by Paul | May 26, 2017 | Lightware, New Lighting, New Product, Tips and Tricks
How it connects to start with.
Using the box clip to stretch the elastic and clip tight to the pole.
You can see the difference in this last two by the edge shown on the Deep Umbrella
I have been using a light that is imported by Dynalight, Grand GSB 79. Basically a giant umbrella with a diffuser placed about midway in the design. After working with it awhile, I was getting hard spill where the diffuser does not meet right to the edge of the structure. I searched the manufacturer’s web site and found no solution. For some reason Dynalite or the maker do not bring in to the US a front diffuser that would solve this little issue. I think the details make the difference, so I set out to find a solution and it was easy. Those little box clips you get at Staples or Office Depot were the solution. They are strong enough to hold via the elastic that is on the diffuser to clamp tightly to the pole. (See the second picture). This totally eliminates the spill light that is plagued by the initial design. So a few box clamps and the spill is gone.
As far as a diffuser, I have a 8×8 foot 1/2 silent silk made by the Rag place in LA for my front diffuser. This combination has worked very well. I travel with it in a 62″ Flip Lid from Lightware. I clip on the diffuser with little A clamps purchased at Home Depot.
by Paul | Mar 26, 2017 | FourSquare, Lightware, Location Kits, Tips and Tricks
Sometimes you just have to show how you do things so you can pass it on. I have here a MF1217 with a B2 Profoto Kit. I have modified the heads using FourSquare Mini Mounts so that they are easily useable in a FourSquare Block and Box. I also have a couple of Manfrotto 026 stand adapters so that I can use umbrella, FourSquare box or a bare head. This kit is easy carry on size no problems local or international. The heads are corded to the small power pack giving you plenty of length to move around.
The beauty is just how compact you can make it and carry on the plane. I could have stuffed more but it would not have been as pretty. Great things come in small packages.
by Paul | Mar 26, 2017 | Location Kits, Location Shoot, Tips and Tricks, Unintended Uses
These images should be pretty self explanatory. A Pelican 1060 Micro case and AA battery holders from LightwareDirect.com. (they are in the Cool Tools section). This battery kit lives with my speed light flashes. It’s always there. The nifty thing about using this is that battery will insert either way. So if I insert the battery and the little silver top is showing in the hole ( at the top) it tells me its charged and ready. If the battery is inserted up side down and its showing the flat side (-) it tells me it needs recharging. Simple but effective. They stay organized and makes traveling easier.
by Paul | Mar 26, 2017 | Tips and Tricks
One of the first set ups using a FourSquare 48. We used the large FourSquare to blast through the hanging drapes from Ikea. I have a Lumedyne head in the box that I modified with a Mini Mount so I could easily slide the head onto the FourSquare mount. With the Lumedyne heads you could mount four heads if you wanted … just like four speed lights, they are that small! I did not use either of the screens in the front of the box because the drapes were doing the “diffusing”.
The other FourSquare is our key light with two SB 900’s at 1/4 power. The only thing not in the photo is a white bounce board on the right edged up to the wood floor.
Our wall is made up of 1×4’s and luan sheeting braced by a C stand and grip head. All this is easily available at your home improvement center.Makes for a very mobile and interesting set for the studio. After doing this shoot I have found more tidbits at IKEA that are easy on the budget and make for very interesting light modifiers. Have fun and keep shooting.
by Paul | Mar 26, 2017 | FourSquare, Tips and Tricks
Thinking outside of the box again … this little device is used to share your music with friends. It also works great as a trigger hub for speed lights in a FourSquare box (or your box of choice). We used only one radio receiver and the Belkin hub. It worked exactly as expected, great at taking the signal and sending it out to the attached speed lights be it Nikon or Canon or whoever. Using this with optical slaves that have a PC connection, is terrific way to use “old” Canon flashes that did not have a PC connection.
I found this on Amazon for only fourteen dollars. They call it a Belkin RockStar 5-Way headphone splitter. I have been using a custom made splitter, this is a little more funky, but the price savings is great!!!!!
by Paul | Mar 26, 2017 | Tips and Tricks
So here we go… Two FourSquare boxes on with B2 heads the other with two Nikon SB 900’s. What you see is a pretty good comparison on options available for your road kit. I was pretty amazed to see that the two are somewhat equal in output. With todays new sensors and all the the advancements in cameras adusting for 4/10 of a stop is not that much. I just so expected the B2 to blow away the speedlights. Much to my surprise, I was surprised! For money out of pocket solely I would choose the speedlights for the WOW factor for the client the Profotos leave a different impression. I am sure my friend Dave Black, www.workshop-at-the-ranch.com, would be the first to tell you to take the frosted glass off the front of the B2’s. That is exactly what Dave did to his B1’s and I believe he gained almost a full f-stop of light. If any of you out there have the time to check this out for sure with the B2’s let me know I am really curious.
Light being light, I think that the speedlights would be easier to travel with. It seems that most of the B2’s going to the wedding and location shooter who needs that extra punch for the images. However, it really comes down on where and how you want to spend your money. How many options do we have out there that will do the same thing as the speedlights and the B2’s. Amazon has a number of possibilities, Adorama and B&H have their own solutions, Lumedyne, Paul C. Buff and probably more that I can’t think of while typing this.
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