Article
Lastolite UpLite
| The purpose the UpLite
servers is to reflect light so as to fill shadows from below. It could
be shadows under the chin or shadows caused by arms, bags being carried
or the presence of other people.
Although Lastolite don't mention it
anywhere, the Uplite can connect together with the
Lastolite KickerLite,
we have found that they do and can be used together extending the use of the
KickerLite to being a multi angle soft box. See
Lastolite KickerLite
and UpLite
to see how we connected them.
The KickerLite serves a similar purpose but
is not normally adjustable, but is a softbox producing light from below. |
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The Uplite is two double sided 4ft by 3ft
reflector panels, giving a choice of reflector surfaces, that connect
together at the long or short edge using a Velcro strip and have a device
that clips to the opposite edges allowing it to be set at your choice of
angle. A black stretch over plastic cover goes over the surface that will be
on the ground to keep the lower reflector clean. The reflectors can be used
on their own and we have found that one reflector, the Velcro joining strip
and angle mechanism can be added to a Lastolite KickerLite to expand its use.
There are two versions of the UpLite, one
termed warm and the other cool, with two of the reflector surfaces changing.
For some reason they did this by changing one on each reflector, where it
would have been more logical for the surfaces that change to have been on a
single reflector, as this would have allowed them to offer a single
reflector upgrade. |
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Click on
smaller images to see larger version
| Cool set is
Sunlite/SoftSilver and silver/white (shown above).
Warm set is sunfire/silver and gold/white.
Sunlite and sunfire are both gold
and silver striped surfaces, with sunlite the silver strip is wider than the sunfire
(the gold one). SoftSilver is a silver and white striped
surface. It comes in a bag, and the
reflectors are the spring type that fold down to a third of their normal
size. It takes only minutes to put together and take apart.
Having the ability to set it at any angle and
to use in the upright or view modes makes this very useful. The joining
means using the soft part of the Velcro in the reflector and having a double
sided hard side on the stripe works, but this could be improved by simply
having a piece of material that also goes around the edge and Velcro's to
the upper and lower surface, I may make something up for this. Putting
the black cap on is nearly impossible on your own, as one end springs off
while you are attempting to get the other side on. I have added a few
clothes pegs to my kit and overcome this.
This is a useful piece of kit, reflectors are
always difficult to get where you want them and this overcomes many of
these problems.
Reflectors can be used on
their own
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<< kit out of the bag
Assembled in view format >>
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<< Assembled in
portrait
format and at a high angle
Black shower cap over the surface to go on the ground >> |
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<< Used in view format,
this model can be lit with one soft box
Showing setup for the photo on the left
(flash also used here) >>
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Click
on smaller images to see larger version
Note:- The models used on this page are all
Girlequins,
not real people, but special life sized mannequins used for training
photographers. See
Also:-
Introduction to Studio and Flash Lighting
Lastolite KickerLite
Lastolite UpLite
There are many articles on flash,
lighting and reflectors in the
Lighting and
Reflectors Section.
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