Trying to find the edges

Experimenting with strobes and my new cybersyncs. I'm working on trying to give the edges of subjects dramatic lighting, then providing subtle fill from the front.

I'm using a Sunpak 383 and shoot-through umbrella for fill. Using two flashlites (optical slaves) behind at either side for rim lighting and two reflectors.

Here's a shot of the setup:

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Ahh you have a sun conure. Noisy little buggers aren't they? I think the lighting on the beer looks good.

I think you accomplished your goal. I like #4 (Corona)

How do you like your Cybersyncs?

He's not too bad. He screams when we wake up in the morning and when we get home from work. As long as he gets a few hours of shoulder time in every day he is fine.

The beer was my favorite too. Thanks!

The Cybersyncs are awesome. I haven't had a mis-fire yet. I haven't used any other type of radio trigger, but I don't think you can go wrong with the cybersyncs, as long as you don't require TTL functionality.

Lonnie, great job of illuminatig edges with umbrellas. If you want to take it further, reflective white panels and softboxes both make the job of lighting edges of glassware much better. Softboxes also are easier to control spill, giving you finer control of things.

Thanks Wilt. Softboxes are definitely in my future. I'm acquiring things slowly - I still want to get two more 383's first so I can adjust the power output everywhere. It's great fun "building" the lighting for a shot.

lhoney2 wrote in post #6161754
Thanks Wilt. Softboxes are definitely in my future. I'm acquiring things slowly - I still want to get two more 383's first so I can adjust the power output everywhere. It's great fun "building" the lighting for a shot.

If you are serious about this type of photography, whether for hobby pursuit or for later professional purposes, studio lights with 'modelling light' make it far easier to visualize effect of light placement as you move them about, rather than forcing you to take a shot and chimp in the tiny LCD (or rather than forcing you to transfer the photo to a PC for viewing on a larger monitor)

You aren't kidding about chimping in the tiny LCD - the XT's viewfinder and LCD are both pathetically small.

I do plan on getting some type of studio lighting at some point, but I'd prefer to use money I make from photography to buy them. For now I'll just put together a decent strobist kit while I'm still learning.

The short term plan is to get decent at lighting still-life object, then transfer those skills to family portraits. The portraits I've submitted for review on POTN have been shredded pretty well so far, deservedly so, so it may be awhile.

It's actually kind of hard for me to visualize how a modelling light can really help that much. I know they aren't as powerful as the strobe, but what I don't know is if the coverage or spread of the light is the same. Would it be the equivalent of velcroing a small maglight to the flashhead of a 383?

lhoney2 wrote in post #6161857
It's actually kind of hard for me to visualize how a modelling light can really help that much. I know they aren't as powerful as the strobe, but what I don't know is if the coverage or spread of the light is the same. Would it be the equivalent of velcroing a small maglight to the flashhead of a 383?

It may be dimmer, but it is constant in its presence, and it permits you to SEE where the illuminated edges are appearing, so that you can fine tune the placement of lights and reflector cards, and even place some 'negative illumination' black cards. It may be dimmer, but it is largely 'the same' except for intensity (yes the source is a little bit different in size and shape than the flash tube, but manufacturers try to make the two similar in characteristic, especially since they share the same reflector/softbox).

It would NOT be the same as putting a mini maglight on your 383 for the simple reason that it uses its own reflector, which means it is quite different in position and spread.

Wilt wrote in post #6162504
It would NOT be the same as putting a mini maglight on your 383 for the simple reason that it uses its own reflector, which means it is quite different in position and spread.

I agree that it would be different - but it would achieve a close enough result for the purposes of the exercise. As long as it was pointed at the umbrella -the same orientation as the sunpack, the umbrella would diffuse the light and present a similar result as when the flash is fired - albeit very much dimmer. - such that the illumiation from the 'modeling light' stand-in wouldn't appear in the final shot.
(probably something a bit brighter than a maglight, such as a 3 watt LED penlight, would be better. . . )

M_ark wrote in post #6172002
I agree that it would be different - but it would achieve a close enough result for the purposes of the exercise. As long as it was pointed at the umbrella -the same orientation as the sunpack, the umbrella would diffuse the light and present a similar result as when the flash is fired - albeit very much dimmer. - such that the illumiation from the 'modeling light' stand-in wouldn't appear in the final shot.
(probably something a bit brighter than a maglight, such as a 3 watt LED penlight, would be better. . . )

So dim as to not be visible!

Real pro level studio flash have lights that are 200-250w typically. The 'amateur' market flashes have typically 100w lights, and the ones with only 60w lights are an exercise is futility unless your studio can be blackened!

Wilt wrote in post #6174377
So dim as to not be visible!

Real pro level studio flash have lights that are 200-250w typically. The 'amateur' market flashes have typically 100w lights, and the ones with only 60w lights are an exercise is futility unless your studio can be blackened!

Yes, i have been working at night lately, and find that my eyes can see enough, but the camera can't focus in especially low light. So something equivalent a 12v halogen downlamp would probably be 'enough'. - Of course that's with a dark studio -so unless you can block all the light or work at night...
otherwise the 100watt or brighter would be ideal (esp. if it's going to be diffused by an umbrella)