DIY Sun Panel

[SYS]

Actually I made this about 6 months ago for my basement studio use as an additional diffuser to go along with my main, large diffuser panel. But when I noticed very bright winter mid-day sun at work outside today, I decided to see how it'd work as a sun panel, as well. Here's the result (just for the sake of showing the effect of direct sun and with the sun panel, I did very minimal PP):


The Free Standing Sun Panel (detachable at the legs):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3087778390_c4bf0c55c8_o.jpg


At Work (one free model, one free labor :lol:):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/3086941571_504ac757ab_o.jpg


Result of Direct Sun:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/3087778300_8fa6473f94_o.jpg


With the Sun Panel:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3086941551_c814e5591b_o.jpg


What a difference, eh? :D No more FEAR shooting directly under intense sun!!

[LBaldwin]

I make these all the time, the biggest so far is 20'x20'.... good job.

[SYS]

I make these all the time, the biggest so far is 20'x20'.... good job.

Yea, I know, it's nothing new under the sun (pun intended;)), just a new and different application for me...

[Bill Roberts]

It obviously works quite well... good job.

cheers

[LBaldwin]

Do the two assistants come with the panel? I bet they take candy for pay!! lol

[DigitalSpecialist]

I love the free assistants!

[dpds68]

What material did you use ?

[Lotto]

Nice work. It works well as a reflector too.

[SYS]

What material did you use ?

1/2" PVC pipes for the frame and the stand. "Sports nylon" (double layered) for the fabric. I decided against using the standard "rip nylon" and went with a bit thicker nylon.

[SYS]

Nice work. It works well as a reflector too.

Hmm.. I gotta try it as a reflector, too, although I did make a couple of reflectors using foamcore boards (small and large).

[SYS]

Do the two assistants come with the panel? I bet they take candy for pay!! lol

:lol: They're my most trusted and eager assistants who are quite keen on photography already. They don't want any candy for pay, they prefer "internship" experience... ;)

[LBaldwin]

When I shoot with diffusion (my fav for daylight) I often use a very small flash just to get some "pop" in the eyes. It makes a world of difference to me. I will also use a hand mirror for the same. I have black, grey, and solid reflectors as well as varios densities of diffusion material.

If I may experiment with ND filters and these too, you can really begin to control BG density and DOF while maintaining total control over the direction an quality of the light.

I have been teaching portrait and product photography with these for years and they are a blast to use. There really are hundreds of combos you can create with them for different shoots. I have one 6'x4' panel with a large area center that has 1/2 stop and the rest is 1.5 stop just for fashion.

Have fun!!

[LBaldwin]

What material did you use ?

I use ripstop, as well as spun fiber and vellum. There are several ways to do this part!!

I used to have an real issue with color correction from some fabrics but with Digital it is generally no longer an issue.

[SYS]

When I shoot with diffusion (my fav for daylight) I often use a very small flash just to get some "pop" in the eyes. It makes a world of difference to me. I will also use a hand mirror for the same. I have black, grey, and solid reflectors as well as varios densities of diffusion material.

Next time, when I need to do a real portrait shoot in daylight, I was thinking about having the exact same set up as above but with a flash using my DIY small softbox. In other words, I'd use the bright sun as the main light source with the above sun panel to soften the subject, and also use my DIY small softbox on the flash bracket to shoot.... If you have done something similar to this, I'd like to hear what might be the outcome.

[LBaldwin]

I usually balance the flash so that it is at least .5 stops less than ambient. Some folks like the over flash look w/ the softbox and I do too but only for fashion. For portraits I depend heavily on the diffusion / reflector look using the flash to provide highlights in the eyes and add shading to the chin and cheeks.

[SYS]

I usually balance the flash so that it is at least .5 stops less than ambient. Some folks like the over flash look w/ the softbox and I do too but only for fashion. For portraits I depend heavily on the diffusion / reflector look using the flash to provide highlights in the eyes and add shading to the chin and cheeks.

You're talking about bare flash on-camera hotshoe at .5 stops less than ambient, right?

