolts to the wall studs. Or possibly use a shelf bracket. Personally, for a simple solution, I would fashion a bracket out of 2x4s (my wife accusing me of using 2x4s for everything) or even 1x4s that you could bolt the Bee's to. This is what I think I'd to (hope my description is clear): Take a 18" section of 2x4 for the vertical piece that mounts (by bolts) to the wall. Take a 24" section of 2x4, nail and glue it flat to the top of the vertical at one end (now you have a right angle). Add metal right angle braces on both sides of the joint. Use 2 18" 1x4s to reinforce the bracket (angled at 45 degrees), one on either side. Add a 5" bolt at the end of the horizontal 2x4, coming up from the bottom (with a nut and washer at the top) to mount the Bee on. When you determine the proper placement, make sure you account for the umbrella and/or softbox you may be using. You could get fancier, but this should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meeksdigital Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Any of you with experience with the auto poles for backdrops... I am wondering if the autopoles work on slanted ceilings. My studio is currently undergoing a remodel, and the backdrop wall intersects a slanted ceiling that slopes at about 30 degrees. I am wondering if the ends on the poles pivot to hold to a slanted ceiling, or if they are only for flat ceilings. any help would be much appreciated... i am hoping to get the autopoles soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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