LiteLight Flat Reflectors
A
note from John Morgan (a little history:)
I had the good fortune, as a kid growing up, to live within half a mile of the
first school photographer in
He shot with a 5 X 7 view camera and contact printed the groups. They were
beautiful.
His lighting technique was simple. He used a Graflex battery case with
number 2 flash bulbs. He used no reflector – only a bare bulb. He
stood on two wooden Coca Cola crates directly behind the camera on the optical
axis and held the light just as high as he could. When the number 2 bulb
went off you would have thought lightning had struck the building.
I inquired why he did not use a reflector to use his light more efficiently (
ASA 25 or less). His answer was very logical. “All reflectors have to be
used properly or they produce a “hot spot”. With a bare bulb, I can
concentrate on the group, not the light. Besides, I have a lot of light to
spare”.
Years later, I got to wondering why the general quality of groups had
deteriorated compared to the groups taken 50 years earlier.
Tracing the evolution of photographic lighting, I found that when strobes were
introduced in the fifties, the flash bulb died a slow death. Everyone was
trying to use the new technology. This technology had a few draw backs of
its own. The strobe units were very expensive and seldom reached 200 w/s (ASA
was still 25 to 50 –Kodachrome was 10).
However, the strobe spelled doom for the bare bulb technique. The
parabolic reflector (we called them pan lights) was introduced because it was more efficient, not because it
produced better light. The quality of group lighting in general
deteriorated. Quality photographs could only be produced by those
experienced who knew how to use parabolic reflectors – which was no small feat
(he knew what Rembrant lighting meant). A good retoucher was also needed.
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3
Then in the early sixties, the umbrella was introduced. Portrait
photography and school photography in particular was revolutionized. Flat
lighting removed all the challenges of parabolic lighting. It made
photographers out of non photographers. The soft flat light was very
flattering to women and children because it minimized blemishes that were
sometimes magnified by the specular nature of parabolic lighting.
The success of the umbrella has dominated photographic lighting since its
introduction. The conclusion was that the umbrella was the perfect light for
everything ----------- wrong conclusion !!!!!! I have been in this
business over 35 years and I have never seen a group picture shot with an
umbrella that can match the quality of the groups shot by my friend over 50
years ago.
Why? I scratched my head for several months until it hit me like a brick
bat. It would be possible to duplicate that old system with the LiteLight
system and modern power packs.
We now have access to whatever watt-seconds we need and with digital cameras we
can choose our ASA.
With the LiteLight (and I do mean Lite) we can raise the light 10 to 15 feet behind the camera on the optical axis and on a light-duty stand without it being top heavy (Try that with an umbrella). The only thing we added to the bare tube is the flat reflector. This still gives 180 degrees coverage without a hot spot. This has made the bare tube more efficient, making it possible to do modest group pictures with a digital camera and a 400 watt-seconds battery pack.
Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6
This technique produces a picture of a “structured” group with no shadows of
heads on the wall and no side shadows. The saturation of colors and the
emphasized sharpness is there. No kind of umbrella lighting can duplicate
this quality (no retouching is needed on groups).
The word “structured” means groups similar to school groups, team pictures, wedding groups, etc. They can be “structured” as the photographer wants for the best pictures. He has to make sure that the last row is away from the wall so that the shadows will fall below the subjects and not be seen on the wall. All rows have to be positioned (separated) so that the shadows of each row do not fall on the row behind. This is not always possible with an umbrella because if the umbrella is raised to the desired height, it becomes extremely top heavy – and still soft.
(See Illustration Below)
Position of flat reflector for large and small groups
It
becomes obvious from the drawing that over exposure on the first row and under
exposure on the back row are common maladies when the groups are shot with the
light positioned near the camera. With the light high, the distance of the
light from the front row is very similar to the distance of the light from the
back row. Producing a more even exposure overall.
This
technique is not recommended for the casual group, i.e. band practice, wedding
receptions, etc. These groups are best photographed by raising the ambient
light level. Again the bare bulb comes to the rescue. By using the
flat reflector with the barn doors, the LiteLight is the best system for raising
the ambient light level in almost any situation. Read about this in the
Flat-Reflector with Barn Doors section.
Graduation group above made with one flat reflector & 1600 W/S power supply.
Very large graduation group above was made with two flat reflectors (see picture at above right)
LiteLight Flat Reflectors With Barn Doors
Every four or five years someone "reinvents" the bare tube. When the digital age was ushered in, the bare tube took on another meaning. With the sensitivity of digital cameras, the need for "a lot of light" has diminished. Many architectural, industrial, commercial and wedding photographers now find it easier and more appropriate to raise the ambient light level and shoot away - the bare tube to the rescue.
However, the bare tube is a specular light that can create some undesirable shadows if not used properly. The flat reflector with barn doors can be used with the bare tube to increase the ambient level in almost any situation. The light weight of the unit and the flexibility of the barn doors and the universal stand bracket make it possible to bounce light off the ceiling or wall or both. This assembly can be used on a stand or clamped to a door or suspended ceiling.
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