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General Category => Your Photos => Portraits => Topic started by: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 01:59:41 AM

Title: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 01:59:41 AM
I bought a Rocwing 1.5m umbrella softbox last week and tested it out for the first time tonight.


Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't really in the mood for modelling so posed but only under protest and only for 10 minutes.


1.
(http://www.neesam.com/photos8/IMG_5166.jpg)


2.
(http://www.neesam.com/photos8/IMG_5192b.jpg)


3. And one she took of Dad
(http://www.neesam.com/photos8/IMG_5175.jpg)
Title: Testing my new softbox
Post by: donoreo on May 19, 2012, 02:50:07 AM
It casts a nice light.  She does not look too interested. 
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Hinfrance on May 19, 2012, 07:22:23 AM
It is a good catchlight as well as good and even overall. I'd call that a success.

My daughter won't pose at all, so I reckon 10 minutes of grumpy cooperation is a result too.  :)
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Reinardina on May 19, 2012, 07:33:54 AM
I'm no expert on technical things, so I won't comment on the light as such.  I do like the shots though. Especially the first one, with that determined little mouth! (Slightly) moody teenager.


I haven't been allowed to photograph my daughter for over a decade now, with the exception of her graduation. She'll graduate again next year, so I'm hoping I'll be allowed to have a go again then. Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 12:23:08 PM
thank you.

She has been a good model for me over the year and she is a photographer too. When she was 8 I gave her a Fuji bridge camera then after a year with that I got her a canon 300D, now she has a Canon 20D. So she does appreciate the need for a good subject. However, at 13 and with a mood to go with it, she rally does have to be in the right frame of mind, which she wasn't last night.

I'm liking the initial test with the softbox, nice even softish light. But it is very big and heavy.

It will be nice to experiment with it with maybe rim lighting and background lighting too. But I'll have to wait until she's in a really good mood for that.
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Reinardina on May 19, 2012, 12:32:08 PM
(Small) bribes? Or would that be the thin end of the wedge/slippery slope etc?

Anyway, you are lucky she does pose for you; I can't even take a sneaky snapshot.
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 01:37:30 PM
LOL, yeah, I already had to pull the "I took you out for a Burger King for tea tonight and this is the thanks I get" routine!
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: bones615 on May 19, 2012, 03:15:27 PM
Could be worse, I have 2 teenage boys so no models in our house! Looks like it gives a nice even light, what size flash is behind it? Like the pics even with the teenage mood face.

Simon
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 03:29:03 PM
lighting was a single Elinchrom BXRi 500
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Graham on May 19, 2012, 03:32:24 PM
Quote from: Cathus on May 19, 2012, 01:37:30 PM
"I took you out for a Burger King for tea tonight and this is the thanks I get"

    You sure know how to treat a lady!  :2funny:
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Beaux Reflets on May 19, 2012, 03:32:58 PM
Nice clarity  :tup: although I find the catch lights "stare" somewhat in my opinion, and would probably look even more off putting if the portraits were smiling  :-\
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: irv_b on May 20, 2012, 03:13:02 PM
I do like the lovely soft lighting but those catchlights seem to be too dominant for my liking. Certainly worth playing around with additional lights though.
Title: Re: Testing my new softbox
Post by: Cathus on May 20, 2012, 04:46:00 PM
the catchlights are the penalty for the nice lighting, if they were further away and thus smaller catchlights, the quality of light wold be different.

Haven't played around with editing the catchlights, as said, this was just a very quick first test of the softbox.