Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I just picked up an AB800 w/ PLM (Soft Silver 51").

There isn't anything included with the PLM and the online manual is really skimpy. I know how to use it, as it is pretty straight forward, but I would love to see more about more creative use of it and how to get the best results with it.

Anyone know a good resource that has some information on this? For example I believe you can use it as a shoot through, rather than bounce.

I will likely be getting another light or two soon, but I can't fit a studio in my home to keep up all the time, and I got it mainly for shooting my 4yo boy with better lighting than my 580EX II. I went the PLM system as I hear it does a great job and it is easy to put up and put away. I've shot with Alien Bees before in a studio environment so I am very familiar with using them but never shot with umbrellas, always octaboxes and soft boxes.

You cannot use a silver PLM as a shoot through, you would need one of the white PLM's to do that. However, in another post, you do mention you have a diffusion fabric. Adding that to your PLM will give you a modifier very similar to an ungridded octabox. Without the diffusion fabric, you will get a spread similar to a gridded box, but more specular. Again, not using the fabric, you can focus and defocus the light (to an extent) to change the spread by moving the head in and out of the umbrella.

Ahh, I thought it kind of impossible to shoot through the black backing, that would make sense. No resources to give more information other than experiment? The one page manual doesn't really go into much detail.

The difference in a parabolic umbrella from standard umbrellas is that its shape allows for focusing of the light when using the Extreme Silver, and to a lesser degree, the Soft Silver fabrics. This focusing allows for more efficiency (brighter light where it is aimed). White fabric, bounced or shot through cannot be focused. We build the white similar to the silvers to keep costs lower and so that optional fabrics are interchangeable.

Also, another popular feature of the PLM is the availability of the 86" PLMs which bring very large modifiers at reasonable prices.

Otherwise, the PLM's are going to behave similar to other modifiers of similar size.

Since photography is an art (and therefore subjective), there is no right or wrong way to use any modifier. Since there is no right or wrong, it is impossible to describe how to or how not to use something.

If that was the case, there wouldn't be 70,000 books on studio lighting and flash photography.

Are all 70,000 books in agreement? If not, then there is no "right" way. :? Seriously though, there are some common or generally accepted methods for using modifiers but there is no right or wrong way. The key is to understand what look or lighting you are trying to achieve and then use modifiers that get you what you want.

As for examples, there are many on Flickr. Try a few different searches like PLM, PLM Bees, PLM Buff. Find some you like and reverse engineer the light.

There are no set rules on what is right or not and not one of those 70,000 books... or manuals.... will say other wise.

If you have a soft silver PLM.... and know how to use it as you said..... it should be rather obvious that you can't shoot through an opaque object.

If you can find somewhere larger than a living room, but smaller than a gym... Take your stuff and play around with different things. Shooting in a studio is often the same styles of light positioning. The PLM - and additional lights when you get them - can be used in so many other ways...
Set up things and then walk around a huge circle and see how the PLM light looks when its along your sight line, and when it is at radical angles or even behind your subject.
Aim it high, aim low. Point it at the ceiling and see what that does.
Dial the power way down and see how it can interact with natural light.
Try a modifier other than the PLM. There is something called a "snoot" which makes a tube of light. Or try color gels; different colors on each light. Lots of different ways to change things.
Adjust the relative depth of the PLM mounting shaft with respect to the strobe to see different patterns of light that happen from being off the sweet spot.
Try the PLM close to your son, and further away, to see how the light fills shadows or can cause dramatic ones.

Take notes as you go. Some of what you get will be pure junk. Some will be really neat. The idea is that your own experiments will lead you into new areas and ideas. Something you never expected can be an image you really like. Reading books can give you ideas and teach you the basics. But hands on will show you so much more. Don't be afraid to shoot something just because you think it won't work, because you never know.

Thanks, this is exactly why I was looking for a resource that goes into it in more detail. Sort of like "Light Science & Magic". So far my results have been similar to the 8' octabox I shoot with in the studio, just slightly less awesome since I am shooting with just a 51" one.