Light control and shading apparatus and methods

An apparatus and methods that includes a gel holder and an optional shade holder that allows a user to add color or eliminate or reduce reflected color and to shape, shade, diffuse, soften, absorb, block, reflect, retract and dim light inside photographic reflectors such as photographic umbrellas or other reflective apparatus. The invention allows a user to mix, blend or shape light at the source and the resulting light can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The invention allows a user to more efficiently add texture, eliminate hotspots and create shadows by changing positions of a gel holder with a gel and one or more shade holders with shades on a reflector focus tube.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to stage and studio lighting, and motion picture, video, film and still photography and more specifically is directed to apparatus and methods to attain color correction, color enhancement, softening of light, neutral density and gelling for umbrella reflectors and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

Color correction and gelling of umbrella reflector systems has been a problem in many respects. The conventional methods of achieving color correction, gelling, softening and neutral density has many disadvantages. In conventional systems, a way to achieve color correction, gelling etc., is to cover the entire reflector with a color correction filter or gel. In larger size umbrella reflectors, this involves taping together sections of the material being used to achieve total coverage for the umbrella.

The disadvantages in using conventional methods include the need to use large, expensive sheets of color correction filters or gels. This method is not only time consuming, but labor intensive because it requires cutting the gels to shape and placing the gels onto the reflector. This may require the use of large, expensive strands that are heavy and impractical. For standard to large size umbrellas, this method requires more than one person to set up. The storage space required for this conventional gelling technique is another disadvantage. Thus, a need exists for apparatus and methods that overcome the problems and disadvantages in conventional color correction and shading methods used for stage and studio lighting and for motion picture, video, film and still photography.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problem of color correction, gelling and shading for reflector systems such as umbrella reflectors or balloons used in stage and studio lighting and for motion picture, video, film and still photography. Whether the shape is round, square, or rectangular, including balls and tubes, the present invention is suitable for color correction and gelling requirements. The invention can be assembled in a short amount of time by a single person and requires much less material than convention systems and methods.

One embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus used for color correction, light softening and attaining neutral density with a photographic reflector. Embodiments of the invention include a gel holder and a shade holder that can be used separately or together. The invention allows the user to add color, eliminate or reduce reflected color and to shape, shade, diffuse, soften, absorb, block, reflect, refract and dim light at the light source used with the reflector. The positions of the gel holder and the shade holder on the focus tube and about the light source can be modified to mix, blend and shape the light, create special effects, add texture, eliminate hot spots and create shadows. A user can thus fine tune the desired lighting effects by adjusting the position of the gel holder and/or the reflector holder on the focus tube. The invention includes the use of two or more shade holders to further expand the range of lighting and shading effects.

Using conventional methods, a standard 330 cm umbrella reflector would require about thirty square feet of color correction filter or gel, would require approximately thirty minutes to prepare the gel and approximately five minutes for two persons to mount and set-up. In contrast, using the present invention, the 330 cm umbrella reflector would use approximately one square foot of color correction filter or gel, would require approximately thirty seconds to prepare the gel and approximately ten seconds for one person to mount and set-up. A common set-up in the film and photography lighting is using a diffusion gel, a ¼ color transfer orange (CTO) color correction and a colored gel. This common set-up requires ninety square feet of color correction film, gel and diffusion material. However, only approximately three square feet of gel is needed using the present invention.

Further advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the drawings and description set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1illustrates one embodiment of the invention with an arrangement of light controlling elements at a reflector10. The reflector10is mounted onto a stand12with legs14as shown inFIG. 1. The focus tube16is secured adjacent to the reflector10by a focus tube support18having a light source or lamp20at one end of the focus tube16. As shown inFIG. 1, a power supply22supplies electrical power to the lamp20by an electrical connector22that is connected to the power supply22.

In the embodiment shown inFIG. 1, the gel holder24is removably and adjustably secured to the focus tube16. The gel holder24is attached to the gel26and placed so that the gel26surrounds the lamp20. The shade holder28is removably secured to the focus tube16and is attached to the shade30and placed so that the shade30is proximate to the gel26.

