Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Getting the Look of Flash Photography!

ScottMcIntyre

ScottMcIntyre

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
78
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Hey everyone,
So flash photography for video has been my area of focus for the past while. Been looking into the Briese HMI
BRIESE SOLA HMI
This is an article on the lighting style
http://www.edwardmendoza.com/music-video-blog/2009/07/living-movie-poster-alexx-henry.html
Just wondering if anyone has had success with this technique without using Briese HMI lights?

Here is a photo example I took to illustrate the look I'm going for with 2 Elenchrome's and a ring light with an open faced rear source.
PHOTO
 
We are using the B2Pro HMI lights at RED ( basically the same as Briese ) with great results.. As the video states the light is like nothing else and B2pro makes quite a few interesting modifiers.

There are a few other companies that are jumping on the parabolic band wagon, Profoto makes a dish for strobes primarily but they also make a 1200 HMI head and pack that uses the same modifiers... but it's pretty hard to match the magic that happens with the Briese/B2Pro.
 
Broncolor Para...
bronpara.jpg

Just use a Joker 800 is it and it's awesome!
 
There are several options, one of my favorite has been the Profoto PRO-BIG 7'
the Broncolor line is definitely highly regarded in any community were Pro photographers work with high end clients, but nothing comes close to the look and fill of the Focus system from Briese HMI's, their soft, yet hard look, is just so impressive, and the surfaces with any shine, like Glass or metal, or very well cleaned cars, and motorcycles, not to talk about the glossy or reflective Make Up on paled skin models, this is were the Briese Focus really Shines :).

I'm selling the last of my Profoto D1 monolights, to move entirely to continuos day light, LED's and HMI's, the Briese Focus system will be the only one I'll go to.

Few things to know before thanking the plunge, and it is a plunge, if you thing Profoto, and more so Broncolor, are expensive, well once you get quoted 17k for one of the Briese Focus then you know what I'm talking about, but you do absolutely get what you pay for, and more, this are truly incredible lights, and produce a wraparound effect like no other light modifiers I had ever used.

The other thing to take in serious consideration, is that this Parabolic Reflectors, and full Focus system are not so easy to set up, not every assistant will get around too quickly, and even so they are pretty well build, this are Parabolic reflectors need to be taken care of while putting them together or storing them for transport, the main control board, needs few minutes of getting around to, but nothing too difficult.


All in all, I highly recommend the Briese Focus system, their other gear makes no real impact considering their pricing as you can get many other lighting systems from Arri, Kino or using strong LED's and get better results at a lesser of a price, much lesser, but the Focus system has just such a perfect spread of light out put, that is just something to be amazed by.

ciao
 
Thank you very much for your responses. It will be a few jobs before I can purchase Briese lights. But they are in NY so a trip is definitely in order.
 
I've got the dedo 200 and dedo 400 hmi octodome lights.

http://www.dedolight.com/www/dedolight/default.php?la=0&pg=000004010905&id=DSBOCT&section=0

When you take the diffusion off the front it physically looks quite like the briese light. Not sure about the effect of the light itself...
There is no little reflector to cover the hot spot of the bulb which the briese has, but they are a lot cheaper to buy/rent. Biggest at moment is a 400 hmi, but there are rumors of a 1.2 dedo light coming soon, so there may be a 1.2 soft light option in the pipeline.

I haven't used it like this as yet, but I will have a look at what it looks like with the soft off when I get a chance.
 

Attachments

  • DSOCTD.jpg
    DSOCTD.jpg
    6.9 KB · Views: 0
So are you just pointing an HMI toward the umbrella? or did you push it through the back? Are you using Fresnel HMI?
 
Paul Bluff at it again.. good find Evin.
 
How is the light from a large parabolic umbrella so unique? How is different from a chimera of similar size and light wattage?
 
It is a large but very directional light, so it has some properties of of both a soft light (size and shadow transition) and a hard light (directionality, edge fall off) it is especially useful for beauty. It's a similar effect to a beauty dish in still photography...

