MICHAEL TAPP Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 Hi All, I recently picked an ex88 rifa softbox to shoot talking heads. I recently tested it out and ran into an issue with hot spots on the subject's face. The silk on the rifa is 32x32 inches and I was also using the eggcrate. The source(1k) was about four feet from the subject. I didn't try using powder during the test. Is there anything else I can do with the softbox to avoid hot spots? Thank you for your insight and time!
Stuart Brereton Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 What do you mean by hotspots? If you mean specular reflections and shine from skin, then you'll get that from any lamp. You need to use powder to deal with it.
MICHAEL TAPP Posted June 10, 2014 Author Posted June 10, 2014 Yes, I am referring to specular reflections and shine on the skin. Thanks for clearing things up for me.
Chad Griepentrog Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 Does your kit come with a baffle? That should eliminate any hot spots and spread the light evenly by the time it hits your silk. Is the light fully flooded?
MICHAEL TAPP Posted June 11, 2014 Author Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) Are baffles another word for egg crates? I have a 40 degree egg crate. I'm thinking of trading in the 40 degree egg crate for a 30 degree egg crate. And yes, the Rifa softbox is fully flooded. Because of the construction of the softbox you can't move the bulb. Edited June 11, 2014 by MICHAEL TAPP
Stuart Brereton Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 A baffle is typically a second layer of diffusion inside the softbox. I don't think Rifas have them.
Premium Member Mark Kenfield Posted June 12, 2014 Premium Member Posted June 12, 2014 Taping or clipping an additional sheet of diff over part of the softbox can help cut down those specular reflections without affecting the rest of the light too much.
MICHAEL TAPP Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 Thanks for the tip! What level of diff would you recommend? I'd like to kill the hot spots without losing too much light.
Premium Member Mark Kenfield Posted June 13, 2014 Premium Member Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) I'd bring sheets of 216, 250 and 251 along and see what it needs. Powder to create more of a matte sheen on people's skin can go a long way for these things though. Edited June 13, 2014 by Mark Kenfield
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted June 13, 2014 Premium Member Posted June 13, 2014 All the diff you add, don't forget, will have the effect of dimming down the light; which often means you bring it in closer, which then takes away a level of it's softness. There is no free lunch.
Premium Member Satsuki Murashige Posted June 14, 2014 Premium Member Posted June 14, 2014 Another thing you can do is add a 4x4 frame of diffusion in front of the soft box. Try Light Gridcloth. That will make your key light even softer, so the reflection in the skin will be broader and more diffuse. As Adrian says, you will lose some stop by doing this.
Mathew Rudenberg Posted June 14, 2014 Posted June 14, 2014 All the diff you add, don't forget, will have the effect of dimming down the light; which often means you bring it in closer, which then takes away a level of it's softness. There is no free lunch. Bringing it in closer would actually increase the amount of softness - a small frame near by creates the same size light source (relative to the subject) as a large frame far away.
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted June 14, 2014 Premium Member Posted June 14, 2014 Ahh you are correct Mathew. Sorry long flight this morning.
Carl King Posted June 14, 2014 Posted June 14, 2014 It does sound like the simple solution would be more makeup. And making sure you're not overexposing / clipping the highlights.
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