Convert Octabox to Strip Box?

[doidinho]

Not permanently, just temporarily. I was thinking about Velcroing two strips of black material to my octabox so I get use it like a strip box. Obviously it wouldn't be as efficient as a dedicated strip box; I was just wondering if any of you light pros see anything fundamentally wrong with my idea. I really don't want to spend time to make the mod if if it's obvious that it won't work.


Thanks

[Jannie]

Try it the cheap way first, take some black visqueen (plastic sheeting that comes in a roll you get at some place like Home Depot and it's also good for taping to windows when you want to black them out if you're shooting inside and it's really light weight and really cheap).

Cut some of that Black Visqueen and tape it with gaffer tape to the Octobox; you'll be able to play with the size of the white area revealed and it's easy and cheap to do, when you figure it out, then go ahead and make some out of black cloth like Duvoteen with the velcro tabs. Actually I don't remember exactly what it looked like, but you might be able to use clothes pins to put it on the Octobox, only there is a technical name for them that film crews use so they don't have to ask for clothespins, I think it is "C-47's" which was the military supply number for them LOL.

[FlyingPhotog]

Yup .. C47s = Spring Type Clothspins...

[Jim G]

Sounds like it'll work to me... I do similar stuff with my brollies to change the shape!

[Vascilli]

Or just test with any opaque fabric you have beforehand.

[Wilt]

The technique of masking off a larger source is a very common technique. You can use separate stands with flags/gobos, or you can apply a masking material to the front of a softbox...I would not use tape (gets hot, adhesive melts), but merely use clamps to hold cardboard, or even use aluminum foil which is formed over the source surface.