Which Shower Curtain/Liner??? at DVinfo.net

Steve Witt · February 26th, 2006, 11:02 AM

hello, I'm gonna experiment with the Halogen shops and a shower curtain as a diffuser for a huge soft light. What kinda shower curtain/liner??? Plastic/pvc type or fabric?? Clear frosted or milky white frosted??? I'm ready to buy. Maybe I'll try more than one. Did search already and kept hearing about heavy duty ones and keep distance from lights. Someone also mentioned "Bed Bath & Beyond". But what kind? Thanks.

Richard Alvarez · February 26th, 2006, 12:21 PM

Um.... DON'T get the ones with the little fishies printed on them.

Seriously, different diffusion materials will generate different effects. You'll have to play around to get what you want. Obviously, the more 'diffuse' the better. A clear shower liner will not diffuse anything. Some are lightly frosted, some are almost white, some ARE white. And yes, you could simply use white fabric (after all that's what a softbox is made of). Remember, the farther away the material is from the light, the larger and 'softer' the light sourse will appear.

Play around, they don't cost much.

Bill Ball · February 26th, 2006, 02:02 PM

A halogen work light will set fire to and/or melt a shower curtain in nothing flat. So make sure you have an extinguisher and a good insurance policy on hand if you go through with this. I would strongly suggest you use a less flammable material for diffusion. Pick up some ripstop nylon at your fabric store if nothing else, although real tough spun or something similar would be much better. Whatever you do, dont let anything get within a foot of those lights.

Jack D. Hubbard · February 26th, 2006, 02:17 PM

Maybe the fishes would make a nice cookie.

Steve Witt · February 26th, 2006, 09:23 PM

Or if I do get the Halogens too close, I could have a fish fry.

Thanks everyone. I will try a bunch of different types.

Ralph Keyser · March 2nd, 2006, 03:54 PM

I'm sure you know this, but you can easily buy just a sheet of Lee or Rosco diffusion for a few dollars. They are much easier to work with, less likely to burn (though it can be done), and provide much more consistant results. With just a little care, you can get many uses out of a single sheet.
I actually think it's a pretty cost-effective solution.

Steve Witt · March 3rd, 2006, 09:17 AM

Thanks Ralph. I'm assuming that you mean some kinda filter (like mentioned under the "favorite diffusion" thread. I'm not familiar with Lee or Rosco yet. How big is a sheet? One of the reasons that someone would choose a shower curtain is definitely the size. Basically the entire size of the shower curtain becomes a softlight with these powerful lights behind it. So you can fold it to make it "more diffuse" and smaller too. From what I've read so far, it seems like "size" is key factor when using/choosing softlights and it's size should match (more or less) the subject being photographed or filmed depending on a few other factors. But when I just need these halogen work lights diffused in general, just so its not so harsh, I use a sheet of parchment paper (baking paper) over each head and fasten them with wooden clothes pins. This also creates a pleasing effect. Each one can be considered another artistic/asthetic choice depending on what you want.

February 26th, 2006, 11:02 AM	#1
Steve Witt Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: kentucky, USA Posts: 429	Which Shower Curtain/Liner??? hello, I'm gonna experiment with the Halogen shops and a shower curtain as a diffuser for a huge soft light. What kinda shower curtain/liner??? Plastic/pvc type or fabric?? Clear frosted or milky white frosted??? I'm ready to buy. Maybe I'll try more than one. Did search already and kept hearing about heavy duty ones and keep distance from lights. Someone also mentioned "Bed Bath & Beyond". But what kind? Thanks.

February 26th, 2006, 02:17 PM	#4
Jack D. Hubbard Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Menlo Park, CA Posts: 342	Fishes Maybe the fishes would make a nice cookie.

February 26th, 2006, 12:21 PM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Um.... DON'T get the ones with the little fishies printed on them. Seriously, different diffusion materials will generate different effects. You'll have to play around to get what you want. Obviously, the more 'diffuse' the better. A clear shower liner will not diffuse anything. Some are lightly frosted, some are almost white, some ARE white. And yes, you could simply use white fabric (after all that's what a softbox is made of). Remember, the farther away the material is from the light, the larger and 'softer' the light sourse will appear. Play around, they don't cost much.

February 26th, 2006, 02:02 PM	#3
Bill Ball Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NEW JERSEY Posts: 216	A halogen work light will set fire to and/or melt a shower curtain in nothing flat. So make sure you have an extinguisher and a good insurance policy on hand if you go through with this. I would strongly suggest you use a less flammable material for diffusion. Pick up some ripstop nylon at your fabric store if nothing else, although real tough spun or something similar would be much better. Whatever you do, dont let anything get within a foot of those lights.

February 26th, 2006, 09:23 PM	#5
Steve Witt Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: kentucky, USA Posts: 429	Or if I do get the Halogens too close, I could have a fish fry. Thanks everyone. I will try a bunch of different types.

March 2nd, 2006, 03:54 PM	#6
Ralph Keyser Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 287	I'm sure you know this, but you can easily buy just a sheet of Lee or Rosco diffusion for a few dollars. They are much easier to work with, less likely to burn (though it can be done), and provide much more consistant results. With just a little care, you can get many uses out of a single sheet. I actually think it's a pretty cost-effective solution.

March 3rd, 2006, 09:17 AM	#7
Steve Witt Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: kentucky, USA Posts: 429	Thanks Ralph. I'm assuming that you mean some kinda filter (like mentioned under the "favorite diffusion" thread. I'm not familiar with Lee or Rosco yet. How big is a sheet? One of the reasons that someone would choose a shower curtain is definitely the size. Basically the entire size of the shower curtain becomes a softlight with these powerful lights behind it. So you can fold it to make it "more diffuse" and smaller too. From what I've read so far, it seems like "size" is key factor when using/choosing softlights and it's size should match (more or less) the subject being photographed or filmed depending on a few other factors. But when I just need these halogen work lights diffused in general, just so its not so harsh, I use a sheet of parchment paper (baking paper) over each head and fasten them with wooden clothes pins. This also creates a pleasing effect. Each one can be considered another artistic/asthetic choice depending on what you want.