Article
Lastolite KickerLite
It is designed to throw a soft diffused
light upwards to fill in shadows under chins etc, it is set at a fixed 35
degree angle.
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<< Out of the bag
Main piece sprung out and rear frame in
place >>
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<< Reflector added and
connected to centre bar of frame.
Rear cover in place Velcro top and
bottom, zip in the middle to put light through >> |
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Click
on smaller images to see larger version
| Although all the promotional
material and their catalogue says it can be used with battery operated
flash guns, and in the latest catalogue it is shown in place, there is
no way to connect these without purchasing an adaptor to get from the
spigot fitting to something that can hold a flash unit, several people
do make these. The part you need is
Lastolite part
2402 or a Manfrotto 026.
If you have a
Lastolite Ezybox
and will not be using this at the same time you can borrow some parts
from that to act as a flash holder.
As these connectors/adaptors are
often not in stock, you may like to check you can get one BEFORE
ordering a KickerLite.
As I have a tripod style
ball head on a clamp (Manfroto) I use this to get a Nikon SB800
connected.
(shown right) >>>
I feel a suitable adaptor should have
been provided and I initially thought my kit was short of this part,
but the dealer, having checked with the Lastolite distributor, came
back and said that the promotional material was wrong, and that it did
not connect unless you bought an adaptor. |
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Click on
smaller images to see larger version
| When using the Nikon
SB800 or other Nikon flash operating in the
Nikon Creative
Lighting
system, remember that you can use the depth of field button to make
flashes strobe, allowing you to see where the light from the
KickerLite is going, and allowing you to make adjustments.
It is a useful unit, but it really needs to be able to be positioned
away from people, therefore you need a large room. So look at your
working area and think about where the person is going to be that you
are photographing and where you will put the 4ft deep unit, and where
the light that goes up from it will go.
In the illustrations I have kept it too close, but just about
workable, as I wanted to be able to show it in some photos. I would
not expect to use it this close to a standing person.
The image on the right was taken
using a Cool-Lite
soft box as the main light to the left of the camera, see shadow
created by lower hand, and the KickerLite (flash) to the right to
reduce most of the shadows, but without flattening the image.
Background is a
Lastolite HiLite.
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Note:- The models used
on this page are all
Girlequins,
not real people, but special life sized mannequins used for training
photographers. See
Also:-
Introduction to Studio
and Flash Lighting
Lastolite KickerLite
Lastolite UpLite
There are many articles on flash,
lighting and reflectors in the
Lighting and
Reflectors Section.
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