Umbrella or softbox size for full body shots?

Whats size umbrella or softbox will I need to use a Hot Shoe flash for a standing full body shot?


/Jocce

Can you further explain your setup please? are you planning on using the flash on camera or off? How many lights are you using? Just the one? This shot was done with 3 Profoto B1 monolights. The key light was in a 5 foot octobox and it still did not fully light her whole body evenly. I had to lighten her legs a bit in post.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Jarvis Creative Studios wrote in post #18245812
Can you further explain your setup please? are you planning on using the flash on camera or off? How many lights are you using? Just the one? This shot was done with 3 Profoto B1 monolights. The key light was in a 5 foot octobox and it still did not fully light her whole body evenly. I had to lighten her legs a bit in post.

Hosted photo: posted by Jarvis Creative Studios in
./showthread.php?p=182​45812&i=i136328853
forum: Flash and Studio Lighting

I'm thinking Off Camera.

And If I would use only one light, how big would the modifier need to be to lighten fairly even over all of the body, head to toes?


/Jocce

Jocce wrote in post #18245813
I'm thinking Off Camera.

And If I would use only one light, how big would the modifier need to be to lighten fairly even over all of the body, head to toes?

/Jocce

I would say as large as you can. 5' octabox is my go to. Or you could look into a parabolic umbrella like the photeck softlighter. But that's with a studio strobe. I don't recommend using a single speed light to try and light a 5' modifier.

The answer depends on how soft you want the shadows. Technically with enough distance and proper w/s, you could light the entire body with a very small modifier. If you double the distance between subject and light source, it illuminates a surface area four times greater than the one before.

smaeda wrote in post #18246363
Technically with enough distance and proper w/s, you could light the entire body with a very small modifier. If you double the distance between subject and light source, it illuminates a surface area four times greater than the one before.

Exactly. If used up close, a light needs to be the same size as the subject to be uniform, while a point source will suffer inverse-square falloff. At a greater distance, either large or small light source will serve if the distribution of the source itself is uniform. So, a bare bulb can uniformly light a standing portrait. There are, of course, other issues like efficiency, stray light, and hardness of light. Two well-known lighting schemes for a uniformly-lit standing portrait: strip SB equal in height to the subject (soft), and dish/projector (hard).

A shoot through umbrella casts a much larger light than a softbox of the same size, and costs a lot less.

However, you end up putting light all over the place, and the light is not as even.

For softer shadows.. 5 foot diameter umbrella is a good start, 40 inch diameter, or there abouts can be used, but have some darkness and fall off issues towards the feet, and those are better for waist up shots.

Thank you for all the input


/Jocce

I own a 7 foot white (sort of) parabolic shoot thru umbrella that i use mostly for whole figure shoots.

I not too distant future i plan on getting something like Fotodiox Pro 88" Parabolic Reflector Umbrella Kit, or similar ... basicly a Broncolor 220 on budget.

Light is amazing and nothing out there beats what this light modifier does.

Get a huge 5in1 reflector (use the translucent inside part) or a scrim. Or hang a bathroom curtain. Or a sheer curtain. Hang this this near your subject (just out of camera view) and aim whichever modifier you chose at it.

Adjust relative distances to get the size you want.

Not soft or even enough? Add another one between the light and the first one and shoot through both.

Or get a huge piece of foam core or other large white surface (Home Depot or art supply store) and bounce the light off of it. You can add scrims or shower curtains between this and your subject if desired.

It's all size relative to subject. For soft=>Bigger. Or closer. Or both.

5ft Octa for sure, or 3ft with enough space to move the light back/up. Have also used whatever the large AB rectangular softbox is (I think 3x5'?) and their PLM's. Space and how much power you have available will be the biggest issue.

You can illuminate a standing person with a bare bulb or any size modifier. It all depends on you, your goals, and look you are trying to achieve.

Angmo wrote in post #18250181
You can illuminate a standing person with a bare bulb or any size modifier. It all depends on you, your goals, and look you are trying to achieve.

What you wrote is technically true, but I'm not sure how it adds value to the conversation....

I think we have a sense the OP wants soft light, since they mentioned a softbox or umbrella. They also stated "And If I would use only one light, how big would the modifier need to be to lighten fairly even over all of the body, head to toes?" Which gives us an idea that fall-off is not desireable for their purpose. From this we can conclude that "bare bulb or any size modifier" is not going to help them achieve their goal.

F2Bthere wrote in post #18250591
What you wrote is technically true, but I'm not sure how it adds value to the conversation....

I think we have a sense the OP wants soft light, since they mentioned a softbox or umbrella. They also stated "And If I would use only one light, how big would the modifier need to be to lighten fairly even over all of the body, head to toes?" Which gives us an idea that fall-off is not desireable for their purpose. From this we can conclude that "bare bulb or any size modifier" is not going to help them achieve their goal.

One size does not fit all. One answer does not answer all.

Expand your boundaries. Analyze them.

Perhaps you could try evenly illuminating a standing subject with a bare bulb and appreciate it can be done. Analyze the look compared to a fully diffused 4x6 softbox and discuss the merits of all options. Toss in an umbrella and so forth...

Beats criticism.