Speaking of lights... at DVinfo.net

Kyle Root · July 7th, 2015, 10:28 AM

Here's my new reception lighting setup for cake cuts, bouquet and garter toss, and wherever else I can use it.

An $18 Neweer umbrella softbox on a stand with a TorchLED inside.

This thing really softens the harsh LED light.

Charles Newcomb · July 7th, 2015, 04:42 PM

How'd you get the feet of the light stands to stick to the wall like that?

John Nantz · July 7th, 2015, 05:19 PM

Kyle - thanks for the post as that is very helpful.

As for Neewer, I didn't know they were in the business of making soft boxes. I bought a replacement battery for my computer from Newegg.com and it was a Neewer battery so seeing they do soft boxes was a surprise.

I've got several Westcott umbrellas but don't use them as much as I should, partly because of all the wiring. The LED lights can be really bright because the light is concentrated so at these prices I'll think about adding some more LEDs to the kit and giving the soft boxes a try.

Thanks again for taking the time to post the info.

Kyle Root · July 7th, 2015, 06:17 PM

I don't know why the pic is sideways. It looked fine when it was selected to upload.

Anyways, yeah, this is an umbrella softbox. So it folds up super small and the entire assembly takes about 5 minutes to put together.

I bought a $20 "interfit" brand umbrella stand bracket that has a cold shoe on top.

I put that on the light stand, and then mount my TorchLED to that using the cold shoe mount that comes with the TorchLED. It faces into the umbrella so it does a drastic job of modifying the light out into something much softer and pleasing as opposed to straight on firing of the LED like normal.

It's a bit big and maybe I should have gotten a smaller version, but I'll have other uses for this in regular photography and not just for continuous lighting at receptions.

The build quality of the umbrella is surprisingly well done. I have never owned a softbox, but have played around with them before, and this seems to be decently constructed compared to those... and for $18, who cares. lol

The wedding I'm filming in a couple weeks has the reception at a venue that is like a cave... incredibly low light, so I'm hoping this will add some pop to at least the cake cutting.

John Nantz · July 7th, 2015, 10:20 PM

Re the picture:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle Root

I don't know why the pic is sideways. It looked fine when it was selected to upload.

Maybe the "Original" instead of the "Modified" picture was uploaded???

The experience I've had with lighting is that reflectors (even silvered ones, and especially modifiers) tend suck up more lumens than I'd like. Running light though a softbox would likely do the same. And increasing distance is not your friend!

If the distance from the cake to the light is very far there may not be enough light to help much It would be an interesting test to see what the light output is by aiming the light out through the softbox (plan A) vs using the silver reflection and bouncing the light off of it without the screen (plan B). Plan C, the last resort, may be to just use the light direct.

Kyle Root · July 8th, 2015, 09:05 AM

I am concerned to a degree about the reception hall because the MOB told me yesterday that they invited 500 people to the wedding, and expect around 50%... so at 250, I know this particular venue is going to be pretty packed.

It's one large room, and historically, I'm guessing most attendance has been under 200 for the ones I've filmed... so if they're adding 50 more people, or more, it's going to really be tight quarters.

The room is rectangular, narrow, but very deep. Maybe something like 40' x 150'.

Oren Arieli · July 8th, 2015, 10:25 AM

Kyle, have you also considered using a focusable light (like a ProLight or fresnel) at a greater distance from the cake on a tall light stand? Sure it won't be as soft, but you can spotlight the area in advance, keep the stand away from the guests, and not block the view with a large modifier. Don't worry about getting a soft wrap when you really need some lumens in the dark environment. Some might scoff, but I use this technique along with an on-camera fill light, and it will look nice, not flat like an on-camera would give you.
If you have 2 cameras shooting, then one can have the key and the other the fill light (main camera would be the fill, and the key could be at a 45 degree angle to you. Even though both cameras would have on-camera lighting, using your 2nd cam as the key light means nice modelling on the face for you.

July 7th, 2015, 10:28 AM	#1
Kyle Root Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 881	Speaking of lights... Here's my new reception lighting setup for cake cuts, bouquet and garter toss, and wherever else I can use it. An $18 Neweer umbrella softbox on a stand with a TorchLED inside. This thing really softens the harsh LED light. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Kyle KR Productions; www.kyleroot.com

July 7th, 2015, 04:42 PM	#2
Charles Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Salida, Colorado Posts: 561	Re: Speaking of lights... How'd you get the feet of the light stands to stick to the wall like that?

July 7th, 2015, 05:19 PM	#3
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,252	Re: Speaking of lights... Kyle - thanks for the post as that is very helpful. As for Neewer, I didn't know they were in the business of making soft boxes. I bought a replacement battery for my computer from Newegg.com and it was a Neewer battery so seeing they do soft boxes was a surprise. I've got several Westcott umbrellas but don't use them as much as I should, partly because of all the wiring. The LED lights can be really bright because the light is concentrated so at these prices I'll think about adding some more LEDs to the kit and giving the soft boxes a try. Thanks again for taking the time to post the info.

July 7th, 2015, 06:17 PM	#4
Kyle Root Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 881	Re: Speaking of lights... I don't know why the pic is sideways. It looked fine when it was selected to upload. Anyways, yeah, this is an umbrella softbox. So it folds up super small and the entire assembly takes about 5 minutes to put together. I bought a $20 "interfit" brand umbrella stand bracket that has a cold shoe on top. I put that on the light stand, and then mount my TorchLED to that using the cold shoe mount that comes with the TorchLED. It faces into the umbrella so it does a drastic job of modifying the light out into something much softer and pleasing as opposed to straight on firing of the LED like normal. It's a bit big and maybe I should have gotten a smaller version, but I'll have other uses for this in regular photography and not just for continuous lighting at receptions. The build quality of the umbrella is surprisingly well done. I have never owned a softbox, but have played around with them before, and this seems to be decently constructed compared to those... and for $18, who cares. lol The wedding I'm filming in a couple weeks has the reception at a venue that is like a cave... incredibly low light, so I'm hoping this will add some pop to at least the cake cutting. __________________ Kyle KR Productions; www.kyleroot.com

July 8th, 2015, 09:05 AM	#6
Kyle Root Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 881	Re: Speaking of lights... I am concerned to a degree about the reception hall because the MOB told me yesterday that they invited 500 people to the wedding, and expect around 50%... so at 250, I know this particular venue is going to be pretty packed. It's one large room, and historically, I'm guessing most attendance has been under 200 for the ones I've filmed... so if they're adding 50 more people, or more, it's going to really be tight quarters. The room is rectangular, narrow, but very deep. Maybe something like 40' x 150'. __________________ Kyle KR Productions; www.kyleroot.com

July 8th, 2015, 10:25 AM	#7
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 918	Re: Speaking of lights... Kyle, have you also considered using a focusable light (like a ProLight or fresnel) at a greater distance from the cake on a tall light stand? Sure it won't be as soft, but you can spotlight the area in advance, keep the stand away from the guests, and not block the view with a large modifier. Don't worry about getting a soft wrap when you really need some lumens in the dark environment. Some might scoff, but I use this technique along with an on-camera fill light, and it will look nice, not flat like an on-camera would give you. If you have 2 cameras shooting, then one can have the key and the other the fill light (main camera would be the fill, and the key could be at a 45 degree angle to you. Even though both cameras would have on-camera lighting, using your 2nd cam as the key light means nice modelling on the face for you.