[TMR Design]

Hi SYS,

It's great to see that some people actually understand that it's not all about overpowering the sun and using sun panels, scrims, diffusion panels or even black panels to reduce the contribution from the sun or any ambient light source is very powerful. Negative fill is often overlooked and can really make a difference in your images, as you've discovered. With the right lighting and a scrim or diffusion panel you can create very pleasing light in situations where others might normally have to deal with harsh morning or midday sun and have a nightmare trying to control or fight it.

Good post. I hope more people follow your lead.

[SYS]

Hi SYS,

It's great to see that some people actually understand that it's not all about overpowering the sun and using sun panels, scrims, diffusion panels or even black panels to reduce the contribution from the sun or any ambient light source is very powerful. Negative fill is often overlooked and can really make a difference in your images, as you've discovered. With the right lighting and a scrim or diffusion panel you can create very pleasing light in situation where other might normally have to deal with harsh morning or midday sun and have a nightmare trying to control or fight it.

Good post. I hope more people follow your lead.

Good to hear from you, Robert! It's been a long time since I hung around the "Studio" thread and now I'm coming back to it more often. Thank you for your encouraging words!! :D

[LBaldwin]

You're talking about bare flash on-camera hotshoe at .5 stops less than ambient, right?

You can go with shoe mounted if you want, I prefer a flash bracket or just handholding to one side depending of course on the situation. I almost always use some sort of diffusion on my flash usually an omni bounce.

I also second Robert's post as well. I am a big beleiver in using all types of reflectors. I probably have 200 to say the least. Everything from hand mirrors to 4" foamcore. Lots of different diffusion material both black for negative fill and of course white. I make lots of scrims with patterns, holes etc.

This is to me one of the most important differences between a professional photographer, and a button pusher. The ability to force those little photons to do your bidding really is what it is all about.

See if you can pick up the Dean Collins videos he was great in this area!!

Cheers,

[SYS]

You can go with shoe mounted if you want, I prefer a flash bracket or just handholding to one side depending of course on the situation. I almost always use some sort of diffusion on my flash usually an omni bounce.

I also second Robert's post as well. I am a big beleiver in using all types of reflectors. I probably have 200 to say the least. Everything from hand mirrors to 4" foamcore. Lots of different diffusion material both black for negative fill and of course white. I make lots of scrims with patterns, holes etc.

This is to me one of the most important differences between a professional photographer, and a button pusher. The ability to force those little photons to do your bidding really is what it is all about.

See if you can pick up the Dean Collins videos he was great in this area!!

Cheers,

Great, thank you for your helpful response!

200+ reflectors? :eek:

[LBaldwin]

Great, thank you for your helpful response!

200+ reflectors? :eek:

Yup!! I am ashamed to say it...
I use several sheets of foamcore to cover windows, I have 10-12 rolls of spun fiber to cover aircraft windows when doing interior shots, I have several of the different size PVC frames like the one you made.

I have the foldable type, in gold, black, blue, diffusion and, and and. I built door and window size reflectors for homes when doing portraits. So maybe 200 is short...:)

[TMR Design]

Yup!! I am ashamed to say it...
I use several sheets of foamcore to cover windows, I have 10-12 rolls of spun fiber to cover aircraft windows when doing interior shots, I have several of the different size PVC frames like the one you made.

I have the foldable type, in gold, black, blue, diffusion and, and and. I built door and window size reflectors for homes when doing portraits. So maybe 200 is short...:)

Don't be ashamed. Reflectors are so underrated and misunderstood. Some people see it as a compromise or get bummed out when they wish they had an extra light and had to 'settle' for a reflector. Diffusion panels and scrims are underrated as well, and most people think that lighting a shot is all about pouring light all over the subject, subject area and background with no clue as to how to control that light. They never think about taking light away or the concept of negative fill and don't understand the possible advantages of a reflector over a powered light source.

I think that once you get to the point of really understanding light and how to control it then those modifiers make more sense. Most people seem to fight with light and struggle to 'tame' it but rarely are in control of it. Controlling light and building a shot with the amount of light exactly where you want it and not where you don't want it is just about the coolest thing I can think of and I'm so glad that I was taught those things early on because they've had great impact on me and my photography.

[dpds68]

Can I use something like this to shoot through like a umbrella ?

