580EX in a softbox

[will king]

I shoot a lot of outdoor portraits, usually at the golden hour or on a very

cloudy overcast day. I currently use a 580EX with the Gary Fong lightsphere

diffuser and sometimes a reflector which gives me good results, but I want

softer light and more of a catch light in the eyes. Would a Canon 580EX work

inside a large softbox 32x40 for what I'm doing? I have an Alien Bees setup,

but having to drag around the heavy portable power around is not ideal. Does

anyone have any recommendations for a portable softbox that I can stick a

580EX in? Thanks.

[calebcondit]

if you want even softer, think about a soft box AND a large diffusion scrim. Also, if you want the ultimate in soft light, get a beauty dish or at least a reflector that gives a wide angle of reflection of light. That will really help when trying to soften things up but not losing the directional quality.

[mark_schafer1]

I?m playing around with this issue for the last couple of weeks, and even used it on a

shoot:

The Camera 1DS M2 is set on A, compensate -1/3, Canon Wireless flash controller set to

-1 1/3. That gives me a great direction with the light without looking like Flash.

Sometimes i need a ND 0.9 to cut ambient light but the System syncs at any speed with

High-speed setting (580EX is on a Quantum Turbo). Next up light formers: I always

preferred round light formers for faces and also an indirect mount of the light source

inside the main light (think Umbrella/Elinchrome Octa vs. Chimera Octa, etc.). So after

some tests (Stof-En, white Profoto umbrella, sm. white Chimera, Pancake, Octabank, Wafer

Octa box 100) we came up with using the Canon flash with a Stof-en plastic diffuser

"inside" a Photek Softlighter. I can place this very close to my subject, 3 ft for a "waist-up"

shot which produces in turn a nice catch light as well as beautiful soft light on the face

with a natural fall off. The only hitch, the Flash needs to have a clear line of sight to the

controller

unit, which limits the flexibility a bit. Also I?m working on a mount to put 2 580 together

inside the umbrella rig for fully automated exposure and more power, quicker recycle...

As a short cut, Chimera sells a Shoemount bracket (for either 1 or 2 heads) for their

softboxes. The only problem, heads point forward which results in harder light and you

need to mount it so you keep your line of sight to the Canon wireless unit.

Alternate to the Canon you might be interested in the Quantum T5 units, again either with

the Photek umbrella solution or a Chimera ring. We have the Qttl adapter cord which

produces great results, just limits you to the sync time of your camera (in my case 1/250)

Cheers

Mark

[ellis_vener_photography]

I use a 580EX in a Chimera XS with Chimera's speedring and mount for small flashes. You can

use a larger Chimera softbox but you are going to lose a lot of light. You might also want to

look into a Norman 400C or a Lumadyne 200 or 400 watt-second set up.

[jeffrey_douglas]

I've got one of these. It works pretty well.

 

http://www.alzodigital.com/online_store/digital_camera_porta_flash_accessories.htm

 

ALZO DIGITAL PORTA-FLASH SOFTBOX

 

* 15" x 15" light weight Easy Open softbox (No Rods)

* Setup time is less than 3 minutes

* Wire frame structure eliminates speed ring and steel rods

* Easily attaches to ALZO Digital Flip Bracket or a light stand

* Universal flash mounting bracket adapts to most flashes

(see below for compatibility)

* Optional 1/4" x 20 screw mount for flash attachment

[cham]

i second the photek softlighter i got mine yesterday and it pretty much deals with everything i need until i need to go bigger than 60" it's in-expensive well made and easy to carry...

 

i'd stay away from small softboxes as the light source is still quite small on them...

 

if you're using a lightsphere outside you're really wasting a lot flash power although it could be an option to stick that in a larger softbox and see what happens...

 

my money is on the photek though

[keith_lubow]

First of all, I'm wondering why you want more of a catch light in the eyes? I find them distracting unless they are a subtle and natural looking circle, and usually touch them out entirely. I would not ever go to any length to make them more prominent, unless it was for satiric effect (a la the famous Frank Zappa portrait with the umbrellas in the glasses).

 

Second, if you want a softer look, there are a plethora of things you can do. Lighting is one of the great and fun areas of photography, because you can do so much improvisation for a fraction of the cost of all this specialized equipment that many people will tell you you need. Basically, the more diffused a light is, and the wider the source, the softer it will be. So, you want to get the light to come from many directions as opposed to from the little plastic rectangle on your flash. Also, when using a diffused light source, the closer you are, the softer it will be, which is contrary to what many might think. Light is light. It doesn't matter whether it is the sun or a match. The same principles apply. Basically what you are saying when you say you want a soft light is that you are going for the effect of the sun on an overcast day. Think about what in nature creates that effect, and try to mimic it. Think about what angle the sun is shining from when you find the light the most soft, and think about what atmospheric conditions it is forced to penetrate, and try to make a scale model of that, basically. So, you are probably going to find that indirect diffused light is nature's softest light. You can use all sorts of improvised or store-bought items to simulate this effect. Use a sheet on a frame to mimic the clouds, for instance. Soooo many options. Just experiment.

 

Keith

[digitmstr]

<a href=http://www.photo.net/photo/3042098>This</a> is what I use and rec. it highly to anyone wanting a portable, easy and fast to setup light modifier.

[will king]

Thanks everyone for their suggestions. Keith, thanks for the lesson on light, but I know all that. I didn't need to know how. I needed to know what products would offer me the results I was looking with the mobility I need.

[keith_lubow]

Will,

 

If you know all that, then you can figure out what to do and how to think, rather than what to buy. That was my suggestion.

 

Keith