Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Sorry to have disappeared, my leg has been giving me hell! So a lot of time in the chair with little moving around. But, then it is just lightly cold and I got to work on the prep for the coming fun. That is, hot lights and cucoloris to do some new directions.

Here are some examples of commercial examples of these cucoloris. Also, some large and not so large fans that I will be using in the coming shoots, these should work well with the styling of the cucoloris for increased visual effects.

(Download)










(Download)


(Download)

riderxlx Loc: DFW area Texas

Very good images Tim.
I hope your leg gets well and you get back into the fast lane soon. Take care of yourself dude.
Oh man, I can't wait to read the other members chiming in because you are one of the few on this UHH forum; regardless of the Topic subject; that keeps the readers wondering what you are going to present next.
Keep on Truck'n Tim and take care of that leg. Oh yea, the fan is a nice touch, good work dude.
Tha Sir Broose tha loose in 'up here some where'

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Hey, Tim, my sympathies on leg problems. I just got home from the hospital after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA; knee replacement).

The photos are much better in their simplicity. I would suggest that the fabric on the left of the photos distracts rather than adds to the image.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Thanks Mr. riderxlx for the good wishes, appreciated. Of course I have little good words for Vascular Surgeons, oh they good mechanics, but that is about it. Right now I'm getting 'wound care', leg wraps and such, but nothing much else. I just hope my old doctor re-opens after he had to move his office, we will see.

So, I will be putting my rather large foot in it shortly. The subject will be rim light, that is the traditional notion of rim light. One can venture out on U-Tube and get all sorts of info on modern rim lighting, most of which is rather silly. Like beauty dish, it is rim lighting but few understand that it is indeed rim light, still not bad. Expect that you don't need a 'beauty dish' to convert any bowl reflector into rim lighting. In fact by converting your bowl reflector into rim light one just might find that there is much more pleasing looks to the out come of the light.

So there is a section on portraiture on the Hog so I guess I will put some clothes on VADA and post some over there. Of course I will stir the pot, always do! LOL!!! So the question pops out, why stir the pot? Simple, the level of dumb being peddled in the name of photography is just amazing. It distracts from the deeper knowledge that people need to understand their craft.

Lets start right now, shall we? Oh yes sir-re-bob! I posted some cookaloris images. Lets do a quick 'reality check' on this subject. For film one needs to look to the area called theater, also know as the Black Box (that is what you call the stage where theater is preformed. In theater there are TWO, and only 2 main type of lights, the Leko and the fresnel lights. Now Leko lights are focused lights, you can bring them to crystal clarity or you can de-focus the light and be mindful, this can be in front of the subject plane or behind the subject plane (this is important for image creation).

But lets turn to the fresnel lights. The fresnel is given the name because of the 'lens' located in the front of the light. By the way, in theater they are NOT called lights, these objects are called instruments (but I will stick to calling them lights). So, you got this light with a fresnel lens in it. Typically the photographer bumbles about and shoves the 'focus' bar (or knob) up and down, back and forth, staring at the effect on the cookaloris. A fresnel is always used to create the effects to the image created by that thing called the cookaloris, but it is NOT the cookaloris that creates the image, and here comes the kick in the teeth, it ain't the light either! A cookaloris effect is a shadow, until you get this you will never understand the use or purpose of a cookaloris.

Pretty amazing statement to make BUT it is the why of using and making cookaloris. Remember that part about doing the 'focus' of the fresnel? You are looking at the way the shadow is being rendered, how it works with the way the shadow areas separate from one another. BUT, you can't get the effect you want in the shadow separation unless you have inspected the fresnel lens itself. A rather perplexing thing to say, but it is at the heart of what you are doing with the fresnel. So you open the light (instrument) and you look at the flat underside of the fresnel lens. Is it smooth (hardest edge you can get), or is it dimpled with convex or concave surfacing? Are the large or small? Are there a lot of these or are they sparse? All of this will act to create the shape and quality of the shadow being projected by the cookaloris in between the light and the surface.

Here is another dead give away, were you an idiot and ordered your fresnel from B&H photo. They don't have a clue about theater lights and they will rape you on the price. A new fresnel, with lamp, safety (the steel cable that attaches the light to it's support in case it breaks free while in use), power connector (you would want an Edison rather than a multi prong connector, and hanger (hard ware to mount the light, this would run you about $100 dollars, not some several hundreds with out the basics described.

Fresnel lenses in the 5 inch size can be gotten for 3 to 7 dollars from any electrical contractor supplier, in bulk with different dimples on the back flat surface of the fresnel, but don't expect the electrical contractor supply to know about this. These are used to replace broken lenses on over head lights for exterior lighting around walk ways and pools.

Now you know the particulars for choosing the fresnel lenses in lights when creating effects like the ones shown in the post I made.

More on this if VADA shows this Sunday to be naughty with hot lights in the studio!

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Tim, your next tutorial should distinguish a cookaloris from a gobo. Perhaps some examples would help.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

These are very nice.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I'm a fan of these.