Example of a smallish (42") beauty dish...
kimDish.jpg
 
Last edited:
Evin Grant said:
I'll just use my Joker HMI with no beamer (bare bulb) same as a Briese.

You could also use a mogul base and 1000W tungsten bulb for the same effect.
Click to expand...

Any feeling on using compact flourescent? We just got in some 5500K CFL "designed for digital" 55 watt with CRI of 93 and they also have 105 watt although may not be quite as high. Several companies sell multi head i.e. 4 bulb units for these. (and i have thought of making my own 6 to 10 unit in a ring)The CFLs are a bit more than twice as efficient as tungsten.

It seems like you are usually looking for a softer source and the CFL by nature are less of a point source, so might be useful.

Just got them a couple days ago, so haven't tried them with anything. Was also looking at alien bees, so let us know what you think of those umbrellas.
 
Paul's Rib Parabolic Umbrella, are definitely a big bargain, but not to truly be able to compare the quality of lighting output to a a Briese Focus, the retrofitted insertion of the light in the Focus is a plus vs. the front lit of Paul's and that alone does make a difference, the material, is the other big issue, reproduction of color accuracy with the Paul's Rib Parabolic Umbrella, is just not even close to the materials used with Briese Focus, so goes for support of the Umbrella itself, control system etc. but most importantly the light spread, even so very goo for the price, does not produce the smooth and even illumination across as does the Briese Focus, in particular in taking care of the specular hi lights and reflective surfaces of any metals, water, and models skin tones.

But I have to say that the reason I know this is because I tested them my self, as I can not afford a Briese Focus system at this time, even so it is definitely on my plans to outfit my Studio with it, and for this reason I decided to temporarily find a inexpensive solution and Paul's Rib Parabolic Umbrella come first in mind as I have been using their Vagabond II with the Profoto D1 Monolights and LED-z' s on location, and at a fraction the cost of the competitors I have a good working battery/generator.

What I'm trying to say Evin, is that I'm not putting it down, just clearing some obvious differences, and rightly so, especially if nothing else when considering the price tag.

ciao
 
I haven't received or tested the PLM yet Ketch so you may be correct. But the basic physics are the same and build quality aside with proper placement of the bulb in the apex of the parabola a significantly similar light quality should be possible. I've worked with Brieses before as well and have found them beautiful but temperamental and nowhere near worth what it cost to purchase them unless you are renting it out A LOT!

If I can get 70-80% of the light quality out of the PLM I'll be happy. Again most of it comes down to understanding the physics behind the light (I took optical and photometric science classes at Brooks) I'm also not opposed to modifying the unit if I think I can achieve something better, I've done this in the past with beauty dishes.

Michael, you should be able to use the CFLs but I'd worry a little about the output and the directionality which will suffer a little with a larger source bulb.

Anyway I'll do some testing as soon an the PLM arrives and write up a little article.
 
Well yes, the fact that this are about $100, it makes experimenting all that easy, and off course it helps to have some background study, as for me is all first hand trial and learn, see it at work ask questions try it and try it again and again, in a studio were clients are high end the use of high end product is not imperative, is the only way as clients in this level want to see what they see at other high end studios.

Still I will get few, used them, check them out and then give them away, no real loss here.

One thing that I didn't bother to ask, was if this have a resistance to Heat coming from continuos lighting such a 1200 HMI.

ciao
 
We are testing some Iwasaki CDM lamps (Eye lighting) here for use in lanters. Ill post results when we have them. It may be they are suitable for use with these large Parabolic Umbrella's.

Dave
 
KETCH ROSSI said:
One thing that I didn't bother to ask, was if this have a resistance to Heat coming from continuos lighting such a 1200 HMI.

ciao
Click to expand...

I don't think it would be a problem with the larger umbrellas, under 6 feet maybe.
 
Are there any pictures of assembling a continuous light source or bulb onto the PLM?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top