# Honeycomb grids with strobes using diffusion?



## kat.hayes (Feb 4, 2016)

Pardon my ignorance, though is there a reason to use Honeycomb grids with strobes that have soft boxes and umbrellas over them? Will the effect if the Honeycomb grid be effective?

Thanks.


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## neuroanatomist (Feb 5, 2016)

The grid focuses the light, even within the modifier. So, you'll end up with a hot spot in your diffused lighting.


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## Pookie (Feb 5, 2016)

Not true about hotspots with socked grids. If you can control the light you get a nice soft light with less spill...

I do this often for hair lighting with octas, softboxes and beauty dishes. I just purchased a second 22" Mola Demi to use specifically for this type of application. The hair light is gridded and socked...

This is a test shot with the newly unboxed BD and the next day did over 40 corporate headshots using this set up with no hot spots.


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## privatebydesign (Feb 5, 2016)

kat.hayes said:


> Pardon my ignorance, though is there a reason to use Honeycomb grids with strobes that have soft boxes and umbrellas over them? Will the effect if the Honeycomb grid be effective?
> 
> Thanks.



Yes. And yes.


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## neuroanatomist (Feb 5, 2016)

Pookie said:


> Not true about hotspots with socked grids. If you can control the light you get a nice soft light with less spill...



I suppose it depends on the setup. I do get hotspots firing through a large octa, but I use narrow grids (10-15°). I'm not suggesting it's an undesirable effect, else I wouldn't do it! To control spill, I usually use fabric grids on the surface of the softbox/octa. 

To the OP, best bet is to try and test. Point the light at a wall and take a pic to see the distribution. Use a remote trigger and shoot selfies in your setup. 

As a random example, with a Speedlite grid the head zoom setting changes the light pattern.


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## Pookie (Feb 5, 2016)

neuroanatomist said:


> Pookie said:
> 
> 
> > Not true about hotspots with socked grids. If you can control the light you get a nice soft light with less spill...
> ...



The problem you're having is with the distance to your subject (or wall) there is an effective distance for all modifiers and with your speedlite/honl grid you are way too close. As I said earlier, you have to be able to control the light first and that also mean understanding how to use each modifier effectively. I use speedlite often in that exact same fashion but never have hotspots. If you back up the light it will go softer.

Now if you're confusing hotspot with shine from skin oil, that's another entirely different situation. You'll get shine from natural lighting in that situation also. In that case a MUA or if solo, a mattifying gel/powder will easily handle that problem (balding heads or exceptionally oily skin, etc). Often when going to corporate shoots I take an MUA for this reason. If working "fun" shoots with models I carry a minimal makeup bag with mattifying powder/kabuki brushes. I buy the kabukis on Amazon and give them to the models to keep as a "gift". For sanitary reasons and as a little perk. Women and men models both love this... if they are people that do model often they are more than comfortable with makeup and appreciate the thought.

And yes, I carry a makeup bag along with all the gear and although not anywhere close to an MUA in ability after many years I've learned how to handle common makeup and hair issues on site. The life of a working photographer isn't just about lenses, sensors, and lighting


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## privatebydesign (Feb 5, 2016)

Pookie said:


> If you back up the light it will go softer.



Where is gods name did you learn that? Because you are 100% wrong and it is such a fundamental concept of lighting I find it staggering that somebody of your proclaimed experience doesn't know better.

If you back a light up it gets smaller in relation to the subject, the smaller a light source is in relation to the subject the harder it is. If you keep the power the same it will be less bright, but it will be harder, with a smaller transition zone and deeper contrast.


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## neuroanatomist (Feb 5, 2016)

Pookie said:


> The problem you're having is...
> 
> Now if you're confusing hotspot with shine from skin oil...



Thanks, but I'm neither having a problem nor confused. From your suggestion to back up the light to soften it, it sounds like you may a bit confused about the difference between light quantity (intensity/brightness) and one aspect of light quality (soft vs. hard).


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## ray5 (Feb 5, 2016)

Pookie said:


> Not true about hotspots with socked grids. If you can control the light you get a nice soft light with less spill...
> 
> I do this often for hair lighting with octas, softboxes and beauty dishes. I just purchased a second 22" Mola Demi to use specifically for this type of application. The hair light is gridded and socked...
> 
> This is a test shot with the newly unboxed BD and the next day did over 40 corporate headshots using this set up with no hot spots.




Very Nice!


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## Besisika (Feb 5, 2016)

kat.hayes said:


> Pardon my ignorance, though is there a reason to use Honeycomb grids with strobes that have soft boxes and umbrellas over them? Will the effect if the Honeycomb grid be effective?
> 
> Thanks.


You would use a honeycomb grids with strobes to reduce spills of light to the surrounding environment, I use it mainly in two scenarios: 
1 - when the distance between the subject and background is too small for the softbox without grid and the light would reach the background (which makes the control of background exposure a bit more difficult).
There are different types of grids and the key is in choosing the right angle. The smaller the angle (like what Neuro is using) the harsher the light and you may end up having spots on subject's face, however your background will go totally dark, the bigger the angle the smaller the effect of the grid. The angle of the softbox matters as well.
In these conditions, I use the biggest softbox I have, I put it very close and I use a grid; your light would be still soft but won't spill to your background.
2 - When you don't want a reflection from colored wall, indoor, or from green grass and tree leaves, outdoor, to hit back the subject and would give color casts. Same as above, the angle of the grid matters.

If one day you want the harshest light ever with your strobe then use 10-15deg grid directly on metallic reflector and you will get a very controllable light that won't spill anywhere, you could even use it almost like a snoot.

You can watch this video from Gavin on Youtube. He explains it better than me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbIwtu9m7j4

Hope that helps.


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