Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I posted a while back about rain protection, and have come to realize that's quite a challenge, especially when high winds come into the equation!

But I have a related issue that effects me far more frequently, and which MIGHT be easier to solve...

I photograph equine sports (rodeos, barrel races), and so often shoot all day or all weekend in dusty horse arenas. My flashes are usually coated with dust by the end of the event, and dust ends up getting sucked in by the fan, I'm sure (I just sent off one of my units because the fan apparently got fouled with dust and stopped working). The control sliders and reflector-release also get difficult to use after a while.

So any ideas on how to protect the flashes from this? They often get fired rapidly, but I don't use the modelling lights in this situation, which lessens the heat issue.

I'm thinking of maybe just wrapping filter material around the flash, or at least around the vents... Any better ideas?

Hmm... what if I just took the White Lightning carrying bags and cut the back so it flaps open like the front so I could access the controls and feed the power cord and remote cord out, and cut a hole in the bottom so I could slide the stand mount through...

It's kind of thick, though, so heat might build up...

If the dirt is getting sucked in by the fan, that implies the fan is on. Since the fan is thermostatic, that means the flash is getting warm enough to need the fan. If the light is completely enclosed, there will not be enough airflow to keep the light cool.

Filter material may help. But again, the better it is at keeping dirt out, the better it will be at keeping cool air out.