p.23 #1 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
fuzzykeys wrote:
I have the Glow 48'' octabox arriving today. I'm very excited to test it out! I'm still interested in a smaller stripbox for a more focused and dramatic look though. I intend to use it in vertical orientation, horizontal orientation for more of a wraparound look and tilted at angles. Adorama has a 14x48'' Glow EZ Lock Arc strip. I wonder if that might be an adequate substitute for a 1x3 regular stripbox or if it would just have a different look to it?
One of the benefits of the Glow EZ Lock light is that all modifiers come with a grid. It looks like you'd lose out on that with the Arc strip.
I have a bunch of the EZ Lock modifiers, but my favorite from Glow is the Parapop. I got mine for free when it came bundled with the AD400. It's the lightest and easiest to setup modifier I have. It's also considerably more expensive than the EZ Lock line, and it doesn't come with a grid. The EZ Lock line is good, but I wouldn't consider them very wieldly. They're priced accordingly and they get the job done, though.
When it comes to setup ease on the go, I tend to grab the Parapop or an umbrella. Speaking of umbrellas, the Glow Wing-Like umbrellas are pretty cool. I have the 88" one and it's great for family or group shots. I plan to get another one so I can have two for large groups. The smaller versions would be pretty versatile for portraits if you're looking for a quick and dirty setup.
p.23 #2 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
I think with the 48” octa and a 43” umbrella, I will be pretty well covered for big soft light for one subject portraits. I’m specifically looking for something smaller, edgier and more focused to use for a different look. A strip box seems like a good way to go, but I’m still on the fence about which one to get.
Hodie wrote:
One of the benefits of the Glow EZ Lock light is that all modifiers come with a grid. It looks like you'd lose out on that with the Arc strip.
I have a bunch of the EZ Lock modifiers, but my favorite from Glow is the Parapop. I got mine for free when it came bundled with the AD400. It's the lightest and easiest to setup modifier I have. It's also considerably more expensive than the EZ Lock line, and it doesn't come with a grid. The EZ Lock line is good, but I wouldn't consider them very wieldly. They're priced accordingly and they get the job done, though.
When it comes to setup ease on the go, I tend to grab the Parapop or an umbrella. Speaking of umbrellas, the Glow Wing-Like umbrellas are pretty cool. I have the 88" one and it's great for family or group shots. I plan to get another one so I can have two for large groups. The smaller versions would be pretty versatile for portraits if you're looking for a quick and dirty setup....Show more →
p.23 #3 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
uote]AGeoJO wrote:
Which one do you use; the silver lined one or the white? I am sure the light output from the silver is probably slightly more although not by much at the expense slightly harsher output. Is that even noticeable? Thank you!
Joshua, it really depends upon when and where you are shooting. I have 3 Glow EZ popup softboxes, a 28" 16 sided white interior diameter Parapop, same as Hodie mentioned, a 20" deep parabolic and a 1' by 3' strip box that are both silver inside. As others said, they are a good value and work very well, and are easy to transport and set up. Originally got the Parapop about 4 years ago and used it mainly in my small studio, it produces a nice soft even light for being only 28" diameter. But now that I shoot mostly in the sunny desert, I choose to purchase the silver lining on the last 2. I need the extra pop the silver brings, about 1 stop more light vs the white interior, and besides, they all come with 2 snap on/velcro on diffusers, (plus grids on the last 2) so you can tame the harsher silver lining if needed. But I almost always shoot with just the inner snap in diffuser that allows the AD 200 bare bulb light to spread around it, the inner diffuser is double layer and really just for stopping the white hot spots that can occur if the modifier is not feathered.
p.23 #5 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Maybe look into the EZ Lock Deep Parabolic. I have the 20" that I use for headshots. If working outdoors, I would probably rather set that up rather than a stripbox. The 20" or 28" might work for you, but of course, YMMV.
fuzzykeys wrote:
I think with the 48” octa and a 43” umbrella, I will be pretty well covered for big soft light for one subject portraits. I’m specifically looking for something smaller, edgier and more focused to use for a different look. A strip box seems like a good way to go, but I’m still on the fence about which one to get.
p.23 #6 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Joshua, it really depends upon when and where you are shooting. I have 3 Glow EZ popup softboxes, a 28" 16 sided white interior diameter Parapop, same as Hodie mentioned, a 20" deep parabolic and a 1' by 3' strip box that are both silver inside. As others said, they are a good value and work very well, and are easy to transport and set up. Originally got the Parapop about 4 years ago and used it mainly in my small studio, it produces a nice soft even light for being only 28" diameter. But now that I shoot mostly in the sunny desert, I choose to purchase the silver lining on the last 2. I need the extra pop the silver brings, about 1 stop more light vs the white interior, and besides, they all come with 2 snap on/velcro on diffusers, (plus grids on the last 2) so you can tame the harsher silver lining if needed. But I almost always shoot with just the inner snap in diffuser that allows the AD 200 bare bulb light to spread around it, the inner diffuser is double layer and really just for stopping the white hot spots that can occur if the modifier is not feathered.
p.23 #11 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Continuing to pop into as many meetups as I can swing with my schedule to get some practice in and meet people. If you’ve wanted to get into portraits, but have found yourself with a dearth of subjects, the meetups can be pretty useful. Besides being a great chance to shoot, they’re great for getting to know models. Have shoots booked with two next week as a result.
Tamron 28-75 @ 28mm. XPLOR 600 Pro in 36” Octa
Sony 85/1.8. XPLOR 600 Pro in 60” Octa
Sony 85/1.8. XPLOR 600 Pro in 25” foldable beauty dish
I shot this a little while ago in a super narrow hallway with the lens barely poking out from underneath an umbrella that I had in front of a Godox v860ii. I just recently got around to editing to it.
I’ve started to use the noise->median filter in PS to setup my frequency separation instead of Gaussian blur. I’ve been able to retain much more texture that way and still be able to smooth over skin tones without the skin becoming as “soft” due to texture information bleeding into the color information if that makes sense. I used the Lumenzia dodge and burn method I have been using lately. Nothing that interesting grading wise. Curves to add yellow to the highlights, selective color and color balance adjustment layers to slightly finesse skin color, added a bit of grain.
p.23 #17 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
I had this lens since June and used it quite a bit for portraits. It is big and heavy but the images it generates are lovely. Plus, the bokeh is also much to my liking.
p.23 #18 · Portrait and People Image Thread using Sony
Love it! I need to shoot there sometime.
AGeoJO wrote:
I had this lens since June and used it quite a bit for portraits. It is big and heavy but the images it generates are lovely. Plus, the bokeh is also much to my liking.
