#15,778 in Electronics
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Reddit mentions of Photek Softlighter II, 46 inch Umbrella with Diffuser.
Sentiment score: 2
Reddit mentions: 2
We found 2 Reddit mentions of Photek Softlighter II, 46 inch Umbrella with Diffuser.. Here are the top ones.
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White reflective surface, free of bleaches and fluorescence, perfectly reflects the color of your light.Stout black nylon cover stops all stray and ricochet, enhancing total light control.Unique construction consisting of ten panels instead of the usual eight gives more reflective surface and a more perfect circle of light, so flattering when seen as catch lights in the eyes.So versatile a product is the SOFTLIGHTER II, that by removal of its black cover and a reversal of direction, the SOFTLIGHTER II becomes everything a softbox promises. It becomes a shoot through diffuser providing light that canbe used either as a main light source or as a flattering fillFinal touch. The SOFTLIGHTER II sets up in moments. Its unique translucent cover fits directly onto the tips of the SOFTLIGHTER II. A totally fireproof material creates its own collar around the lighthead, with no time consuming fitting of mounting collars or rib setups involved.
Specs:
| Weight | 2.2 Pounds |
For lighting, I use 2 Elinchrom monolight strobes. I also have a Nikon SB900 Speedlight, which I have used on occasion. (The last series in the fashion section was lit with it and the sun, exclusively.)
In terms of modifiers, I tend to use one light with a small (10°) grid on it, and key with a large softlighter... which is basically an umbrella with a softbox "cover" stretched over it: http://www.amazon.com/Photek-Softlighter-II-Umbrella-Diffuser/dp/B0002HTK7A
I have a pretty minimal kit, which allows me to travel fast and light. (I don't think a single portrait on my site took longer than an hour to come in, find a spot, set up, shoot, and break everything back down.)
Financially, things are going OK. My wife is a freelancer too, and she's working. I've been doing some freelance assisting and digital tech'ing when I am not working on my book. For a while, I was the in-house shooter for a national sports chain. They offered me a full time position but I turned it down. It was pretty mind-numbing.
At the four month point, I can tell you that unless you are super connected, super gifted at marketing yourself, and super talented, you should probably have a source of supplemental income.
The market right now is pretty bad. One of the photographers that I tech for netted over $200k in 2008. In 2009, he netted less than $100k - all because of the economic downturn. Things seem to be getting better, but it's still slow.
Hey, I've been shooting some of the cassettes with /u/killallmusic above. Heres some tips. First, as others have said, OFF CAMERA FLASH IS ESSENTIAL. That goes for any product photography. By far, the best bang for you buck is the Yongnuo IV and the wireless trigger to make it sync here. They are fully manual so no TTL (which is a feature of more expensive flashes that auto set the flash output to the available light) but I'm a big fan of learning strobe photography with manual flashes. You'll get way better way faster and there are a MILLION places online to read flash tutorials to get you started and plenty of video guides to get these flashes synced with the controller. On top of that, another absolutely essential part is some sort of diffuser. Softboxes are most often recommended. I use the following with my shots. These are both very nice pieces of gear and you can definitely find cheaper options that will do just fine on eBay and Amazon. You can get away with 1 for sure but I usually end up using two sources, one for a key light and one for a fill to add texture back to the shadows. As for actually shooting cassettes, your biggest problem will be glare. Any light hitting at a 45 degree angle to your lens will cause a flare so just adjust your angle of the tape or flash until you get rid of the glare. Last tip, when it comes to light, the closer a source is, the softer the light will be. That might sound backwards but its true. So get that flash all up in its business as close as you can to the product. Check out the Strobist blog for an amazing flash primer course. Trial and error is the name of the game. You can see some examples at http://killallmusic.storenvy.com. The Coutoux and Jay Pray tapes were shot with the exact gear and method I listed above. Happy shooting!