ab800 is an awkward light for me

tmr design's posts about the alien bees has got me thinking.

i think the ab800 is a very awkward light for me.

in the studio (our living room), we always, without exception, have too much power!

i like to shoot from f/2.8 to f/8, to stay in my lenses' sweet spots.

as an example, here is a shot from my lighting test last night. shooting with the 85L my target aperture was f/4 at iso 50.

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You illustrate the point I have made in the past, that there is indeed such thing as 'too much light', contrary to what many say!

Even with a 500 w-s power pack with 2 heads connected, each head is outputting 250 w-s. Switch down the power to 1/16 and you are still at f/2.8 without the softbox. With the softbox you are just under your desired f/2.

A ND filter over the lens is a way to throttle back more, with your current light.

yes i have a 3 stop nd, but don't really care for shooting with it. i can't see anything.

suyenfung wrote in post #4950784
yes i have a 3 stop nd, but don't really care for shooting with it. i can't see anything.

Then put a ND gel over the light source.

How about moving the Bee(s) further back? Is that an option in your room?

not really as it defeats the purpose of the modifiers.

For a small home/apartment studio a 200WS or two and some speedlites are all you need, and even those will need to be powered down to get you where you want to be.

Hi Jarred,

First, I must tell you that you're photograph's are looking better and better.

In the past I was guilty of making the recommendation to have too much power rather than too little. I've now changed my tune and I'm a believer in correctly assessing your needs so you have the 'correct' amount of power for your space and the type of shooting you'll be doing. It's easy to say "more power is better" just as people generically say "get the biggest softbox you can" and most of us know that these kinds of blanket statements just don't work.

I think that many people buy the B800 thinking it's the best way to go and feel that the B400 is too little power. I would venture a guess and say that close to 50% of the buyers could have easily done just fine with B400's, allowing extra money for either another strobe or addition modifiers.

I always had to use ND's to get my power down in the Bees so I could shoot at apertures larger than ~f/8 and when I wanted my softbox to be as close to the subject as possible but just out of frame I was screwed unless I wanted to shoot at f/16 or smaller. The reality is that I could have used B400's and it would have enabled me to work at higher power levels on the slider control where things are also a bit more consistent.

The Elinchrom D-Lite 2, for instance, is a 200ws strobe and is much better for my space. It allows me to shoot at larger apertures, and if I want to use a nice large octabox from 6 or 8 feet from the subject I can get my f/2.8 and f/4 shots but I never liked the idea of moving my lights to achieve the desired exposure when that completely changes the lighting. Once again that puts you in a place where you're being governed by the gear instead of being in control. I don't know about you, but I would much rather be in control of the gear to create exactly what I want.

Bigger softbox for main light is always good!

Get a foam core diffusion panel and bounce your AB off it; that will cost you plenty of light. Or get a large piece of that white nylon and layer it over your softbox. You can always reduce light output and often soften it as you do.

I have a b1600 and I often use it between 1/8 and 1/4 as my main light. It can be about 3 feet from the subject and properly expose there at f/8, ISO100. I don't have any reason to use a very large aperture for most of my work, so I never run into the "too much power" issue.

form wrote in post #4951749
Bigger softbox for main light is always good!

Get a foam core diffusion panel and bounce your AB off it; that will cost you plenty of light. Or get a large piece of that white nylon and layer it over your softbox. You can always reduce light output and often soften it as you do.

Bigger softbox for FILL light is often good! The size of the main is related to the effect of the lighting that one wants to achieve. Sometimes a very contrasty and hard light is wanted, and a small source is the way to achieve that; other times a much softer main is wanted, and the large source is the way to achieve that.

form wrote in post #4951749
I have a b1600 and I often use it between 1/8 and 1/4 as my main light. It can be about 3 feet from the subject and properly expose there at f/8, ISO100. I don't have any reason to use a very large aperture for most of my work, so I never run into the "too much power" issue.

But try to shoot at f/2 like the OP, and you would run into issues!

I have a couple of B400's and they work out fabulously. There is a such thing as too much power, and for the most part, I'm happy with my current setup.

Wilt wrote in post #4950789
Then put a ND gel over the light source.

Yup, that's the ideal solution, something I may have to get. Too bad they don't make one for the ABR800.

Okay, Often good; in the case of the photos I do, it's always good. I have not yet had any "artistic" photography sessions that need sharply defined shadows. I'm still a technically-minded person who is focusing on traditional style for the time being. Artistic style requires creativity and thinking outside the box, which I will have to do when I have time.

It's not even a question of hard or soft light. I use a 24" x 32" softbox selectively at times. I place the front of the box about 14 or 15 inches from the subject's face and bring it forward, sometimes rotating it to the 32" x 24" orientation and I get beautiful soft wraparound light that is well controlled without a grid.

This has nothing to do with the fact that I own larger modifiers and have the room to spread out. It's about creating interesting lighting that gives me control over my subject area independent of the rest of the scene or background.

Knowing when and how to use the correct tool for a job is an important and fun part of the process.

I dont get it, I had mine set about 5 feet away from the subject and had to have it on full blast to get at F8 @1/250 Shutter speed.