Lighting a Gymnasium for Sports

Nikon speedlight, battery and wireless sync

When HS seniors that are athletes come through the studio for their senior portraits, I like to support the teams they play for.  During this time of the year, I am fairly active with winter sports.  Because a large majority of the HS seniors that came through the studio this year were athletes, I find myself out many nights or weekend mornings at boys' and girls' basketball games, hockey games and wrestling matches.

Even thought modern SLR cameras work extremely well in low-light conditions, I am not thrilled with the quality of light that most high school gymnasiums provide, so I like to supplement the existing light with my one.  This does two things: 1) help stop the action; and B). helps to add definition to the athletes, depending on where the lights are placed.

Larson 4x6 Softbox Modification

If any of you have used the Larson 4x6 softbox, then you know how amazing the light is coming from the front of this beast.  Throw a monstrous light source in front of anyone or anything, and you can make them look amazing.

However, if you've used this beast, you also realize how big it is to use, and how much weight it can add to the front of your studio strobe.  I've only used it a couple of times, and it's already slipped off the front of my White Lightning studio strobes.  There is alot of weight cantilevered off the front of the strobe head.  I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be nice if I could mount the soft box...the biggest, heaviest part of the whole apparatus...right on the light stand, then mount the light to it"?  Well, now I can.

After a quick trip to my home-away-from-home...some of you refer to it as Home Depot...I came a way with a very inexpensive solution.  Everything I needed was in Aisle 8 Plumbing, the official sponsor of MacGyver Corner here at Luke Photography.

Here are the ingredients to this recipe:

•  1/2" galvanized floor flange
• 1/2" to 1/4" galvanized bushing
• 1/4' elbow
• 1/4' x 2" steel pipe nipple

You'll also need 1/4" steel machine screws, lock washers and nuts to fit the floor flange to the softbox mounting plate.

Assemble the pipe components together as tightly as possible, then lay the assembly on the softbox mounting plate (disassemble the mounting plate from the softbox first) so you can determine where to drill the holes in the mounting plate.  When the holes are drilled, mount the new apparatus to the mounting plate using the screws, lock washers and nuts.

Re-assemble the softbox and mount it on the light stand.  Then mount the studio strobe into the mounting plate as normal.  The only thing left to add is a safety strap to keep the strobe from dislodging from the mounting plate if it gets bumped too hard.

Making this modification solves two issues:

1. It brings the center of gravity of the light stand several inches closer to center of gravity of the softbox, making it more balanced.
2. It takes most of the stress off the spring-loaded mounting clips on the front of the strobe, thereby prolonging it's life. 

It also opens up the possibility of mounting any strobe....think Quantum or any hotshoe flash...in this huge softbox.  For all you Strobist fans, did you ever think you'd be able to throw a 4x6 softbox on a Nikon SB speedlight?

It only took about $7 in parts and 15 minutes...and now I can make anyone look amazing....safely.

Just a Pinch of Light - DIY Grid Snoots

Chefs who cook without recipes go on instinct, knowing when to add a pinch of ‘this’, or a pinch of ‘that’.  If a newbie cook were learning from them, they’d ask: “how much is a pinch”?  Almost always, the answer would be: “it’s just the right amount, and you’ll know if it is too much.  Like the kid who gets his pudgy cheeks pinched by his scary Aunt Betty, too much is too much.

Photographers cook with light.  As you get better and better at it, you start realizing when and where you need a pinch of light to set your image apart from everything else out there.  Often, an umbrella or soft box over your light source will add too much light.  Like the kid with the pinched cheeks, you’ll get all irritated and run screaming into the other room.

The LukeSphere Light Modifier

The best inspiration comes from desperation and exasperation.  I was exasperated to see that photographers were paying $60 or more to buy a piece of Tupperware from a nationally-known photographer that they could put over their flashes to modify and soften their camera-mounted hot shoe flashes.  I know that real Tupperware cost a lot less than that, and I knew that there was an even better alternative that would do exactly the same thing for a lot less Andrew Jacksons donated from my wallet.