Plume Limited 888 Main Street, PO Box Nine, Silver Plume, CO 80476

Lightbanks vs. Anything Else

Just as there are 108 flavors of ice cream, each with its following, there are more 108 different ways to illuminate your photographic subject - no right way or wrong ways - only your way.

But there are a couple of basic choices : Direct light - be it natural sunlight or artificial sources - tungsten, arc, fluorescent or flash - results in highly contrasted bright highlights and dark sharp shadows. While diffused light - either as a natural dawn or cloudy day or artificially diffused light created by reflecting a light source off of a large white surface or through a large translucent material - creates a more controlled highlight-to-shadow modulation which is the better choice to match the dynamic limits of film and digital technologies.

The usual choices by photographers of quick, reusable and transportable lighting and diffusion materials have in the been work with flash directed into white umbrellas or through large folding "flats". Both combinations do not easily create unobstructed highlights in critical highlight (think: wine bottles) nor keep bounced light from straying onto undesired areas and surfaces (think: green ceilings).

So, there are three reasons one might wish to consider a lightbank to diffuse the raw light from a flash. First, the clean unobstructed "reflexive" highlight reflected in the photographic subject. Second, the possibility of getting a broad diffused light source up close to your subject to create the lightbank's optimal broad modeling of light. Lastly, the improved control of the flash source because a lightbank's flat two dimensional diffuser and opaque reflective shell avoids light spill onto surrounding objects or flare back into the camera.

Wafer Models

Due to the recent demise of our very long time international licensee, Bowens International, in the UK, we have returned to our original Colorado fabrication using all Connecticut sailcloths. We have restored some of our original features as well - ripstop polyester black/silver fabric, an oversized rear closure cowl, exterior suspension loops and our oversized travel duffle - room for two Wafers or a Wafer with a lightstand. Our unique graduated inner baffles continues to be created by our original Ipswich UK silkscreen printing company. 

Our limited production presently includes our three most popular sizes with the Wafer HexOval 140 coming next, shown here:

• Wafer 75 (75 x 55 by 28cm deep - 29.5 x 21.5 by 11 inches deep). An excellent size for small still-life, single portraits or a more contrasty source for larger sets or when using black and white medium. $395

• Wafer 100 (100 x 75 by 35cm deep - 39.5 x 29.5 by 14 inches deep). The single most useful size and shape. 3/4 portraits, small groups and product illustration. Our most popular choice. $525

• Wafer 140 (135 x 100 by 50cm deep - 53 x 29.5 by 20 inches deep). The good choice for full length portraits and larger sets. Less contrast when working primarily with color medium because of its larger size. $650 

• Wafer HexOval 140 (130 x 95 by 37 cm deep - 53 x 37 by 14.5 inches deep). The shape of the lightbank should match the shape of the subject. Our HexOval is ideal for "beauty" and portraits, single or more. $650 Why an Oval ?

   

Flash Rings

Overview of Features: The new aluminum Plume Flash Ring is designed as an improved "universal" attachment for WAFER and most of our competition's light diffusion banks and soft boxes including Chimera, Photoflex, Calumet, Redwing, Bowens and Westcott offerings. The improvements are thinner profile, lighter weight and extra placements for ring based accessories. Our design not only provides the structural basis to these banks, but it also allows easily finger controlled tensioned rotation and quick change of inner adapters to a variety of manufacturers' flash head by means of various adapter rings. If we do not happen to produce a specific adapter, please inquire.

Description: The Plume Flash Ring consists of an outer ring, which will support the diffusion bank, and an inner flash head adapter ring, which mounts to your particular brand of flash "head" or housing. The outer ring and inner adapter ring are easily assembled and, generally, attach in the same way as your reflectors attach. (see specific notes below).

The outer ring features four primary (unthreaded) holes into which the lightbank's poles (or wands) are inserted. These four holes are located adjacent to the four brass thumb nuts. Note that one of these four holes is marked with the word "I Concepts". This marked hole has a special tension release notch at a lesser angle than the other holes, making assembly and disassembly easier. Use this notched hole LAST during assembly, and FIRST in disassembly. (Note two other unthreaded holes are available for supporting the six wands of the HexOval WAFERS. Use one of these holes as the LAST (assembly) or FIRST (disassembly) with the HexOval models.)

Two threaded holes (1/4-20 and 3/8-16) are also provided on the outer ring for direct attachment to light stand adapters, attachment of interior flags or scrims or for mounting second and third flash heads to the lightbank.

The outer ring rotate on the inner adapter ring. Adjust the ease of this rotation by changing the tension on one or all of the thumb nuts.

The inner adapter ring can be easily removed and exchanged with a different inner adapter ring specific to another brand of flash equipment

Please note that although our rings are universal, other manufacturers rings may not work on Plume Wafers.