Making my life easier

Hi folks, so continuing on from my last post where I used two 66cm square Portalite softboxes to create the look of strip boxes, I thought I would share an image using actual strips.

These particular boxes are just 33cm wide and 1.75m in height which makes them ideal for full length work. The very narrow profile of these modifiers and the even 

distribution of light on the front diffuser makes them ideal for full length body shots.The characteristics of these lights create great modeling and relief emphasing the sculptural qualities of the subject, in this case a fitness model.

These are indirect softboxes which means the flash head faces into the back of the box resulting in a very evenly lit front diffuser with no fall of light at the edges. Very important when you need to make good use of the whole strip for full length work.

This set up is so much easier than the previous images I posted using the smaller square boxes. Positioning of the subject is crucial as the slightest movement of the subject can produce very different results. For example, in this case, if the subject moved around 15cm to 20cm further from the camera position then the light would spread across the front of the subject removing some of the directional, shadow creating light, producing a much flatter result. The optimum position to show muscle tone may not however produce the best light on the subjects face with a deep almost black shadow down the centre. In this example the shadow was relieved a little by the addition of the 70cm Maxilight (or beauty dish) around three stops lower output than the strip lights. Just enough to lift but not remove the depth of the shadow.

If you are looking for a light source to create full length images with the maximum amount of modeling then these lights with the very narrow profile are essential.

Remember

With the two boxes placed on each side of your subject, you can control the amount of light falling on the face/front of the body by moving your subject.

Move your subject away from the camera position to create a softer shadow so they are positioned near the far edge of the strip or move nearer to the camera for a deeper shadow.