Alien Bees system feedback

[Kurt_Gearheart]

Thank you very very much John Paul, that was one hell of a complete treatment of all my questions!

It is appreciated very much!

Kurt

ps results shall be posted here - excited I am, yes!

[jimmyd]

here's part of my digs. it's the northwest corner--representing about 1/4 of the studio--plus two offices, storage area, two bathrooms and i built a dressing room/makeup area. notice the silver metalic reflector in the back? that's a $1.97 (k-mart camping dept.) space-age technology, survival blanket that makes a nifty reflector! (especially if you're into specular highlights). i hear a gold one exists as well, but i haven't located one yet.

[ragpix]

You know ABees offers color corrected flash tubes for $28.95. Another warming fix if deemed necessary. Beats tea smudging and fitting gels to soft boxes.

Here's a blurb from their site.

"The flashtubes used in AlienBees units are daylight-balanced at 5600ºK, providing accurate color rendition. While these tubes are ideal for most film and digital work, we also offer optional 5200ºK Color-Corrected, UV-Coated replacement flashtubes in both 10mm and 12mm sizes. See our Hardware Page to find out more about our replacement tubes."

Dang! I wish I had that much room!! There is so much I could accomplish if I had what you have... I envey you man!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

JP

[Al_Nowak]

Get a long bright orange extension cord with a lot of outlets. The Alien Bee power cord is about 15 feet long (it comes with the unit). The bright orange is important. No telling where you'll have to get power. Get a roll of duct tape to hold the cords down where people may be walking.

If you really intend to travel much with your light setup, give careful consideration to the umbrella/softbox choice. Some softboxes are a real pain to assemble. Think 20 minutes of juggling fabric and stressed thin metal rods. There are some softboxes that unfold like an umbrella, but they tend to be pricey. Umbrellas are usually much easier to deal with. The Bee's have provision for the umbrella rod. I use a 30 by 40 inch softbox from Alien Bee, nice unit but a royal pain to assemble and disassemble.

Consider that you will be tethered to the Bee with a synch cord. Guess what is the first thing likely to fail. Get a spare synch cord or some alternative way to trip the strobe (radio or infrared). The Alien Bee cord is about 15 feet long if memory serves me, and they give you one with the unit.

The 13 foot LightGear heavy duty stand from Alien Bee is nice and solid. If you intend to keep the softlight/umbrella low (under 8 feet), it's overkill. You can use a smaller lighter stand, which is important if traveling.

Check your local thrift stores for a used suitcase to pack all the lighting stuff in. Light stands are a pain to carry loose. Some sources of bags suitable for stands is a traveling golf bag or a baseball bat bag. Again a little ingenuity and a few thrift store visits can save you mucho bucks. Not only that, sports bags and suitcases don't advertise "Photographer here - expensive camera may be easily available."

Pass on the remote unit unless you've got money to burn. It's nice but buy more lights first.

Get a flash lightmeter. I happen to like the Polaris I by Sheperd. About $160.

Don't forget that if you buy all the goodies from Alien Bee at the same time, they may cut you a package deal. Ask about it. If nothing else, a single order will cut down on multiple shipping charges.

A spare flashtube is a good idea if you travel extensively.

You can pick up halogen bulbs for the modeling lamp (about 100 or 150 watts) for about $5 at the discount stores. Sometimes the modeling lamps are all you need to do the job. Be careful if using high power modeling lamps with softboxes. All that heat can scorch fabric or set fire to your stuff.

Good luck!