Best way to copy soft natural light indoors?

9 years 1 month ago #431536 by Ian Stone
If you wanted to clone early morning or late afternoon light when the soon is going down, indoors.  How can this be done?  I have a couple of softboxes and have played around with gels, defusers and position from subject with little luck.  

Any thoughts?  


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9 years 1 month ago #431538 by JeremyS
A softbox should work and what I tend to do is boost the white balance towards the more orange end. it should bring the light towards the more orange end and simulate more closely sunset. Sunset would also bring the light lower to the ground. 

Another way would be to play with gels, even though you said it worked to almost no success, what I reccomend is cut as much ambient as possible, and then bring in a flash that is either gelled towards the orange end or daylight and then in post move white balance. 

There should be ways to do it. 


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9 years 1 month ago #431539 by Joves
Or you might try using a gold reflector behind a diffuser. That will should give you that soft golden hour light. Maybe. I have never tired it when using auxiliary lighting. :lol:


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9 years 1 month ago #431541 by Ian Stone
So would you bounce the light directly off the gold reflector with our with out a diffuser on it?  


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9 years 1 month ago #431546 by garyrhook
Oh, ugh. Do your coloring in post. You can always tweak the WB toward yellow and add tint, or use toning. I think trying to color the light in the studio is more trouble than it's worth. IMHO.

As for "soft": you need to read Light: Science and Magic. The key here is the relative size of the softbox to your subject. Bigger is better. If you really want to get large without spending a fortune, go to Paul C Buff and get an 84" umbrella and diffuser . The soft silver one. An absolute bargain. I have the 64" and I love it.

This is a (real) quick edit of a headshot with my new umbrella at the upper left, about 4 feet out. Pretty soft, although you might not care for the highlight. This just intended to give you an idea. In this situation, size matters. I pushed the WB to 5500, and tint back to zero.



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9 years 1 month ago #431607 by KCook
Big shoot-thru umbrella in a room with light walls.

Kelly

Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/

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9 years 1 month ago #431694 by Joves

Ian Stone wrote: So would you bounce the light directly off the gold reflector with our with out a diffuser on it?  

As I said I have never tried it. The thought just popped into my mind on getting golden hour light. So my suggestion is to try it both ways prior to the serious shooting, and review which came close, if it indeed does get you what you are looking for. The diffuser would be after the light bounces off the reflector, that way that color is diffused, and thereby softened. The only time I have ever worried about the effect is when I am out shooting when it is happening. I never have been much of an indoor shooter. I have done it, but I prefer being outside.


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9 years 1 month ago #432014 by Finn

garyrhook wrote: Oh, ugh. Do your coloring in post. You can always tweak the WB toward yellow and add tint, or use toning. I think trying to color the light in the studio is more trouble than it's worth. IMHO.

As for "soft": you need to read Light: Science and Magic. The key here is the relative size of the softbox to your subject. Bigger is better. If you really want to get large without spending a fortune, go to Paul C Buff and get an 84" umbrella and diffuser . The soft silver one. An absolute bargain. I have the 64" and I love it.

This is a (real) quick edit of a headshot with my new umbrella at the upper left, about 4 feet out. Pretty soft, although you might not care for the highlight. This just intended to give you an idea. In this situation, size matters. I pushed the WB to 5500, and tint back to zero.

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Great lighting on this shot Gary



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