Help me create this look on a budget

Here's the look I want to replicate:

https://youtu.be/aD8Cj_0VRZU

Obviously they are pushing the FlashBender products. My question is, who else makes products that'll get the job done, possibly for less cash?

I know there are tons of grids out there. No worries there. I'm referring more to the strip box for the hair light. Expoimaging doesn't seem to sell just the strip on its own. It's only sold as part of a $99 FlashBender 2 XL Pro kit.


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What is YOUR budget? a budget can be $1.00 or $100,000

carguy said:

What is YOUR budget? a budget can be $1.00 or $100,000

Click to expand...

Lol. Well, I am ok with spending the $99 on the FlashBender 2 XL Pro kit if I need to, but I was hoping a strip type speedlight softbox like the one in that kit could be purchased separately.


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This was shot with a Godox 600BM Strobe however it could have been a normal flash as the key light.

The Hair light was a Yongnuo YN560 IV with the head zoomed to 105mm to make it a tight output but it was a bare flash with no softbox

I have added a small grad filter at the bottom to bring the darkness of her white top down a little however that is just due to the top.



Kind of the same look achieved

daveminnich said:

Lol. Well, I am ok with spending the $99 on the FlashBender 2 XL Pro kit if I need to, but I was hoping a strip type speedlight softbox like the one in that kit could be purchased separately.

Click to expand...

I was finally able to watch the video at home. There are a few inexpensive options.

I have the Fstoppers Flash Disc (Access Denied) - Great portable modifier which won't break the bank.

Also consider a used modifier on ebay.

Getting the key light close, with a snoot to focus limit beam width you can duplicate the gird direct flash and the grid on the strip light could be done with a small softbox without a grid. A small softbox, like the GeOx 40x40cm would be narrow enough of a hair light. There are not many small narrow folding stripboxes that support grids since a narrow strip box does not have the internal support a square softbox has. The grid in that one shown is very course and the vanes are not parallel so it is not as effective in controlling light spill as a conventional small pitch grid is. The little direct flash grid was cute, nice to have one of those in my backpack that contains a few flash, a 40x40 and 80x80 softboxes.
The main elements of that photo was close in lighting to allow Inverse Square law fall off to darken the background, 2, flash firing across the scene so spill is out of the frame, and 3, a controlled pattern hair light using strip box or a small square softbox.
And 4, low key exposure, meaning exposure settings to assure a black scene with the flashes not firing.
Low Key is a great set up for portable rigs, location shoots because no background is needed, an office, restaurant or wedding chapel, anyplace can be exposed so low that the background goes to black. Make sure you are far enough from the rear wall to assure fall off is enough to keep the background from being visible..
This is not a hard set up to mimic with modest tools., just make sure the background is not illuminated and the nonflash test shot is black on the background.

I've used a Pringles can as a snoot.