Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I normally shoot available light. However, I have a project in mind to shoot older adults indoors, mostly B&W. I want snap to these images and I want to bring out skin details. Some subjects will have bright jewelry. I definitely want to highlight hair from behind. I will mostly shoot one person at a time, but shooting couples and/or a person with dog possible, so I need a bit of a wider setup on occasion. I plan on using a black back drop due to white and/or silver hair. I have been looking at the Alien Bees 3 light package which seems well suited to my beginner needs. I cannot afford a 4 light setup so to separate subject from background I hope highlighting the head/hair will do the trick.

Is this setup going too far too fast for starters? Can I get away with less and then add on as needed?
Would a simple 22" beauty dish be better suited to my project?
I find myself wanting control of the lighting setup and as such have added grids to this Alien Bee package. I changed the setup so that all 3 lights have the same power-320ws. Do I even need 320 or are the 160ws units enough?

Are rectoboxes better suited for my needs than octoboxes? I ask this because the portrait package comes with a 12x36 box + grid for hair high lights. Round catchlights would be my preference.
The Alien Ring flash seems a good option, but might create too smooth an image for my needs. I see you can also use this ring flash with sock diffuser off camera so perhaps this is a good option along with a beauty dish. Yes, I am confused. I want contrast to my subjects and that contrast I imagine will be mostly obtained in the skin.
The PLM setup sounds good, but I am confused as to which size would be best suited for my needs. 86" is just too large for me, period. I would prefer the 51", but is it too small for most eventualities? I want controlled snap with a pretty fast falloff to subjects sides.

Thanks for any and all comments. :D

If you are looking for texture, then a relatively small light source is desirable. This could be our beauty dish or 18" Omni reflector. Also, direction will help determine texture. The closer the light is to the lens axis, the less obvious shadows will be. Shadows are what show texture, so your main light will need to be moved off axis, rather significantly, to really enhance the texture.

If you want to lower the contrast, you can use a fill light or reflector (even a piece of foam core) to add a little light to the shadowed areas, but keep the direction and harshness. A ring flash is excellent for this, as it does not create any of its own shadows, however, another standard light or reflector can still work.

You can certainly start with one light, use a reflector or foam core as fill, then use a speedlite as a hair light, then build from there. 320Ws will work fine, but a 160Ws light will probably work just as well.

There is not going to be a super big difference between an octabox and a softbox. Catch lights will be different, and there may be subtle differences in control where a skinnier softbox does not spread where a wider octa might. This would be especially true with grids.

My preference for fill would either be the ringflash or a 64" Soft silver PLM (8mm) with a diffusion fabric.

Remember, the packages are just suggestions. You can modify or build your own from scratch and get the same discount rates (based on the number of lights purchased).

Thanks so very much. :D

I have now thought an Einstein might be in the cards since it would give me power should I need to step back and do 2 people. Is that overkill for my current project versus Alien Bees?

Is the Omni and the 22" about the same except that the 22" can give wider coverage should that be needed?

Is the 51" PLM too narrow for my needs versus the 64" and would the extreme just be too much?

Assume I can use my Pocket Wizard stuff with any Buff light I choose-Einstein or AlienBee?

Does the Omni compare to the Mola Rayo? Thanks again.

Either of the 22" Beauty Dishes will give a wider coverage, un-socked. But the look on the subject will be similar.

Einstein for this particular project may not be necessary, but it can dial down lower than the B400, so it can help in that regard. Plus, you can make use of it in a wider variety of scenarios.

The beam spread will be the same for the 51" or 64" PLM, but the 64" is a little bigger, so it will cover a little bigger area (the beam will be 10" wider on each axis). I would go for teh Soft Silver over the extreme, unless you really need the extra efficiency (and it does not sound like you do).

All of your PocketWizard stuff should be fine. Just be sure to use mono cords (like our CSSC: http://www.paulcbuff.com/cssc.php)

I am sorry, I am not familiar enough with the Mola Rayo to make a good comparison.

The OMNI 18" offers a bit more more output and more even field of coverage than the 22 HOBD Silver.

The OMNI's tripple layer diffuser makes the face of the light extremely even (think catchlights) and lowers the output an additional f stop or so, for close in beauty dish style lighting with shallow depth of field.

The 18" size (with diffuser) is ideal for medium specularity natural looking lighting.

I disagree with Tech Support . . . adding the sock to either 22HOBD or OMNI will increase the angle and evenness of coverage.

BTW, the OMNI triple sock will fit the 22 HOBD reflectors also ($14.95 - I couldn't quickly find it on our website so you may have to call or email.) I'll get on them and get it listed.

Thanks for your comments. Is it overkill for me to use Einstein's for this project-i.e., are less powerful monolights OK-Alien Bees and if so what strength? Thanks.

Based on your descriptions, B400's should be plenty powerful. However, Einstein can also dial down lower in power than a B400, as well as being as strong as a B1600 at full. So there is moreversatility in the Einsteins.

I see the Einstein can be set from 2.5-640ws
the B400 5-160ws
B800 10-320ws and
B1600 20-640.

Does one often dial their lights down to under 10ws with say the Omni or the Soft silver PLM?

I am also debating about whether to get 2x 10x36 stripe boxes with grids attached for background and highlight use.

I would prefer to get three of the same lights, but perhaps that's wishful thinking in my case.

Also any suggestions on backdrops?

Yes, fairly often when they want close in lighting with softboxes or 22HOBD/OMNI with sock. Some like to shoot at f2.8 with close lighting and find it difficult even with AB400.

This was a part of the goal of the triple diffuser for the OMNI - to reduce the light output.

Well, my direction has changed a bit and I still need more advice.

I have determined I want 250w modeling lamps and the White Lightening (WL) series gives me that. I also want fast flash duration and the x800 gives me that.

So have I too changed the light modifiers I want to start with. I want to start with the 32x40 large soft box and plan to augment that with the 10x36 strip box with grid. This is a starter kit for me with what seems like more flexibility than my original idea. Comments? Keep in mind I have never taken (on my own) studio type of shots. I have used some gear at a school near me, but never on my own. Also do I leave the 7" reflector on the light when using the above two items?

It seems two x800 flashes would work for the above purposes just fine as I can dial them down to 10ws if needed. Do you imagine needing to dial down to 5ws or less with the above setup where I imagine the main light soft box would be 3-5 feet away? Not sure of the GN I would be looking for under 5 feet. For the added cost is the x1600 better in case 5ws is needed and also since on ¼ power it uses only one capacitor instead of all? Any comments or other suggestions please? Thanks.