As shown in more detail in one embodiment inFIG. 2, the gel holder24is a ring40made from aluminum, metal, composite fiber or phenolic material, graphite or carbon fiber. In one or more embodiments, the ring40can be round, oval, square, rectangle, pentagon, octagon, crescent shaped and other configurations known to skilled persons. The ring40can be any color and can be made of a single piece or assembled from two or more pieces by welding or glue. A torsion spring42is connected to the ring40by the screw44and the washer46to an aperture48on the ring40in a conventional way known to persons skilled in the art and illustrated inFIG. 2andFIG. 3. The torsion spring42can be made of any type of metal that can function as a spring to releasably grip the focus tube16.

The gel26is made from one or more thin plastic films in one or more colors or combination of colors known to persons skilled in the art and includes gels made by Lee Filters or Rosco filters. In embodiments of the invention, the gel26is in a cylindrical configuration when connected to the gel holder24as shown inFIG. 2, but other and further configurations are within the scope of the invention.

The gel26is in a flat sheet of material that is rolled up manually and secured to the gel holder24by tape, glue or any other conventional attachments known to skilled persons. In further embodiments, the gel26is made of aluminum or other metal fabric material as shown inFIG. 6. The metal fabric material such as shown inFIG. 6can be cut and shaped into different configurations, including diamond shapes and other cut-out design configurations, and secured to the gel holder24by using tabs and slots as shown inFIG. 6. In additional embodiments of the invention, the gel26includes any material used to change color, tint, hue, and to dim or add special light characteristics for use in stage, studio, film, still photography and video lighting.

In further embodiments, the gel stiffener32is placed onto the gel26as illustrated inFIG. 2to provide rigidity to the gel26that is attached to the gel holder24. The gel stiffener32is shaped to correspond to the configuration of the gel26and is applied to the gel by squeezing end portions34of the gel stiffener32and placing the gel stiffener32on the inside of the gel26. The gel stiffener32is of a generally square cross section and is made of aluminum or other materials known to persons skilled in the art, however other cross sectional shapes and other materials are within the scope of the present invention.

As can be appreciated fromFIG. 1andFIG. 2, the position of the gel holder24can by adjusted by pressing the extension42aof the torsion spring42and then moving the gel holder24to a different position on the focus tube16and then releasing the extension42aso that the torsion spring42then grips the focus tube16. In this manner, the gel holder24with the gel26can thus be moved back and forth along the focus tube16to control and obtain the light effect or gelling that is desired.

As shown inFIG. 2, the shade holder28is a ring segment50made from aluminum, metal, composite fiber or phenolic material, graphite or carbon fiber and can be made into configurations known to skilled persons. The ring segment50can be any color and made of a single piece or assembled from two or more pieces by welding or glue. A torsion spring52is connected to the ring segment50by the screw54and the washer56to an aperture48on the ring segment50in a conventional way known to persons skilled in the art and illustrated inFIG. 2andFIG. 4. The torsion spring42is made of any type of metal that can function as a spring to releasably grip the focus tube16.

As shown inFIG. 4, the shade30is secured to the ring segment50by one or more rivets60or by other conventional attachments such as screws known to persons skilled in the art. The shade30is semi-cylindrical in configuration or other configurations or different lengths. The shade30is made from aluminum but other and different materials and combination of materials are within the scope of the invention.

In further embodiments, the shade30includes colored surfaces62and64, which can be one black colored surface to absorb light and one reflective surface to reflect light, both surfaces can be black or both surfaces can be reflective. In additional embodiments, the shade30is made from a metal screen or configured into a series of V-shapes such as shown inFIG. 5. The invention includes other configurations and shapes and lengths of the shade30all of which are within the scope of the present invention. In additional embodiments of the invention, the invention includes the use of two or more shading devices including two or more shade holders28with the shade30that are removably and adjustably mounted onto the focus tube16to provide for additional shading effects as desired by the user.

As can be appreciated fromFIG. 2andFIG. 4, the position of the shade holder28can by adjusted by pressing the extension52aof the torsion spring52and then moving the shade holder28to a different position on the focus tube16and then releasing the extension52aso that the torsion spring52then grips the focus tube16. In this manner, the shade holder28with the shade30can thus be moved back and forth along the focus tube16to control the shading effects as desired. The present invention includes the use of two or more shade devices such as shade holder28with shade30to control the shading effects and includes the use of the shade holder28with the shade30without the gel holder24with the gel26and those embodiments are all within the scope of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described with regards to particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concepts in the claims and the invention includes the full breadth and scope of the claims including all equivalents.