If the Lastolite is one of those "pop out" round reflectors", I bought a similar one recently and have seen a specialised stand with a holder and a ball joint so they can be held at exactly the required angle. Most photographic/digital type shops should be able to help.

They're not cheap, of course, but for a class act like you, Grazie ..... !!

Hi Boyz!

I'm doing several Vox-Pop type shoots. I want to give the subjects as best a chance of looking good as I can. I like doing these things. I'm gonna lock off one cammie and have another wandering around the subject/speaker. It's all going be fairly intimate, with people related some seriously moving elements of their lives.

Liam - yeah, well I don't have the charm and magnetism you have! I do have my partner assisting, but this Lazzo holding would be a "Task Too Far" - Liam, you really should do the DVD "How-to-get-an-army-on-the-cheap!" -yeah? Oh the locking nut I referred to? It would be one of the "opposite" - opposite to the Key Light - tripods. It would be a bit constricting in terms of positioning the Lazzo, but it might work.

Peter - My thoughts too. I've priced these and they aint too expensive . .here yah goes:

http://www.lastolite.com/

click on the "Reflector" or "Bracket & Stand" tab.

" . . .but for a class act like you, .. " too kind . . .too kind!

Thanks again Guys. This biz is taking over my life completely!

Grazie

One thing to watch for when using outdoors is the wind - either get some sandbags or some other kind of anchor - I'm like you Grazie, mostly work on my own, which is fine most times, except here, where human reflector holders are pretty good at not getting blown over!

(p.s. not quite the "real thing", but I'll be lying in bed listening to the 20/20 cricket tonite!)

(p.s. not quite the "real thing", but I'll be lying in bed listening to the 20/20 cricket tonite! - if it's against Oz . .then it IS the real tihng! It don't get any realller than that)

Nope, no wind .. only inside and working kinda alone with dimmers to play with! Just love them dimmers!

Grazie

- so look forward to seeing your new feature - "Dimmer and Dimmer" ;)

Grazie, to echo Liam & Peter's suggestions, a C-stand is a very worthwhile investment. I have one similar to this Avenger kit. The grip head and extension arm greatly extend it's versatility.
Don't bother spending big bucks on the name brand clamps though. I went to my local hardware store and grabbed a 12-pack like SpringClamp-2.jpg here. Size is hard to gauge in a photo but the kit had (2) 9", (4) 6" & (6) 4" clamps. I keep them in my lighting kit and find new uses for them every day.
Remember the sandbags though as you don't anyone knocking anything over :-)

Mike

Mike - yeah we got 'em here we call them . . er Market Grips I think? And yes I do have a plan to use them for something else.

I DID get A pro grip bar and trip - £70.00 all in! I was there while a Ch4 cameraman was there - "hey, I gotta get one of them!" I dod ask for a salesman discount .. . guess what? They didn't offer me one!

Grazie

They didn't offer me one!

Cheap S.O.B. :-)

Keep your eyes on your grip gear from now on as that's often the stuff that "wanders off" the most, especially when someone sees what you're doing with stuff from the hardware store that they paid big money for.
I've got a set of white fold-up panels that are designed to be put in car windows on sunny days to keep the interior cool. Guess what? In a pinch, they make great reflectors. Very cheap too!!

Mike
And remember, grips everywhere call wooden clothes pins C-47s. Don't ask me where that came from because I have no idea. I do keep a handful in my kit though. Like everything else, they have a lot of uses.

C-47! You know I think that came from the army and that was the part number for clothes pins! Least that's what I've been told.

It's one of many stories-that it was a military part number, that it was a Century Lighting Co part number, etc, etc.

Anyway, on the FlexFill (The brand we see most in the SF Bay Area), you can clip it to a stand using #2 grip clips but you won't be able to control the angle. Better yet, get a C-stand (or 20 and a truck). Make sure you get the head and the arm - without those, it's just a stand.

For something lighter, but less flexable, get the reflector holder:
Avenger Relfector Holder. Catalog# D700B.

For c-stands, there are actually a few subtleties. The Matthews stands have heads that will lock down tight on anything (thus ending a 50 year tradition of locking tight on nothing). In fact, the Matthews heads are now a little too good and I'd buy another brand like Norms.

There are three types of legs-simple spring loaded, turtle (the legs come off the stand for easier packing as well as to make a low stand for big lights, and sliding leg (aka rock mountain leg).

The sliding leg is essential if you're lighting on a slope or in a stairwell. Works well on a curb too. Definitely my first choice if I had to buy some c-stands.

C-stands are heavy, though, so if you're on your own you may want to skip them.

Grazie,

I used a reflector on almost every shoot. I had a Lowel accessorie item that was a boom arm made to hold reflectors. You mount it on a light stand instead of a light and it has easy adjustments (sort of large wing nuts, I think) for what size reflector you have and positioning. Very simple, light weight and collapses. Just watch out for large wind gusts outside or you will have a kite with no string attached.

GG

Yup - GG - go it and used on Tuesday. It comes with a double ball joint for all the flexibility I could want. Popped it on a light stand and adjusted - excellent! - Wind? One word . .. "sandpbags" . . .er . or is that 2 words . .. I'll reflect on it!

Whole thread has been very . .. illuminating?

Grazie

Grazie,
Rather than sandbags, go buy yourself a collapsible water jug that can hold 10 liters or so. Photoflex and other companies make these commercially, but a waterbag is a water bag. Victor Milt used these inexpensive ones at NAB, and we use em' too, because at the survival outlets, they're only 2.00 USD. They have a handle that a bungie cord can be tied to, and will hold stuff in place quite easily.

Something like this is probably very good to travel with and you can usually get water.

It would be a cool idea to mass produce these in a butterfly-type sandbag shape. I usually use between 12 and 20 bags in any given setup so being able to pack that many waterbags would be good.

For backpacking, I have a collapsable bag that fits into a nylon shell with a handle. This might be a decent model.

The only downside of waterbags is leakage. That's bad for people's carpets and also bad around electricity. Also makes for a slick floor hazard on tile.

Rob Mack

The Photoflex ones are half-butterfly, with a molded in grommet and hanger, I think they sell for around 12.00
But, having the butterfly fold-over would be very useful. Mass produced, if they were covered in some light absorbent fabric that would grab any dribbles from filling, etc, they'd do well. We've not had any leakage (yet) from the Photoflex, but I've destroyed a few water bottle/bags in transit.