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Beauty Dish
Have you ever used it? I am about getting one, but some of my friend-photographer told me that beauty dish was the out-of-date way of taking beauty shoots. I did some research and here what i found out " Beauty dishes hail from the 50s, back when light was incandescent, film was mostly black and white, and models were only white (there is a reason why I mention that). It was a softer light than an ordinary reflector, and the dish was slightly parabolic so that it focused the light slightly. A correctly designed beauty light has a "sweet spot" four or five feet from the lamp where the light wraps liquidly around the subject, but still retains quite high contrast. Beause of the focus, it's best used at that distance--the size limits it to head-and-shoulder shots at its best effect. Glamour and cosmetic photographers of the day used to overexpose their black and white shots of white models intentionally to blow out blemishes and fine wrinkles, saving money and time otherwise spent retouching. The 60s brought in the use of umbrellas and electronic flash, and then softboxes came out in the 70s. The beauty light wasn't quite as useful or necessary any more--I think I last used one around 72 or 73. But it's still possible to do some neat things with it. " http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/viewto … =0#2001840 ------------------------------ Please give me some advices Regards Nick Jun 25 07 05:50 pm Link Beauty dish does give contrasty light but makes beautiful butterfly shadow under the nose when used correctly. A large (40+ inch) silver umbrella can be used to mimic the quality of light from a bit farther away and this can be used for fashion type photo, especially if combined with a reflector panel from below. A silver umbrella is more versatile because by varying the light source position you can change the way the light "focuses" on the subject. You can also open the umbrella only partially, which also change the quality of light. Softbox is definitely much softer light, but unless you want to make boring artless light, I don't find softbox to be a good main light... (it is a good fill light) Speaking of history of lighting setup, I'm still using barebulb in a significant part of my work and I definitely love the effects it provides. It requires a bit of skill to use it effectively, but at the same time I can significantly simplify my lighting setup. My whole studio setup (EOS 5D, a few L zooms, a few primes, a 500Ws power pack and 2 or 3 heads) comfortably fit in a single pelican case, but I would need a separate case for other types of heads. I have unplesant experiences with sock-type diffusers. They alter color balance and it is only going to make beauty dish more softbox-like. Soft light makes model look flattering at first, but we get bored seeing those pictures very fast. Jun 25 07 06:01 pm Link Thanks.  . the information are so helpful. So you meant that i can use the silver umbrella instead of the beauty dish?Jun 25 07 06:09 pm Link forevermoment wrote: Yes, to a very similar effect and with more control. Silver umbrella and dish work similarly if the diameters are comparable and lights are suitably placed. You can usually tell which is used if you look into the model's eyes. Umbrella is not exactly circular and it often shows the skelton, while dish is round and no lines. Sometimes the center is much brighter than the periphery, which happens when the light is close to the umbrella. This makes more contrasty light, and the shadow edge is feathered less, keeping other factors equal. As you place the light farther from umbrella the light becomes more uniform and softer, and the shadow edge gets feathered more, tho not like what you get with a large softbox. Jun 25 07 06:13 pm Link lol, thanx for the info really didn't know where it came from. As to your friends opinion that its an outdated modifier, I would think not, every forum I visit talks constantly about the use of beauty dishes I've seen lots of recent photos taken with them. I myself would like to get my hands on one Jun 25 07 06:14 pm Link I don't think beauty dish is obsolete. I see photos made with them all the time. Jun 25 07 06:17 pm Link My avatar was shot with a 18" gridded beauty dish. Also JimmyD uses Mola beauty dishes a lot: https://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=3628 -James Jun 25 07 06:22 pm Link ...and there are size options now (so the 4-5' rule changes) and grids and diffusers (mentioned above) to get lots of variations. Most of the fashion guys are still using them as appropriate. And the dishes CAN be great on problem skin..always an issue with the bare bulbs, even with some practice. Just my 2 cents..a million ways to do it. And the trends are decent to know for keeping your book 'commercial'...but that's short lived as we all have learned.  B Jun 25 07 06:23 pm Link martinimages wrote: Well, I find barebulb easy on problem skin, compared to ring flash! Just my 2 cents..a million ways to do it. And the trends are decent to know for keeping your book 'commercial'...but that's short lived as we all have learned. Totally agreed. Jun 25 07 06:27 pm Link Thanks!! I guess I typically don't place hard flash in that front position..just an aesthetic call..no WONDER I have probs!! B Jun 25 07 06:30 pm Link I use a beauty dish pretty much all the time. I prefer the larger one I have with a grid but the bowens one with a softlight diffuser is good for beauty headshots especially. Jun 25 07 06:31 pm Link I still use a 22" and get good results with it. Jun 25 07 06:35 pm Link coxyuk wrote: can u show me the sample on your portfolio that used the beauty dish Jun 25 07 06:49 pm Link Incidentally, does anyone know if there's a mini-beauty dish that I can use on Sunpak/Quantum/Normal barebulb portable flash? It would be super when I shoot on location with a very light setup... Jun 25 07 06:56 pm Link It's definitely a useful tool. I use one now and again myself. Jun 25 07 07:48 pm Link That out of date comment is just amusing, they are as out of date as using light to light an image. Stephen Eastwood http://www.PhotographersPortfolio.com that said I use 22inch with grids, all type silver, white, molas, hensel with center grid, soft diffused center and with no direct center light. I typically use them as close to the subject as camera position allows, unless they are replacing the sun outside then they are about 8 feet away. Jun 25 07 07:58 pm Link can the silver umbrella product the same result of the beauty dish? Jun 25 07 08:15 pm Link Beauty dish is my modifier of choice, next to barebulb. These were all shot with the dish as the main.     