I’ve been putting bleached muslin on everything lately. (It’s basically my Sriracha of diffusions)
If you can afford the light loss in your situation, pushing a LiteMat through magic cloth and bleached muslin will give you an amazing, almost shadowless source. The trick is to clip the muslin loosely to the front of the light so it creates a sort of pillowy drape of fabric. This allows the light to spread and soften even more.
Have you ever used this technique? Do you have a cool name for it? I’ve heard it called a diaper before, but I have to imagine there are better options available 😂
For this shot we used the LiteMat Plus 2L with magic cloth and bleached mus for the key, a 600d with 1/4 straw Baja Blasted through the window for a sunny back edge, and a 4’ Pavotube with Snapgrid as a very subtle fill motivated by the iPad. 4x4 floppies blocked the ambient light and provided some negative fill.
Tyler Kaschke is a freelance gaffer with a grip truck based in Lafayette, Colorado serving Boulder, Denver, Golden, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountain region at large.