What's in the Bag? Umbrella Swivel Mounts

Continuing with the “What's in the Bag” series, we now move on from umbrellas to mounting hardware, specifically, the umbrella swivel mount.

What's in the Bag? Calumet 6020 Backlight Stand

Moving ahead with the “What's in the Bag” series, today we are looking at the Calumet 6020 backlight stand. This little jewel is the heaviest duty backlight stand I have found to date. It is composed of a heavy foot section that folds down to 13-1/2 inches by one inch with the mount extending about 1-1/2 inches at the connected side of the feet. I have no fear mounting even my studio lights on this stand.

What's in the Bag? LumoPro LT604 Light Stand

This little darling is the LumoPro LP604 5-section 6ft. Compact stand. It folds down to an amazing 19-3/4 inches. It is heavy duty (for its size), plenty tall for most needs, and sports a nice wide footprint for stability. It is actually better support than my 8ft. Impact stand in terms of heft and stability. At $39.99 it is also the lowest cost compact stand available today, yet it will stand up to the best [insert smiley face here]. I don't hesitate to recommend the LumoPro LP604 for anyone needing a good compact stand.

What's in the Bag? Photoflex 30 inch Convertible Umbrella

Continuing with the “What's in the Bag” series, we have taken a look at the Westcott 43 inch Compact Convertible Umbrella, so today we will look at its backup, the Photoflex 30" Convertible Umbrella. I won't spend a lot of time on this, as there is nothing unconventional about the design of the Photoflex umbrella or its performance in terms of softness. We will be taking a look at its performance in terms of color influence and will see it alongside the Westcott convertible umbrella.

What's in the Bag? Westcott 43 inch Compact Convertible Umbrella

Continuing with the “What's in the Bag” series, we now move on from talking about Color and Neutral Density Filters, to a discussing one of my newer favorites, the Westcott 43 inch Compact Convertible Umbrella.

This is the little big umbrella that makes the magic happen anywhere anytime. Its diminutive storage size, just under 15 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter, makes it an easy choice for travel and remote location use. When opened, the 39 inch diameter (Westcott claim 43”) is easily large enough to light a ¾ portrait or a baby with dreamy soft light.

What's in the Bag? Color and Neutral Density Filters

The previous post covered the Lastolite white balance disk, a gray and white affair, but today's post will be colorful! We are going to take a look at gel filters for portable flashes and find out some ways to use them. You can see a whole set spread out in the photo above. At the bottom is the Vivitar 28mm wide-angle lens. The gels are cut from larger 8” sheets to fit the filter holder on the Vivitar 285 flashes.