I should be getting my Optical slave tomorrow and want to take my Vivitar 285Hv off camera triggered by my 430EX on Camera.

[zagiace]

I made a few of these to use in Studio, 6'x8' and they work great!
I shoot through them, bounce, cover them with black to block the light and cover them with silver thermal blanket for either a sparkly bounce or specular background.
Other then clamps... they are my most universal tool.
You'll have fun with these.

[SYS]

Controlling light and building a shot with the amount of light exactly where you want it and not where you don't want it is just about the coolest thing I can think of and I'm so glad that I was taught those things early on because they've had great impact on me and my photography.

Wish I had been exposed to lighting early on, as it would have made me a far better photographer than I'm now. But of course it's never late to learn!! :)

[TMR Design]

But of course it's never late to learn!! :)

Right on SooYoung. It's all about putting in the time and dedicating yourself to the process.

[umphotography]

I use ripstop, as well as spun fiber and vellum. There are several ways to do this part!!

I used to have an real issue with color correction from some fabrics but with Digital it is generally no longer an issue.


GREAT POST EVERYONE


question on the material

where can one find these nylons,sports nylons, or theripstop you are talking about.........i would like to get some material

also,,what about shooting through material. i can see alot of use for a small panel in front of a flash OR EVEN A STUDIO STROBE to spread and soften the light. im thinking something handheld. what material would you sue to shoot through,,,,,,,,TMR ??

[SYS]

GREAT POST EVERYONE


question on the material

where can one find these nylons,sports nylons, or theripstop you are talking about.........i would like to get some material



You can easily get nylons at any local fabric stores like JoAnne's Fabric or whoever. You can get it cheaper if you wait for one of frequent sales...

[TMR Design]

You can easily get nylons at any local fabric stores like JoAnne's Fabric or whoever. You can get it cheaper if you wait for one of frequent sales...

JoAnne's sells the Nylon Ripstop and the Sports Ripstop. I had posted the link with the SKU's in a thread a while ago. If you have a JoAnne's near you you can find both styles in white and black but if I recall on the web site they either didn't list both types or both colors, I forget which.

Last I checked the ripstop was selling for $6.99 per yard and I forget if the width was 48" or 60".

Keep in mind that using a diffusion panel is a bit different from a softbox or octa because there is a more apparent hot spot. That can work to your advantage or disadvantage depending on what you're shooting and how you want it lit. I've seen people glue a secondary layer or diffusion material over an area in the center to even out the light across the panel.

[umphotography]

JoAnne's sells the Nylon Ripstop and the Sports Ripstop. I had posted the link with the SKU's in a thread a while ago. If you have a JoAnne's near you you can find both styles in white and black but if I recall on the web site they either didn't list both types or both colors, I forget which.

Last I checked the ripstop was selling for $6.99 per yard and I forget if the width was 48" or 60".

Keep in mind that using a diffusion panel is a bit different from a softbox or octa because there is a more apparent hot spot. That can work to your advantage or disadvantage depending on what you're shooting and how you want it lit. I've seen people glue a secondary layer or diffusion material over an area in the center to even out the light across the panel.


WOW:cool:

great stuff. im heading to Joanne's this week. what a bargin. it may not look as PRETTY as the stuff you buy on line,,but my wallett sure thinks its looking goooood

thanks everyone,,playtime this weekend...so far no clients

[LBaldwin]

I have bought fabric from lots of sources including Joanns and Wallymart etc. I have even used a cloth shower curtain!!

The key really is learning the properties of light, and how to use light modifiers to alter how that light is applied to the subject. Get as many books on photography as you can, and I mean old library books, yard sales, any source except new. New is OK but really why go to the extra expense.

Now I have a mission for you and it is one that I have given to y students for years.
Get several pieces of colored paper, different thicknesses and reflective properties. Using just your hand and a window with an excellent source of plane ol daylight. Use the colored paper, white paper, black paper to reflect the light onto your hand from different angles, directions etc.

Use TP or vellum or other diffused material to observe how the light changes at different distances and angles etc. Even experienced photographers often find little ideas they can use in the next shoot. It can't be taught in a class, it needs to be on your own. Observe your area learn to SEE how light reflects, acts bounces about and settles on different surfaces.