Behind The Scenes Video with the Westcott Zeppelin...

Hey Ya'all,

Here's a Behind The Scenes video with the
Westcott Zeppelin.



Craig Beckta

i can't figure out why one would pay so much for a modifier and put the outer diffuser on it. No lip or anything. Seems like the whole idea is to use the depth to shape the light coming off the front of the modifier. Slap a piece of nylon on there and it has pretty much the same properties of anything else that size.

i have zero experience with the thing, but doesn't the outer diff pretty much make it a standard softbox?

I shot the Zeppelin in a number of different
configurations.

As a Parabolic with the light bounced into it.

With just one layer of diffusion like
you mentioned, where the light is
more directional.

It just so happens that the shots that
stood out as keepers were the ones
with two layers of diffusion.

So I edited the video to conform with
the lighting set up I used.

You can use this any number of ways.

I have over 150 shots from the shoot,
that is just the way the video worked
out.

Craig Beckta

keeping in mind my "experience with the thing", i see it being unique outside (or in other conditions where there is more all over fill);

1) with bare bulb and only the inner diffuser
2) with speedlights indirect with zero diff or inner diff only

and/or would you say that with the outer diff it really isn't much different than an octa or umbrella softbox?

Here is a video I shot in the summer
with just the interior baffle installed.



When you use it as a true parabolic you
can focus the light more but it also
becomes harsher.

The inner baffle gives you the best of
both Worlds.

I usually shoot multiple ways and
decide later which shots I prefer.

Craig Beckta

The Deep Parabolic by design is
not the same as a regular soft
box.

Even with two diffusion panels
installed, it still creates more
contrast in my opinion than
a regular soft box or Octa
box.

Although the Zeppelin isn't
exactly cheap, it is a lot more
affordable than the Broncolor
Para that runs around $4500.00.


Craig

thanks for sharing.

Comment:
I've seen this product used by Joel Grimes and other high profile photographers and its always the same thing.... all head shots. Looks good but when using it at further distance...it looks like your typical diffused modifiers ... softbox,octabox,brolly​.

Would be interested to see a side by side comparrison between the 47" Westcott Zeppelin and the 47" Glow/Rimelite Grand Softbox using both the direct and reverse mount flash positions.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17463582
keeping in mind my "experience with the thing", i see it being unique outside (or in other conditions where there is more all over fill);

1) with bare bulb and only the inner diffuser
2) with speedlights indirect with zero diff or inner diff only

and/or would you say that with the outer diff it really isn't much different than an octa or umbrella softbox?

I think you have identified the points of uniqueness...only if the parabolic section is not impeded with any front outer diffusion panel. As depicted at 2:48 in the video, it is acting no differently than a standard (not parabolic) softbox.

I would love to see a direct comparison, Zeppelin double diffused with outer panel vs. standard double diffusion softbox with silver interior with model posed the same for both shots, to substantiate the perception that Craig has about creating more contrast (in his opinion) than a regular soft box or Octabox. Perception of the past might be due only to the interior cloth (white vs. silver)