directional light

[alexander_ruyg]

Hi, I am shooting a lot of stills lately and i have problems with

spilling too much light on places where it's not needed. So i'm in

need of a very directional lightsource, flash or tungsten.

Alexx

[peter_olsson]

It sounds like a job for a tungsten light with fresnel lens.

They are not too expensive, and can be found quite cheap

on the used market. They give an even, directional light, with

marked shadows. One popular brand is Arri.

[derek_simpson1]

Theatrical suppliers have a variety. The simplest is the aforementioned Fresnel spot which gives a soft edged adjustable pool of light - get the matching "barn door" fittings and you can control the shap0e of the beam a small amount to prevent "spill"(light where you don't want it). For more control you need a Profile spot which can vary hard/soft edge large/small beam and has internal shutters which can shape a beam to almost any four sided straight sided shape. It will also take "gobos" which can be absolutely any shape ( cut out of pie plate foil material) matching if necessary the exact shape of your subject. Scan a book on theatre lighting if you feel a bit self conscious before you approach a source but most people in the business are happy to explain. There are photo gadgets like snoots and honeycombs which do similar but not the same jobs and about which I know very little. Be aware of the heat these l;amps can generate when focussed. You may be able to control 500watt lamps with domestic dimmers wired in but take advice if in doubt. Intensity and colour can both be adjusted with filters (gels) but variable brightness should be considered a necessity.

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

Grid Spot?

[joel_collins]

I use a small-ish light box with louvers to keep light off of the background or other areas. I also have a few grids that can be inserted into the reflectors on the lights to narrow the light. Another thing that works well is just placing a big piece of black poster board between the light and the subject such that the poster board blocks the part of the light that you don't want. I think the pros call this a GOBO because it GOes BOtween the light and the subject.