Jun 25 07 08:27 pm Link forevermoment wrote: No. Or yes, but then with enough work so can a barebulb, or softbox, or flash on camera, or ringflash, or bounced light off a piece of foamcore. In fact if a beauty dish was so specific you would not need anyone to point out when it was used in their portfolio, it would be apparent. Jun 25 07 08:38 pm Link I bought mine for an odd reason. My studio is only 14 ft wide. Had a problem when lighting from the side for b&w. Need to diffuse the light some but not enough room for a a three foot deep softbox which would have been too soft anyway. Actually worked well but now I find myself using it more and more. Jun 25 07 08:40 pm Link the beauty dish is the new hot item, a bit like when softboxes came out and nobody used umbrellas anymore. I went to Splaslight studios in NYC in march, and they had a beauty dish available for each and every strob they had on inventory....that's a whole lot! It's an awsome tool but I think it's getting a bit to much hype right now. Jun 25 07 09:34 pm Link I use a beauty dish a lot as well. Not as much as my softboxes but I use one.. Jun 25 07 09:39 pm Link StephenEastwood wrote: He right - by the way, if you want a great beauty dish, try one of these: Jun 25 07 09:42 pm Link forevermoment wrote: Sure Jun 26 07 12:59 am Link forevermoment wrote:
Jun 26 07 03:46 am Link forevermoment wrote: This is what I mean when I write about "getting it right in-camera"! Jun 26 07 09:01 am Link Both done with a Bowens 16" Beauty Dish https://modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=3276544 https://modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=3276575 18+ !! Would love to see what the big mola lights can do... i contacted the guy who deals with them but he never got back to me  Jun 26 07 10:04 am Link Using a beauty dish is not old school by any stretch of imagination. It's one of the most common sources of light for beauty and fashion photography, at least here in L.A. Jun 26 07 10:07 am Link Love my beauty dish, love the octabank, the large softbox, the bare head...just depends on what you like for lighting. Beauty dish, BTW, is great outside. Small and not as much of a kite as the softbox when breezy. Both shots were done with a beauty dish with diffusion.   Jun 26 07 10:13 am Link I bought a beauty dish after I saw a an advertisment with a headshot of Halle Berry. I loved the light and what is was doing to her skin and her face. I do use mine for for more beauty and tight face shots. I like the catchlight it gives the eye. Umbrellas are not my thing so for me it's about softboxes and my beauty dish. I used a beauty dish as the main light in this shot here:  -S Jun 26 07 11:48 am Link so what Beauty Dish you would recommend me to buy? Mola ? some of my friend bought this: http://www.profoto-usa.com/products/bro … ochure.pdf Regards Nick Jun 26 07 11:53 am Link As far as the "out of date" thing, that's a cyclical thing, like skirt lengths. It comes and it goes. There's always some hot new lighting trend (which has usually been seen before), which becomes overly hackneyed in short time, which once it's done and buried becomes the hot new thing again. A particular type of head or modifier, while it will change your look, will not make your work good or bad. As with everything else, it's good if it's really good, if it makes its point. Wonderful photography never goes out of style. Isn't that wonderful? Jun 26 07 11:53 am Link mmmm If you want to chisel out a set of cheek bones this is a great tool. Trends may come and go .... but some tools are timeless. Jun 26 07 11:57 am Link  I shot this picture with Alien Bees Beauty Dish. As you can see it gave you higher contrast image. However, if your models doesn't have good skin it will expose her flaw in which you might have correct it on photoshop. Jun 26 07 12:03 pm Link ProFoto Beauty Dish:  Jun 26 07 12:14 pm Link All of the beauty dish results here are so great (Thanks ) So, the purpose of the beauty dish is to make higher contrast images. (Please correct me if i am wrong). I'd been using softboxes for years for all my wedding shoots and i use photoshop to put more contrast in my pictures. Last week, one wedding MUA wanted me to shoot her portfolio and asked me if i shoot with a beauty dish. That's why i want to find out about it. Regards Nick p.s I think i will get one soon. Jun 26 07 12:24 pm Link Profoto Beauty dish with Grid  Jun 26 07 01:08 pm Link 22" Alien Bee Beauty dish with a bounce card camera left. Always my choice for head shots.  Jun 26 07 01:17 pm Link lambis wrote: it's beautiful Jun 26 07 01:17 pm Link I know this is a beauty dish thread, but since in my previous comments I compared BD vs. barebulb, etc. and others posted examples of BD shots, here's the barebulb counterpart.  Indeed, all the photos of that model (Janna) in my photo area used one barebulb as the key light. Some used a very weak fill light, others were shot with the barebulb being the sole light. Either case, the quality of barebulb is preserved in all shots: crisp, unfeathered shadow. One problem with barebulb is lack of convincing catch light in the model's eyes and lack of gentle glow in highlights, especially in the age when many use ridiculously large soft box. So I have been trying some simple tricks on these things. Jul 05 07 02:42 pm Link |
