Stumped & need help selecting modifiers

[chawn_crawley]

<p>Guys, I've done as much research as I can on modifiers and need some advice on what to select. I have a "backporch studio" which is about 12'x18' in dimension. Presently, I have a couple Sb-800's, as well as a lastolite 24" softbox. I also have 2 elinchrom D-lite 4's that I have no modifiers for.<br>

My goal, primarily, is to outfit these Dlites with the appropriate modifiers to continue forward with portraiture ranging from headshots to 3/4length body. Obviously, the workspace I have is far from optimal, but I'm more confused with what options would give me the most flexible use.<br>

I really want an Elinchrom Mini octa because I like the catchlights, and I like soft, diffuse pictures. I have read many, many comments on the flexibility of 4-leaf barndoors, as well.<br>

With funds tightening, I need to prioritize the best way to outfit both lights for maximum flexibility. <br>

1. I can afford to get 1 elinchrom barndoor set, a 30-pack of Lee gels, and an Elinchrom Mini-octa.<br>

2. I can get 2 sets of Elinchrom barn doors, & a set of gels, but will have to rely on the sb800/lastolite 24" for any softbox effect, at all.<br>

I have a transluscent & sliver umbrella, but the light scatter is tough in my confined work space. My experience with barndoors, grids, and softboxes are very limited so I'm having difficulty determining what to do. My goal is to have a well-rounded set of lightshaping tools.<br>

I do little to no product photography and mainly concentrate on people. As I'm inexperienced with lighting techniques, I try to refrain from using anymore than 2 lights at any given time.<br>

Any advice as to how to setup up these 2 monolights for the best flexibility would be greatly appreciated.<br>

Thanks</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I use umbrellas and soft boxes when shooting portraits and have had little or no use for barndoors. Why not buy a roll of black Cinefoil for a few dollars and save on the barndoors to start? It's basically black-colored heavy aluminum foil that can be wrapped around lights to create barndoors, snoots, flags, etc. Gels can be useful for color effects but I doubt that you need 30. Get the Lee or Rosco samples, see which you like, then just buy the ones you need. As for grids, snoots ,etc see <a href="http://www.strobist.com">www.strobist.com</a> for ideas on do it yourself items that would work well with your SB800. You can make a snoot from cardboard or grids from corrugated cardboard and/or black soda straws.</p>

[chawn_crawley]

<p>I've got some of the Honl attachments for the flashes, but I hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about cinefoil.<br>

The point of waste right now, is that I only have a couple reflectors on the D-lites. I need to get some sort of modifiers so that I can make better use of them in space that they are in.</p>

[josephbraun]

<p>Buy a book (or two) on lighting... This will open some doors for you. Often we think we need to buy more, when we've hit a wall. On that note, there are a lot of homemade devices you can use in your studio as well. Check out</p>

<p>http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html</p>

[chawn_crawley]

<p>I ordered lighting: Science & Magic from amazon, yesterday morning.</p>

[jerry s]

<p>Ordering Light: Science and Magic is a big step in the right direction. Step 2 - read it! When you understand the characteristics of light and reflections (the book is all about these topics), your choice of modifiers becomes much clearer.<br>

Next, seriously consider the types of work you'll be doing in your studio. Mostly headshots? smaller soft box, very close to the subject, perhaps using a second light with a standard reflector as fill. If you're doing larger work (i.e., 3/4, full body) you'll need a larger softbox and working distance. <br>

My final tip - practice with one light; you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with a single light source. Then, move to using additional lighting sources (monolight, reflector, bounce cards, etc) to expand your capabilities.<br>

BTW I have the Elinchrom Octa - it's amazing. Keep in mind however that it's a rather large light source. Beautiful soft light, but you need to have a sufficient working space for it (your 12' x 18' space is probably big enough - I use it in a 12x24 space with no problems). <br>

You can probably save some $ by looking at a photoflex medium (2x3') box with an elinchrom ring. That should get you started for under $200, and will work for head shots. I'd forego at least the barn doors, and possibly the gels, for now. If you're getting a Lee filter pack you'll need an Elinchrom 7" reflector and the filter holder (you'll still have to manually cut the 7" circle filters from the 12" Lee material).</p>

[twmeyer]

<p>I like the Photek Illuminata for it's range of light qualities. I have the 36", as my studio is pretty small, too... t</p><div></div>

[bob_osullivan]

<p>I think a medium size softbox or brollie box if you prefer that type of catch light would be fine. Couple that with a 40" umbrella. This combo can cover most of your portrait work. Make sure you get a softbox fabric grid to control the spill you are concerned about. </p>

<p>That's a good book but I find it's information more useful for product photography than for portraiture. Just check out your local book store. There should be plenty of resources on protrait lighting.</p>

[mark_allen6]

<p>If you like the octa vs a softbox because of the round catchlight, a much less expensive alternative (w much faster setup time) is the Photek softliter, available in 3 different sizes (35", 45", and 60"), each <$100. Many people on this forum swear by them (incl me) and it appears that Annie Leib also uses them quite a bit (from the photos I've seen of her setups). They are simply an umbrella with a diffusor over them, but like the Elin octas they first bounce the light then diffuse it (unlike softboxes). Check them out and spend all the money you save on other modifiers - like flags or cutters which are much more versitile than barndoors (I wish I'd gone that way myself). Good luck!</p>

[chawn_crawley]

<p>Thanks for the advice on alternatives; I'm certainly not averse to looking into other models than Elinchrom.<br>

I'm surprised at the responses suggesting that barndoors may not be the best way to go. I've read an overabundance of praise of them on other sites. In particular, I like photographs that incorporate a thin shaft of light into the mix, and being able to put a spot of light on the canvas behind the subjects head. I had begun to believe that barndoors were the way to accomplish these things. I don't know much about flags, at this point.<br>

I think I'll read the book, work out a softbox solution, then figure out how best to outfit the second light. Maybe a simple grid will suffice for that?</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Chawn</p>

[nathan_stiles]

<p>48" strip softbox, don't get cheap w/ the brand or you'll regret it later. Any box that will accept a grid is a bonus too. Maybe some stands and some flags to help w/ the spill.</p>

[g._armour_van_horn]

<p>Get out a catalog and list all the possibilities. Buy one large and one small of every one of them. Just don't do it all at once, you can only learn to use one or two at a time. There are very few modifiers that don't have valid uses.</p>

<p>I also wouldn't worry about buying high quality at the outset. If you get some cheap piece of crap, and then conclude that you're only going to use it twice a year, it will probably last forever. The modifiers that you use constantly, after you've had the chance to work with a bunch of them, will wear out and you can then buy the best of the best in that category.</p>

<p>Van</p>